Cheap
Traveling in India is very affordable. Granted, in 2013 when I traveled, the rupee was quite low at approximately 60 to the dollar. But even when it was at 45 ish to the dollar, India was cheap. India is simply very affordable for most UK/US/EUR/AUS/CAN travelers.
Here are some costs of things (in USD) in late 2013:
Delicious Potato Paratha on the street (my breakfast in Mcleod Ganj) = 30 cents
Chai (tea) on the street = 10 - 15 cents
Decent Room with my own bathroom in touristy Udaipur = $4
16 hour train ride = $7
Meal in a clean healthy restaurant = $2 - $4
Bollywood Film in fancy theatre = $2 - $3
Starting fare on a rickshaw ride in Mumbai = 25 cents
30 minute cab ride in traffic in Mumbai = $2 - $2.50
2L of Water = 50 cents
Food, Water, Lodging, and Transportation are the bulk of your costs when traveling. You can travel quite easily in India on $500 per month. You could push this down to $300 if you ate more street food, avoided touristy spots, and shared rooms with others.
People usually think of SE Asia when they think of cheap travel. Thailand and Vietnam would be considered expensive compared to India. From what I've heard from other travelers and looking on Hostel Booking sites, a dorm bed in many parts of Thailand goes for around $9-$12. In India, you'll get your own room for 30%-50% of that.
I haven't heard of any other popular backpacking destination that's as cheap as India. Tell me if there is one.
Food
I loved it and found most travelers felt the same. There's so many delicious things to try. There are a plethora of plates, breads, beverages, and snacks that we don't get in Indian food in the US. I would try dishes at random on the menu in many restaurants and like them almost every time.
The majority of my very limited Hindi describes food. I don't like much spice and I rarely found the food to be too hot. I ate meat only a handful of times in those 10 weeks.?
There is too much sugar, fat, and starch in some dishes. I almost always had to remember to tell restaurants to put less or no sugar in my tea. The sweets in India (imo) are gut bombs of sugar and fat. Indians eat a lot of carbs/sugar and not a lot of protein. Also, the portions can be quite small.
Those are minor gripes though. Most of the food is delicious, nutritious, cheap and vegetarian by default.
Helpfulness of average people
Many Indians believe that "guest is god". It constantly surprised me just how helpful average Indians would be to travelers in their country. If I got stuck somewhere or was confused doing something, average people would really take their time to really help me. I thought no one could beat Latin hospitality but Indians just might have.
I told my dad about times where average working class people would take me on impromptu tours for 30 minutes - 2 hours and he was like "Really? And they didn't want anything?" If they aren't in the tourism business, they don't. They truly just want to be helpful. Experiencing this made me ashamed for how little I've done for tourists in the US. I've taken a couple couchsurfers around and made some people's days, but I've never just seen a backpacker on the street in Seattle or San Francisco and been like "Hey stranger, I'm going to take you around for the next 2 hours to make sure you have an excellent time here."
I knew of other travelers who got invited to stay with people in their villages or homes. The people who were extending this hospitality were mostly of limited means. It's nice to be welcomed and taken care of. Especially when you're traveling by yourself and overwhelmed by India.
Very cool travelers
India attracts a certain type of traveler and I liked most of them. They tend to usually be a little older and more experienced in life than many of the travelers I meet in Mexico(though I like them too). They are often open to a certain type of adventure, personal growth, and occasional difficulty. Some are there specifically for yoga or meditation. Many are the types of people you'd meet at Burning Man or hippie-esque music festivals.
They are educated and interesting with strong spiritual and liberal roots. You do find a some of the holier than thou hippies as well, but most were very down to earth. Though I also like the early 20s travelers, it was nice to be a slightly older crowd. I heard travelers in their 30s say they felt a little more comfortable in India vs. SE Asia (because of age).
You don't get the drug/prostitution travelers that you sometimes get in Colombia or the child prostitution travelers you hear of in Thailand/Costa Rica. Outside of Goa or Mumbia, India isn't much of a party destination so you don't get the party travelers either (though I ain't hatin').
I met many interesting cool travelers in India. We had great conversations in restaurants and on rooftops. I wish I could have known them longer.
Little physical violence
Compared to Mexico and Colombia, you're very safe from physical violence in India. The people who rob you in India do it smiling and shaking your hand. In many parts of Latin America, you have to legitimately worry about getting mugged or beaten up. In India, many tourists walk around with their expensive DSLRs dangling from their necks. I never thought twice about having my debit card or iPhone on me. In many parts of Latin America, you'd be really asking for it by doing that. I'm sure muggings happen but I didn't hear of it happening to any travelers I met.
I also worried less about pickpockets and bags getting ripped off in India. I never heard of a tourist/traveler getting their bag simply ripped off while they were sitting in a rickshaw (for example). If they had rickshaws in (more of) Latin America, you'd hear of a lot of bags being ripped off in traffic. They'd nab your stuff and bolt the other way. It was nice not having to sweat this so much in India. I hardly ever looked over my shoulder.
English speaking
You can get by quite easily with just English. Enough people speak it fluently or ok enough to get your necessities taken care of. This makes it harder to learn a local language but more convenient to get around.
Very easy to get off the beaten track
Outside of a few popular areas, it's very easy to find places in India with few tourists. I've never felt burdened by being around other tourists in Mexico or Colombia but I've heard travelers in Thailand sometimes feel overwhelmed. In India, it's very easy to find that 'authentic' locals-only experience that some travelers really covet.
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