India Travel Guide

Get the health
right first.

India rewards preparation more than almost anywhere. The two things that actually determine how your trip goes are health preparation and understanding the scale, and both are covered free by public agencies.

Most India content is either a spiritual-awakening narrative or a listicle of forts. Neither helps you much. What helps is a public health agency telling you which vaccines and precautions matter, a foreign ministry being specific about regional risks, and a sense of scale: this is a country of twenty-eight states where a domestic flight can cross more distance than a European international one.

The reading list

Link-out only. Governments, institutions and primary data, not tour operators.

Health first

This is the part that most changes whether you enjoy it.

  1. India health notices

    US CDC · Health

    Vaccines, food and water precautions, and current outbreaks. From a public health agency with nothing to sell, unlike a travel clinic.

  2. India travel advice

    UK Foreign Office · Advisory

    Regional risks, entry and visa rules, and the areas where advice differs sharply by state. Updated continuously.

The scale

  1. India

    CIA World Factbook · Reference

    Geography, demographics and languages in standard format. The fastest way to grasp that India is not one destination.

  2. India

    World Bank · Data

    Economic and development indicators, useful context for what you will actually see.

  3. India

    Wikivoyage · Guide

    Volunteer-written and ad-free, organised by region rather than by what a tour company wants to sell.

  4. UNESCO

    UN agency · Institution

    India has more than forty World Heritage sites. The listings explain what makes each significant, which most guide entries do not.