If you had 4-6 weeks to explore the Motherland
Hello :) I’ll try and keep this sort.
I’m a South African Indian (early 30s) who has been living in Europe for most of my life.
I was lucky enough to visit India twice (in my early teens/mid-twenties) and loved it, but these occasions were with family and often with tight schedules, so I didn’t get to really appreciate my time there and travel widely. We did spend one trip entirely in Goa (which I loved), but the other was your typical -visit all the major sites in the smallest amount of time!
I’m at a stage in life where I can afford to spend some time on myself and get away from the hustle and bustle of work, and the idea of a solo trip (it’ll be my first overseas) through India has been at the back of my mind. But I first just want to gauge how feasible you guys think this would be for me in 2026, and potential routes/advice etc?
In terms of goals for the trip;
-Big one for me is language, my first language at home is English, but I feel like I owe it to myself to learn some Hindi (most prevalent language?) before coming, so any situations where I am forced out of my comfort zone is welcomed.
-This is why I also would want to mainly stay in well-kept hostels / budget hotels etc - anywhere with a social vibe. I can budget around 1.5 lakh for a 4-6 week trip.
-I am very into nature and history, so sites like the Ellora Caves would definitely be on the list / Places of natural beauty.
So that’s where I am currently at in my thinking. The hard thing for me is knowing
- how much time is best to spend in each state / City
- which areas of the country I shouldn’t miss.
- what would travel be like between States
Say for example I wanted to spend some time in Rishikesh, should I book the exact dates before hand, or just have a rough estimate of what days I’ll be there so I can be flexible?
So much for trying to keep it short!
Any help / advice is much appreciated.
Feel free to ask more questions if needed