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India is a country everyone should visit in their lifetime.
NYC is a city everyone should live in (even if only for a summer), but I digress.
India is magical, historical, colorful, fragrant, passionate, friendly, and magical. Did I mention magical? It is also loud, dirty, poor, and chaotic. I don’t believe you can get one without the other. But most importantly, India changes people in all the good ways, so everyone should go to India.
Taking a group to India was the most challenging country we have ever hosted in. We knew this going into it because India is the most complex country we have visited as a family in over 70+ countries. However, it is also the most profound and life-changing country by a landslide, so we had to run a group trip there. If it scares people to go there, then it usually means we should host a trip. And when I say scare, I mean from the foreignness of it, not from a safety standpoint. We don’t host trips in countries we feel would be unsafe for our guests. India is not a high-demand destination for group trips, so it is difficult to fill. As a result, we will only offer it every 2-3 years. If you are interested in being on the list when it does launch again, please let us know, likely in 2026-27.
When building our group trips, we choose places where we have lived for at least three months (Peru being the only exception to date). Our strategy is we want our guests to experience a country how we experience it when we travel…more like a local and less like a tourist. Of course, favorite touristy spots can’t be missed…like the Taj Mahal (swoon). In some countries, the local experience is more accessible than in others; the trip we built in India knocks the local experience out of the park. Can I tell you a little surprise? We are launching some new trips at the end of next week for 2025 that offer even more local experiences. We can’t wait to share this new style of travel with all of you. And yes, we will still offer our current style of trip as well.
On this past India trip, we had ten unique humans who joined us on an adventure of a lifetime. They came from 2 countries and ranged in age from 15-75, male and female, but mostly female. They all said the trip was terrific; some were already planning a trip back together to south India, some proceeded to Nepal, and a couple said they would never return. Those who said they would never return said, “It is not because of you or the trip you created; it was fabulous, but India was too hard on me emotionally (poverty, noise, dirt).” That is fair; it is not for everyone, but everyone agrees a visit is necessary at some point in their life.
Some of the highlights from the trip, according to the survey and verbal communication, were the magical experiences: Bollywood dance class, block printing art class, Rajasthan Indian cooking class, shopping, rug buying, Sheroes Hangout Cafe (run by acid attack survivors), the Taj and our fabulous guide, Tuk Tuk rides, Varanasi and its chaos (and even the crematorium experience-although ominous), henna and all the historical learning.
Some of the crazy stuff: We were in an Uber that hit a human, but it was just a tap, and all was well. Largo was offered hash in Varanasi; last time we were there, Will and I were offered it, but funny, I never smelled it anywhere walking around and never saw drugs out in the open like in so many parts of the US. We passed a dead body during our crematorium education as it was on the way to the crematorium. And by far the funniest experience in all WorldTowning history, don’t tell Will I told you…he had diarrhea on our safari and had to jump out of the van and poop in the wild while we were tiger hunting. Oh yeah, WorldTowning history in the making. The trip was filled with crazy experiences never had elsewhere, which happens on all trips; the guests have to have something funny to take home when they share their stories, so I am sure I am missing a few here and there. And then, of course, some go to the grave with us… what happens on a WorldTowning group trip stays on a WorldTowning group trip. Wink!
Before anyone got on that plane to India, we had multiple conversations about the dos and don’ts before and during the trip. First, up is DON’T drink water, eat fruit that does not have a peel, brush your teeth with water, eat raw veggies, and do not eat anything on the street unless you are with us, and we have seen it be cooked (particularly meat). Even with all these precautions and vetted restaurants, getting sick is still possible. My first visit to India was six weeks, and I never got sick. My next visit was three weeks, and I got sick for three days. We did have several guests who got sick either from the food or a virus. We are unsure since they were at varying times and degrees, and a bunch still never got sick. Me included, phew! Everyone's system is different, so there is no way of telling, but it can happen. We ensured the guests were comfortable and rested until they were better.
In closing, we have the best job ever. We get to hang out with fascinating people while seeing the world. We get to laugh, learn, and explore together. We get to try new things, make mistakes, shop, eat, create, dance, sing, and so much more while passing through all the world's unique cultures. It is hard to imagine that what started as a video journal for our kids has led us to the most incredible work we could have ever imagined. Is it all rainbows and unique? No, of course not; no job is, but it rarely feels like a job because our trips attract really good people, and that makes all the difference in the enjoyment level.
We look forward to having you on one of our 2025 group trips. WorldTowning Voyages feels like a good friend trip with people you have known your whole life.
xoxo,
Jess
p.s. thank you to the ten unique humans who joined us in India.
The 2025 trip registration opens on Friday, February 2!
We can’t wait to unveil our 2025 group trips!
To learn more about us, our mission, and our business, you can visit us at WorldTowning. To view our most recent group trip offerings, head over to WorldTowningvoyages.com. If you want to book a coaching session to realize your travel dream, schedule it here. If you're going to follow the travels of our WorldTowning family, you can find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, The Why Matters Podcast.
Fabulous! Please put the Robertson family on the waiting list for the next India trip 😉