20years and want to travel India for the first time, no time limit IM CLULESS

Chaitra*aries

Namaste! I am planning on leaving the United States around the end of april due to a great price on plane tickets. I have several questions and concerns. After reading through this forum a bit thoroughly, I feel confident you guys can help me.

First, I am planning on going alone, a young, white, very white girl from American. Will this be a problem ie am I going to get kidnapped. I'm not too worried about it because I hear India is quite friendly, but my mother is scared shitless (my apologies)

Second, I am only planning on buying a one-way ticket and have read in various places that to get into the country you have to have a returning ticket. Is this true? Because I am not planning on leaving for America after my visa is up . . anytime soon.

Third, How much money will i need to bring if I plan on traveling the country for six months+? I have roughly $3000 USD not including ticket. And i am worried this will run out too soon after food housing and transportation, and of course shopping. Should I bring more? More money couldn't hurt of course but it's harder to come by lol

Fourth, My reason to go to India is to find places of study for yoga and meditation, which I'm sure I will have no trouble finding all over the country, but will these Ashrams charge for stay or require that I stay for extended periods of time?

Fifth, How should I pack??? What should I take ESSENTIAL and what shouldn't I take. Like the kind of clothes I should bring. Like maybe 4 light t shirts 1 long sleeve a couple pairs of cargos maybe jeans and underwear and of course toiletries. Can I get these things there? And also, what is the best way to tote around all this crap, large hiking backpack, or small backpack with duffel, or do I want a little extra baggage as possible.

Sixth, Should I contact my Indian aquaintenses that I know in the States who have family in India for emergency purposes, that would make my mother feel better . . If I somewhat had a contact I could reach if I in absolute need.

Seventh, Will I be okay with no real itinerary? Just wing it. Thats my kind of plan and doesn't scare me at all. I just don't want to end up in a scary uncomfortable situation. Should I have an idea of where I'd like to go and any ideas of pleasant routes (I was thinking maybe a kind of circle around the country starting from the middle west going south and then up east and then finish in the north, counterclockwise sort of.

Please help me! And I would love info on gear that you've used that was helpful clothes pants bags ANYTHING.

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inshallah

Aishah

Welcome to India Mike, chaitra.! I have moved your post into India for Beginners Forum - the other one was strictly for Money Issues only.
Your ashram and Yoga question I suggest you go to the Yoga, Spirituality etc. forum for finding an answer there or put a separate thread with this single question. There is also a sub-Forum in this India for Beginners Forum called Packing Tips. Find that and you will find answers for what to pack, what sort of bag etc.
Read this thread re women's safety etc: Blondes- to dye or not to dye? & women's wear, women's safety etc
Definitely a good idea to contact Indian acquaintances in India - nothing like local advice for ways to do things here! It will also put your mother's mind at rest.

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"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Chaitra*aries

Thank you! yeah i realized that i posted my thread while looking at money thread / woops!

Hal

I'd suggest you get a map and a guide book so you're familiar with what's available. Then read as much as you can on IndiaMike about your preferred destinations. Winging it is possible, but it helps to know your options. And don't forget a tourist visa has 180 day maximum stay, so you may want to put another country in there if you plan to travel for more than 6 months.

And take the smallest regular backpack that you can fit your stuff into plus a small, light daypack that could be crammed into the other pack, if possible.

freenote

1 / hone up your street sense ,no going down dark alleys in a red light district ,same all over the world .Dress sense anywere in the world helps ,beside that , no problem
2 / no problem with a one way ticket ,you never get asked
3 / A good figure appears to 20$ per day, per person .(budget)
4/ Don't know ,gut feeling some do , some don't .
5/ Personal opinion ,Cary as little as possible .Anything you require can be purchased in India ,and probably cheaper .For the bag question I prefer a wheeled one ,some say it's to do with age but i disagree ,it's logically the best method of moving a weight
6/ If it makes your mom feel better
7/Winging it is just fine ,in my opinion the way to go ,some people really enjoy planning every stage of a journey ,but if i try it all goes wrong on the first day

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eyes ,eyes that have seen all , come back to the white chrysanthemum (Basho)

SitaParityaga

Is this your first time abroad? Just curious. We can answer your questions better if we have a sense of your experiences and interests!

devorenm

It is totally possible to just wing it, but I tend to enjoy the trip more if I have some sense of direction. I would reccomend getting some maps and a guidebook and make a list of things you want to do, places you want to go etc. and then get a general idea of where there is to stay how to get there from here that kind of stuff. That way if you decide you want to go to Mumbai randomly you know of a few places to stay, how much it will cost to take the train there, that kind of stuff.

