4 Honest Reasons Why Even a Passionate Travel Blogger Hates Traveling in India
I know you must be thinking how can I hate travelling in India when I love travelling to a degree that I quit my job to travel. You’re right I am an Indian travel blogger, I love travelling. It’s in my veins. But sometimes I hate certain things about it, and being on the road for months sometimes amplifies the feeling.
These are not the regular disappointments like paying high prices during a peak tourist season or lacking the comfort of home. The things mentioned below are the ones that irk me from time to time.
Reasons Why I Hate Travelling In India
Dirty Toilets
As a budget traveller, and after travelling in India for a long time, I can strongly say that I’ve seen my share of dirty toilets. I can handle a lot of filth during my travels but when it comes to dirty public toilets, I’ve had enough. And it is because of this reason I hate travelling in India. You can also say that dirty toilets are one of the reasons why I hate India.
No matter how better I become at holding my breath for a longer time period, it turns out that I always end up taking that last whiff of eternal disgust before making it out to the rescue. I hate dirty disgusting toilets. And they hold the first position in this list of reasons I hate travelling in India (or the reasons I hate India).
Dirty Bedsheets
Despite having a fair share of luxury experiences as an Indian travel blogger, like this luxury train in India and this 1000 dollar Lady Elliot Island trip in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, I consider myself a budget traveller, though not frugal to a point that I would save every buck possible, especially when it comes to staying in a smelly guesthouse.
I can handle a lot of filth during my travels (I’m reminding again!) but when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, a clean bedsheet and a super clean pillow – giving a fresh smell of detergent – is a must. But sometimes you have no option and book the first hotel you see.
For example, you arrive in a new town, after the wee hours of midnight and you agree to take the first room you’re offered right next to the bus station. Or worse, you end up at an Indian railways retiring room.
Hotels close to bus and train stations are the worst in India and they are another reason why I hate travelling in India.
I remember the last time I had to rent a room at Gaya Railway station in Bihar, while travelling to Bodhgaya, I pleaded for a new bedsheet and then decided to put it on the floor and doze off. Dirty beds and pillows make my travel life tougher to the next level. And in India, we have them everywhere! It is because of dirty bedsheets, I hate India.
Getting Off The Bus
As an Indian travel blogger, I love travelling to new places. But I absolutely hate getting off the bus or coming out of a railway station, when I arrive at a destination in India. It is exhausting being inundated by touts trying to push you for a ride in their taxi or help you find cheap accommodation somewhere.
I already hate the idea of searching a guesthouse while lugging a heavy rucksack on my back, but I hate having to deal with the mob of people waiting for tourists even more. So as my destination and the time to get off the bus draws near in India, the dread grows to a long moment of uneasiness. It is one of the only few reasons I hate India and its people – the tourist touts.
Expecting Bakshish
For some reason, India still has a strong culture of expecting bakshish and most tourist places expects it. If you’re dining in a restaurant, the waiter expects you to leave a few tenners on the table, even if he served you with a cold face.
Similarly, hotel staff expects you to pay them bakshish the minute they see you leaving. I hate this obvious bakshish culture across India.
That all in the reasons why I hate India or why I hate travelling in India. Now, for a bit of motivation, let’s talk about one reason why I love it (though there are more, many more!).
One Reason I Love Travelling In India
After travelling a few countries in the world as an Indian travel blogger, if there’s one thing I totally adore about India, it’s meeting local people and experiencing their spellbound hospitality.
People in small towns across India are so hospitable and welcoming that in just a few days you become a part of their life. Nowhere outside of India have I felt such strong bonds happening that I’ve felt with local people in small towns in India.
