Is it normal to feel anxious about leaving for India?

Hi guys,
I'm leaving for India in 5 sleeps! I have travelled extensively in South-east Asia, Europe, America etc etc and have never felt nervous. This is my first trip to India, a place where I have wanted to go since I could walk!
But I am finding it really hard to be excited, instead I feel sick with nerves! I should be excited, cause this is a dream come true but I just feel soooo scared!
Is this normal?
Has anyone else felt like this before their first trip?
Any tips????
Responses greatly appreciated!

I've been traveling about 300 days per year for the past 8 years, mostly in Central and South America. I feel like an experienced traveler and never get nervous. But last November when I went to India I felt the same way as you described. And I still don't know why because it really wasn't necessary to be nervous. There's nothing to be nervous of, just go, take it one day at a time and have a lot of fun.

Thanks for replying - very true.
Wow! I want your life! How do you manage to travel so much of the year?

Is the nervousness after joining India Mike or before?

I think it is very normal and actually good since you will be vigilant. Pick pocketing is common in crowded areas. E.g., do not keep your wallet in the back pocket. I always move it to my side/front pocket when I enter a train station for example. Also, remember that you should not keep valuables e.g., a camera on a counter (e.g. front desk of a hotel) and turn around - it will vanish! this happened to one of my British friends and he kept saying that India is unsafe. I wondered if he would have done that anywhere else.

Enjoy your trip, take lots of photographs and keep a journal - post your trip report on IM with photos!

Cheers

Nattusbs

Its the sheer population and the attack on the sense that causes the nervousness Probably the very reasons you would remember India on your way back home!

Being a first timer, you should start your trip gingerly... I would advise a big city as a starting point, where you should spend a day or 2 in the main touristy areas... for example in Mumbai, stick to Marine Drive or Colaba... hang out in the less crowded tourist friendly zones and gradually start venturing further as you get accustomed to the noise, pollution and population. You will then start to enjoy it and will gradually gel in

My personal recommendation would be Mumbai as the starting city (not because I live here but because the South of Mumbai is very safe and has a fairly decent nightlife... also the climate is fairly equable)

I do love Kolkata and Chennai ... and Kolkata has an awesome character and human spirit and some wonderful architecture BUT it could be a bit of a shock first up. Chennai is pretty nice but may be pretty hot to start with, however the advantage is that you could plan your trip upwards from the South. Delhi has never had any allure for me...andc its not bias, it just feels a bit impersonal. As far as infrastructure goes... it is very good... and it also has plenty of green spaces and amazing historical monuments.

All in all, go for any metro and stay in the posh, nice, clean areas for a day or so to "acclimatise" and then venture out Meet up with fellow westerners over drinks and exchange notes... get tips from them and you should be well comfortable soon enough!

I went to India for a month this past December to visit a friend. I knew I'd never be alone over there but I was still nervous before my trip. Nervous & excited.

Stick with being nervous, don't make the mistake of trying to quantify it. That will just lead you down a lot of dark alleys of your mind that will simply make you feel even more nervous..Fears that in all likelihood will never come to pass....

Look at it this way, you might not get sick, you probably won't get molested, you'll catch your transport connections, you will meet like minded people, you'll get used to the heat and the stares, you'll quickly jettison things you find you don't need, abject poverty will find it's place in your perceptions, touts will get bored trying to take you to "uncle's shop" the small white tax you pay in rickshaws etc won't break the bank, you have nothing to prove, no badges to aquire, your travel style is completely up to you, bah humbug to those judgmental types, the sun will shine and India will challenge you, but in all this you'll be surprised how many times a smile will cross you lips...
You'll find food you like and a suntan lotion/mossie spray you can use.

How do I know this you ask....Well myself and thousands of others have experienced this India not the much related construction of scare stories that are often used to define India..
There's a flip side too

I've been nervous before every trip and I know India well, it seems to be some kind of subliminal inner preparation for once more entering the fray..To date India hasn't let me down, still the best show on earth

I'm retired from the navy. I may not have a great retirement but it's enough to let me travel on a small budget.

I think that once you get to India your nervousness will change to excitement, and when you leave it might even change again to anticipation for your next trip!

Have fun

I am indian living in europe, i went back home after 5 years for a visit, i felt surprised my self and i asked a question my self, what am I ? you will feel nervous , yes , but relax you will be ok

Good luck

If you don't have butterflies, you're not alive! Getting them to 'fly in formation' ...... is the trick of the trade though.

Buy the ticket, take the ride - Hunter S. Thompson

With five trips to India myself, almost three years in country, I still get nervous/excited/whatever . . . it's as much a part of the trip as chapati

And I'm with Klompen - Best show on earth . . . for me, the most complete, head to toe/inside-to-out travel experience I've ever had

Hi austraveller9

Your post was like Deja Vu. I too have traveled extensively, including SE Asia, and was surprised at how nervous I was a year ago January as my departure date approached.

I had originally planned to be in India for the first time in January 2009, but cancelled after the Mumbai attack. It was not until 2011 that I finally managed what turned out to be the TRIP OF A LIFETIME. I loved India so much that I am going back again next year, and actually just booked my airfare last night and I must say I can't wait - there will be no nerves this time.

India is a wondrous place. You will love it or hate it, and that I cannot predict, but definitely don't fear it. Travel smart, keep alert, just like anywhere, but the hassles that you read of are, in my opinion, blown out of proportion. Yes, there are touts, yes you will be told that your train is cancelled, your room is not available, the neighbourhood you are staying in is unsafe. But if you have done your research (and if you found IndiaMike I am sure you have) you will be fine.

My original trip was Delhi > Jaipur > Jaisalmer > Jodhpur > Agra > Varanasi > Deli. All done independently by train, small hotels and guesthouses, public transportation. Yes, there were some gruff individuals, some slow service, but you get that anywhere. For the most part, everyone I met was friendly and accommodating.

Relax and enjoy your trip. If you are like me it won't be your last.

To be honest I was scared as a little girl. Even if I came there I hold my friend as I was crazy. The people were lying on streets with rubbish and shits. I was scared from them. Oh my god. I started be ok and again I was down because I recognized that I can not sort the poverty of India.

I am going to Srinagar in 4 weeks and it is my fifth journey to India. Usually I cry when I fly from India.

Austraveller, breath deeply, pack up your staff, check your passport and ticket and fly. And remember to write about your journey for us.

You'll probably feel that way until about 2 days in to your trip.
After which, most people either run screaming from the country or they let it take hold of them and go with the flow. Because that's all you really can do.

You know, when I spend time in this particular forum (health) I start to get a little nervous. (Not so much afraid of getting ill as of wasting time being ill.) Then I hit the other ones and - let's just say I don't leave for my first India visit until October, I'll be there for almost 6 months, and I'm already thinking about a second trip. I know: crazy.