How To See India & Dubai in 2.5 Weeks

A year ago today, I had just arrived in India. New Delhi to be exact. With an 18 hour travel time, I was anxious, nervous, exhausted, but most importantly I was excited. 

Going to India has always been on my bucket-list, but I knew I needed to wait until I was further along in my "travel career". After living abroad and traveling to over 30 countries, I felt I was ready. India didn't feel like a place for inexperienced travelers, and I am glad that I went when I did. 

It also helped that one of my good friends (that I met in Italy), lives in Delhi. She was able to give me insight into what to pack, but I outlined the cities that we would go to, and the days that we would be there. I have a small obsession with travel planning, and am blessed to have friends that honestly let me do my thing. (Of course, I make sure everyone is involved every part of the way. :) )

Here are the places that we decided to go to on our 2.5 Week Trip to India:

• New Delhi - this would be our "home base".
• Agra - Of course we HAD to see the Taj Mahal. I was not going to India without seeing it. 
• Jaipur - Named the "Pink City", it was just a train ride away from Delhi.
• Udaipur - Named "The City of Lakes". I was very intrigued by this city, and it was an hour flight from Jaipur.
• Mumbai - Another "Must See" city on our list. The friend I went with, Madonna, is obsessed with Bollywood, and we had to go see the Hollywood of India.
• Kolkata - I also wasn't going to India without going to Kolkata. Growing up Catholic, I've always admired Mother Theresa and the work that she did to help others. Luckily Madonna felt the same way, and a 2.5 hour flight later, we were there.

Below you can see the path that we took in red. We also decided to do a 2 day stopover in Dubai, to hit another country (and feel a little more luxurious), on the way back home. 

Whenever I plan a trip to a new country, I first plan the "must see" cities, so that in case I decide that I don't need to go back to that country, I did everything on my bucketlist while I was there. Here were some places that fell off our list, because they were low priority:

• Goa - It's a tourist beach city, and honestly I didn't feel like I needed to go to a beach town while I was there. 
• Bangalore - I wanted to go, but the other cities we went to beat this one out. 
• Chennai - I actually met a woman on the flight to India, and she was from Chennai. After our conversation, I knew I had to go one day. 
• Kashmir - This place has been described as "heaven on earth". I know it is also extremely dangerous to go there right now. I will eventually go, when I come back to India.

My trip to India changed me, and is a part of my story. I wanted to share my itinerary for anyone that is thinking of going. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I honestly can't wait to go back!  

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2.5 Week In India Itinerary - Click Here

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