India Travel Checklist: What to Pack, Plan, and Know Before You Go
When you’re planning a trip to India, a country with extreme climate zones, deep cultural traditions, and wildly varying travel infrastructure. Also known as the Indian subcontinent, it’s not just a destination—it’s a full-sensory experience that demands more than just a passport and a flight ticket. A solid India travel checklist isn’t about packing extra shirts. It’s about preparing for the unexpected: monsoon rains in Kerala, dusty trains in Rajasthan, temple dress codes in Varanasi, and the reality that 500 rupees can buy you three meals if you know where to look.
Many travelers miss the mark because they treat India like Europe or the U.S. But here, power outages happen, street food is safe if you pick busy stalls, and modest clothing isn’t optional in rural areas. Your checklist needs to include India travel budget, how much cash to carry, where ATMs work, and how to avoid tourist traps that inflate prices. It also needs Golden Triangle India, the classic Delhi-Agra-Jaipur route that introduces most visitors to India’s history, architecture, and chaos. But even if you’re skipping the Golden Triangle, you still need to know what to wear in Rishikesh’s yoga ashrams, how to book a train on IRCTC, and why a reusable water bottle isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
You’ll find posts here that break down real costs—like whether 500 rupees is enough for a day, or which Goa beaches foreigners actually return to. You’ll see what to pack for a luxury train like the Palace on Wheels, and why jeans might be fine on some trips but not others. There’s advice on safe beaches, what to expect at temples when you cry for no obvious reason, and how to plan a two-day trip that still feels complete. This isn’t a generic list of ‘top 10 things to do.’ It’s a real-world toolkit built from travelers who got it wrong first, then figured it out.
Whether you’re a solo backpacker, a couple on a honeymoon, or a family with kids, the posts below give you the exact details you need—no fluff, no theory, just what works on the ground in India. You’ll walk away knowing what to buy before you land, what to leave behind, and how to move through India without stress.