Nath0rigin

Hi guys, I'm new to the website.. I've been scoping for hours and finally found this topic to lay my story.

Me(19) and my best friend(20) have a flight leaving to Chennai on september the 11. With no further plans made, just the ticket booked, we are feeling extremely confident of our coming future. Then along the road to prosperity we met a downfall

Of course we quickly found out, what the "six month max visa" was. This vastly irritated us, we had financial covery for at least 3 years, and kind of didn't want to be bound to these rules. (Isn't this my planet as well)

Now, roughly 5 weeks before mental-liftoff, I wonder if I should make an itinerary. The initial thought was to "wing it", now I find myself drowned in GoogleMaps surrounded by temples and great reviews and must-see places.
All of the sudden I'm holding a lonely-planet India guide, a 1200 paged book on India. and I wonder if my journey is shifting tides..

On the things-to-bring we definitely have camping gear included. A dSLR. My own medical kit. And maybe even a travel-guitar! A journey full of diversity seems to fit the country.

Part of my question in this thread is how well prepared do you have to be to still be able to enjoy India!

Most of my questions have already been answered in other friend, this has been a great resource for information.

Hugs,

Nath

Haylo

If you don't know where you're going, how do you know you'll be able to camp there?

I'm not at all convinced that camping gear would be used often enough to be worth the weight of lugging it around for six months.

Anywhere like Ladakh where you could camp hires out gear very cheaply anyway.

It may be irritating, but those restrictions are in place because your country has rules to prevent Indian citizens from coming to live there just because they want to.

Why shouldn't India have the same rules? It was FAR easier for you to get your six months Indian visa, than it would be for someone from India to get a visa to visit your country even briefly for a fortnight's holiday.

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The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

freenote

Quote nathorigin (original Neanderthal ? )
Part of my question in this thread is how well prepared do you have to be to still be able to enjoy India! "end quote
one requires ,passport , visa , a guide book helps and access to funds i.e bank cards travelers checks or cash anything else after that is just icing on the cake ,you can even leave your undies behind as it's all available there

PS a plane ticket helps ..... enjoy

thejag

I realise that i am several months late in asking this question but i will anyway.... so.... didnt this strike anyone as implying that she intends to stay on illegally after her visa expires?????

i take it you interpreted the question as how UNprepared does one have to be to still be able to enjoy india? i mean cause if you're prepared why will you not enjoy? unless one confuses prepared with paranoid. you forgot to add that he should have his wits about him as well not to mention another more essential common attribute. very essential in India...

namaste_cat

I was wondering about that too because it sure came across that way to me as well. Hope I misunderstood.

Anyway, as we know a lot can change once one is on the ground and reality is not always same as what one perceived about India, so I wish the OP good luck

Nath0rigin

Fair enough I guess. I guess we will have to make a quick trip back to Holland to get a renewed visa. I read somewhere that you can get a 1-5year visa for studying anything cultural. But it was separate from the student visa option.

Other than that we are equipped with two 55-60l backpacks, which have to be filled before september 11th, my flight date.

Hal

Why not include Nepal or Sri Lanka in your plans and renew there?

Nath0rigin

Am I correct that then I need to apply for a new visa in Nepal--for india, with the chance I they wont give me one? Meaning I would be stuck in Nepal with a return flight in Delhi. Such a difficulty would make everything very expensive..

If there is somehow an easy way to stay approx. 180 days in India, and then a number in weeks in Nepal, and travel back to India with an extended visa, that would be absolutely excellent. I'm sure this is somewhere in other threads, sometimes the information is a bit overwhelming though As far as I know, you need to apply for a visa in your country of residence?