Are you brave enough to travel to India? Or you keep on looking for reasons why not to go there?

If you are wondering if you should visit India I might help you to make up your mind. I know that you’ve heard a lot of beautiful stories about this part of the world and I know that you heard a lot more horror stories. India is an all-in-one country – it is beautiful and it is scary, it is rich and poor, it is colourful and dark, loud and silent, deep and shallow. But at the end of the day this contrast between two gives the unique experience and unforgettable memories that will change your life forever. 

After spending some time in a new culture, experiencing something that you didn’t know existing, being pushed out of our comfort zone by unfamiliar way of living opens up the parts in us that completely changes our perception of life. I believe that travelling is the best way to get to know yourself and become free from the chains and limits that we create inside of our mind. Especially if we travel to the countries that are totally different than where we grew up or lived majority of our lives. For me personally, that life changing and eye-opening experience was India. 

It took me some time to get back on my feet after cultural shock that slapped me the minute I stepped out of the airport, but I fell in love with this country so much that I am really planning to move and live there for a while and you might do that too, but you need to go there to find out!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET ME TELL YOU 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT INDIA:

1.A chance to explore different tastes of Indian food. All the foodies out there can cheerfully lift their hands up because India is heaven for exploring and trying and tasting and eating and eating nonstop again. Endless names on the menus that you can’t even pronounce, freshly cooked meals fully packed with veggies, million different types of curries, soft and chewy Indian bread, sweet and sticky desserts, and the flavours that will literally take you out of this world. From street food trucks to small diners and high-class restaurants – everything is perfect. 

2. Get to know the importance of religion. In India, you will find a variety of religions. It’s not a surprise that most of the population follows Hindu religion (around 80%), but India is also the second-largest Muslim population in the world (with around 15% of the population!). You can also find people who identifies as Christians (about 3%), Sikhs (around 2%), Buddhists (1%) and Jains (less than 1%). If you’re thinking why I mentioned it here is that I was really stunned by the fact how deeply religious they are and how much it impacts their everyday life to this date. There are many holy and sacred places, everyday rituals and rules. In Hindu religion there is like three million (I’m exaggerating) different god and goddesses, which pictures are visible everywhere in public and private spaces, and there are so many festivities related to Deity or prospect of life. And if that isn’t enough – in different parts of the country they worship different gods and have slight different rituals! You don’t see these kind of things here in Western countries which is why it is so interesting to be a part of it at least for a second.

3. Discover the importance of family. In Indian culture, Family takes the biggest role in their lives. Parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, all the generations live under one roof, has dinners and all kind of gatherings and celebrations together, and shares their daily joys and struggles with each other. Just don’t get me wrong, not all of India lives in collectivist societies, but some of them do. Every decision that needs to be made is usually discussed between all of the family members. It is like a small society that gathers people to unite and work together. The importance of family and the bonds between them are something that is missing in Western countries, because is there anything more important in this life than family? (rhetorical question, don’t answer please 🙂

4. Find out what real hospitality is. And it is out of this world! I mean it. Wherever you go, you will be met with a smile. If you are in a trouble, people will help you, they will invite you to their home, bring you a cup of chai, offer you some food, and treats you like a family member. There is a Sanskrit saying, “Atithi Devo Bhava’’, which means that the guest is truly your god, and most of the time you will feel that they are getting out of the path to help you with whatever issue you have just to make you feel like a home away from home. Of course, there might be a small chance that is for money, but if you ignore that annoying fact you will see that you are very welcome in their homes and hearts.

5. Teaches you to be more patient and kind. Travelling in India will be challenging. You will have to deal with delayed trains and buses, traffic jams, you will get lost because people will give you the wrong directions and I am sure you will have Delhi belly. That’s just a few examples what could happen while you’re there. But this is going to be a chance for you to loosen up a little bit. Instead of taking it too serious you will learn how to be more patient, more kind to yourself and others and finally take it the way it comes to you no matter what.

6. A chance to get lost in the diversity of the landscape. From the big modern cities to remote rural villages, from the golden sand beaches to snow-covered mountains, from evergreen forests to endless hot deserts, from loud and busy streets to tranquil plantations. Travelling from one place to another, the scenery might change a few times, and travelling from North to South feels like visiting different countries. India has everything that travellers are looking for – hot and cold, high and low, wet and dry. Why would one ever want to leave this place?

7. Get back to simple living. I met so many people in India who are happier having nothing than the person, in a Western country, who has everything. ‘If I would have more money, I wouldn’t appreciate the small things in my life’ – the souvenir shop owner told me once. I know you might say, that it’s just how poor people comfort themselves, but I think that they found the secret of how to be happy with what they have instead of thinking about what they don’t.

8. Open up your eyes to colours. Wherever you look, even in the darkest places, you will see so many colourful details all around. Bright orange and yellow flowers in the temples, vivid pink and green sari-wearing women on the streets, all the colour palette spices in the market and shops full of magic. You will be surprised how many shades of red and blue (and other ones of course) there are in this world and realise that the colours can brighten up even the worst day.

9. Go back in time and learn the history. It might sound funny because we all know that every part of this world has an interesting history, but India wins this fight no matter what. India’s history takes us back to the beginning of human civilisation! The rich Indus Valley civilisation, followed by the start of the flourishing Vedic period, then the birth of Hinduism and Buddhism, religions which gave us a unique perspective of understanding the world and ourselves. India also had dark times, when it saw nothing but wars, but the signs of love and peace keep appearing everywhere you look. All the beauty that we see right now, like temples, palaces, forts, people’s behaviour, their kindness and all the view in general, was formed by the interesting history of this amazing country.

10. Opens your mind. There is a significant difference between Western society and what you can find here in India. People live differently, has different values, different thoughts, different understanding about the world. And it is beautiful. You will see cows on the streets, you will try eating with your hands, you will face the reality that you never thought of. But experiencing all of it and letting it be the way it is open the parts that you didn’t know existing. And you will be ok with that.

India is a country like no other in this planet. But no matter what will I say or what would you read, the only way to really understand it is to go and experience it on your own.

I hope this will help you and encourage you to take a chance and go to explore the unknown!

I wrote quite a few posts about travelling in this amazing country which you can find here on my blog. Like How to spend two weeks in Rajasthan, what you need to know before Arriving in India, Train travels and others.

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Thank you very much for reading the whole article!

If you’ve already visited India, it would be amazing to hear travel tips and recommendations from you in the comments.

If you haven’t been there yet, please don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any questions. We are here to help!

Happy Travels!

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