Anonymous
Post 05/11/2026 14:53     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which is best? Looking at a group tour in November. is that a good time to go?


Yes. Great time to go if you can be away from polluted big cities. And yes, absolutely go with a tour and spend some money to go to upscale places.

It is a huge country and lots of amazing places. You should not do it on a shoestring budget and like the poorest of poors. Because as an Indian, even I don't do it. I also book in the best hotels, best cars with drivers, security and luxury travel.

DO NOT GO CHEAP.



As a Indian, I just want to say you are a real b**** and insufferable.

It is so easy to spot you with that "poorest of the poor" line.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2026 22:05     Subject: Re:India with a tour or independent travel?
India is amazing & I love it. I’ve been many times beginning in 1990. Always traveled alone or with another female friend. Was just in Delhi at end of April. No issue with air quality or any type of ‘harassment’ or staring as I walked around Delhi. Old Delhi might be a bit different. Ubers safe & easy too.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 13:56     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would you go to India…? When there are beautiful safe places out there?


Because there is nowhere else like it? And amazing things to see?

If you want to keep to the Bahamas or London or whatever place you travel to being afraid of places where English isn't spoken or where they don't have your pancakes and bacon in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, knock yourself out. But India is beyond beautiful.


I'm a PP who spent the 3 1/2 wk in India travelling throughout.

Yes, India has areas of great beauty. Guess what? So do 99% all of all other places. Iran, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Mongolia, Congo, Siberia. You name the place, I guarantee there's beautiful views somewhere somehow.

Here's the difference: when you travel, you are out in public. You will feel the wind, the air, the weather, the environment all around you. That's the difference - the level of daily poverty in almost every single location in India is at a level you cannot imagine living in the US. You must stay at the most $$$ lux places and if you venture out, good luck. I'm talking - you need to be picked up in the car as soon as you step out of the gorgeous sheltered perfect hotel you are in because the outside air and the outside scenery accompanying it sucks. In almost all places.

The things you can see in India are great but you can see as many historical sites in many other locations globally without flying into pollution and poverty. You can't really "see" or experience India in other words. You can go from point A to point B I suppose if you want to see the "beauty" but why travel like that?? Agra is a hell hole. Literally. You all have lost your minds who think of India as a travel paradise. LOL It changed my life. It made me understand what hell and poverty was at a young age. You have never seen so many beautiful children dirty, begging but happy because they nothing better. It's like, why would you want to visit S Sudan? To see an elephant - really??



Some us want to see the world. Warts and all. You sound like the stereotypical “ugly American.”

India is how millions and millions of people live. It is an ancient, fascinating culture.

Well worth visiting, but not an easy country to visit. I personally don’t get on a plane and travel for days,, to find myself in circumstances that closely mirror what I left behind. Where is the growth in that?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 13:48     Subject: Re:India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:OP here...we are going to Delhi Jaipur and Agra.
thanks for the insights


The Golden Triangle —a well trodden itinerary.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2026 12:29     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would you go to India…? When there are beautiful safe places out there?


Because there is nowhere else like it? And amazing things to see?

If you want to keep to the Bahamas or London or whatever place you travel to being afraid of places where English isn't spoken or where they don't have your pancakes and bacon in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, knock yourself out. But India is beyond beautiful.


I'm a PP who spent the 3 1/2 wk in India travelling throughout.

Yes, India has areas of great beauty. Guess what? So do 99% all of all other places. Iran, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Mongolia, Congo, Siberia. You name the place, I guarantee there's beautiful views somewhere somehow.

Here's the difference: when you travel, you are out in public. You will feel the wind, the air, the weather, the environment all around you. That's the difference - the level of daily poverty in almost every single location in India is at a level you cannot imagine living in the US. You must stay at the most $$$ lux places and if you venture out, good luck. I'm talking - you need to be picked up in the car as soon as you step out of the gorgeous sheltered perfect hotel you are in because the outside air and the outside scenery accompanying it sucks. In almost all places.

The things you can see in India are great but you can see as many historical sites in many other locations globally without flying into pollution and poverty. You can't really "see" or experience India in other words. You can go from point A to point B I suppose if you want to see the "beauty" but why travel like that?? Agra is a hell hole. Literally. You all have lost your minds who think of India as a travel paradise. LOL It changed my life. It made me understand what hell and poverty was at a young age. You have never seen so many beautiful children dirty, begging but happy because they nothing better. It's like, why would you want to visit S Sudan? To see an elephant - really??

Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 19:27     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:Why would you go to India…? When there are beautiful safe places out there?


Because there is nowhere else like it? And amazing things to see?

If you want to keep to the Bahamas or London or whatever place you travel to being afraid of places where English isn't spoken or where they don't have your pancakes and bacon in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, knock yourself out. But India is beyond beautiful.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 19:23     Subject: Re:India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:OP here...we are going to Delhi Jaipur and Agra.
thanks for the insights


I used Indian Panorama for a similar itinerary, and they were phenomenal. We had drivers and guides (and a local contact that came and introduced themselves in each place as well -- which seemed mainly a tip grab, but it was fine, I was happy to sit with them for a moment and then tip them and if we had needed something it would have been great to have them I guess). We stayed in mainly 3 or 4 star heritage hotels, and they were absolutely lovely. Although we did splurge to stay at the Maidens hotel in Delhi -- it was at the end of our trip and Delhi is a lot and the Maidens is quite a nice refuge.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 19:20     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have had multiple good friends from India tell me, in no uncertain terms, if you don’t have to go to India (like to visit family or for work) there is absolutely no reason to go to India. They dread going.


