Last week we had trekking tours with two families , both families spend a very short holiday (10 to 12 days) in India. Both families wanted to see as much as possible, do a trekking tour and, if possible, not be overwhelmed by the culture shock and travel stress. All these wishes are not easy to reconcile for a trip to India, certainly not, if the family has never been to India, the travel time is so short and the trip is planned independently!
Distances in India are often underestimated, as are the poor road conditions and the many curves on the mountain roads. Also the effect of Indian culture during the first days is usually taken too lightly!
Especially when you arrive in one of the big cities, such as Delhi or Mumbai, the noise, the heat, the overpopulation, the dirt, the smells, the poverty and, and, and…! If you then plan the India tour in such a way that you spend at the most only one day in one place, travel by overnight busses and trains and then even have to deal with digestive problems, the dream of India can quickly become a nightmare.
The bottom line is that a lot of time and money has been invested in planning. One has travelled hundreds of kilometres and has only experienced India as an exhausting place, without having experienced the really beautiful areas! If you only travel to India so short and don’t want to make the trip a stress factor, I recommend to get the trip planned and organized professionally and to listen carefully to recommendations of the organizer! Because then you have the opportunity to get to know the real India relaxed and authentic and in all it’s beauty!