Well, I'm not from India, and I completely disagree. I loved my trip to India and will likely return.


+1 Always love India always looking forward to returning.

Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 19:16     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:I have had multiple good friends from India tell me, in no uncertain terms, if you don’t have to go to India (like to visit family or for work) there is absolutely no reason to go to India. They dread going.


Well, I'm not from India, and I completely disagree. I loved my trip to India and will likely return.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 18:28     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Why would you go to India…? When there are beautiful safe places out there?
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 18:14     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:Which is best? Looking at a group tour in November. is that a good time to go?


As someone who did a 3 1// trip younger across India my advice is nobody needs to ever go. lol

Ever.

I would never return, I would not suggest my worst enemy to go - unless there was a specific purpose or visiting family.

I seriously suggest looking into what kind of tour you sign up with. Personally, I would go top shelf all the way. The amount of people and dirt and poverty is not something most Americans will digest. And I've been to both China and Japan, Thailand and Taiwan.

Mg feeling is that there are specific seasons places to see in India but you need to be very very strategic in how, when and know why you must go.

Taj Mahal is amazing, where it's located is not. It was a life altering experience and so good to have experienced but not one that needed to be experienced if that makes sense?

The answer to your question depends on where you are going, with that your co and whether you will be traveling "well" - personally I'd go to China or Japan.

Good luck. You will need it!
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 16:24     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have had multiple good friends from India tell me, in no uncertain terms, if you don’t have to go to India (like to visit family or for work) there is absolutely no reason to go to India. They dread going.


Indians visiting family also often have to stay with family out of respect, which can be a somewhat chaotic experience in even the nicest of homes (just managing household staff can be a lot of coordination — insisting everyone eat at home, needing times for when the food will be ready, customizing for kids who are picky and don’t eat the customized foods anyway, needing to line up times for driver to be available, locking things away for when the cleaning women come through, etc). Staying at hotels (which are truly wonderful on the high end) radically changes the experience.


My workaround to this is to have an itinerary with flights, rail, car, guide, hotels booked for travelling within India, before I get there. I like to stay with parents and sibling in India mainly because they have the staff and I am familiar with it all. However, not when I have my DH or kids travelling with us. Then it is a hotel.

But, then it is usually nowadays that we all are travelling together for a few days to a tourist destination, family wedding, ancestral village, ayurvedic resort, paying respect to older generation etc. So, then the near and extended family gets to spend time with us and they don't feel bad that we did not stay with them and instead stayed at a hotel.

When kids were younger, we did a week in a resort with DH's family and another week in another resort with my family. It was a family get-together and we paid for everyone so some of the guilt of going so far away also lessened. My kids bonded well with all the relatives and cousins and they loved the 5-star hotels in India. Only good memories.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 15:12     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:I have had multiple good friends from India tell me, in no uncertain terms, if you don’t have to go to India (like to visit family or for work) there is absolutely no reason to go to India. They dread going.


Indians visiting family also often have to stay with family out of respect, which can be a somewhat chaotic experience in even the nicest of homes (just managing household staff can be a lot of coordination — insisting everyone eat at home, needing times for when the food will be ready, customizing for kids who are picky and don’t eat the customized foods anyway, needing to line up times for driver to be available, locking things away for when the cleaning women come through, etc). Staying at hotels (which are truly wonderful on the high end) radically changes the experience.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:57     Subject: Re:India with a tour or independent travel?
Go to Bhutan and also to Lakshadweep & Sri Lanka.

ChatGPT the itinerary. Don't go cheap.

Go to North-East India also. Beautiful.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:54     Subject: India with a tour or independent travel?
Anonymous wrote:I have had multiple good friends from India tell me, in no uncertain terms, if you don’t have to go to India (like to visit family or for work) there is absolutely no reason to go to India. They dread going.


I am 60 year old Indian woman. I do not travel alone in India, and I go at least 3-4 times a year. It is a country of 1.8 billion people. There are good and bad people. I know what is safe and what is not, what is sketchy and what is not. I love, love, love Delhi and India and I cannot tell you how much I hate the hellish pollution and terrible air quality in Delhi - so the best time to go to Delhi is Feb-March imho.)

In India, I always have access to our family cars and trusted drivers, especially in cities. I have been travelling extensively in India in the past 10 years - and my siblings, cousins, nephew and nieces, college friends will also accompany me for part or whole of the journey. Actually, I have also travelled with my young kids alone also but again, I know how to do it safely.

I do not skimp on hotels, vehicles, guides and I make sure that these are reliable people that my family arrange. As they say "India is not for beginners". And I will concede to the wisdom and guidance of my family and friends when I discuss my plans with them, because India is always changing.