Sounds like you're in that space that most first time travellers to India are: can't wait to go and at the same time scared of what to expect?
If I've read between the lines wrong, ignore the next bit, but if you are in that space, firstly - any 'horror' stories people have told you about India, take with a pinch of salt. People wildly exaggerate their stories of India. It's an amazing place and there's nothing to be really nervous about at all. India's really well travelled, the country is very set - up for travellers so you'll never find yourself without accommodation or with no information about how to get to the next place. Don't worry about food - eat at Indian coffee houses, or Thali canteens, food is good and cheap. I only had one bug the whole time I was in India and I was there for 6 months - the food is to be enjoyed! You can get bottled water everywhere, so don't bother with purification tablets, you'll never have a problem. Bottled water is only 10 rupees a litre. Take a good torch as there can be a lot of power cuts in India (but never for too long). Internet is often dial-up so can be slow, and back up your emails as you go incase the power fails. Don't be too bothered about what to pack - if you're in northern India in Jan, you'll need some warm clothes and some more summery clothes. Shoes will depend on whether you're planning to treck, I went my whole time in India in flip flops and occasionally my trekking sandals, that was it. Pack long sleeved shirts for temple visiting, and take below-the-knee shorts. Take a money belt, and just take the same precautions you would at home regarding being robbed. I was a single female travelling alone in India and didn't have any problems anywhere. Same as with trains - everyone will advise you to chain your luggage up in trains - this is good advice but again, if it's not possible, don't stress about it - I never had my luggage chained and it was fine - mostly Indian people look out for you on trains and try and help you. Just be sensible.
There are money changers everywhere so you'll never have a problem changing money. Most places have ATMS and a lot of them are manned by security guards so are very safe; and where there aren't, there are always money changers that'll change your money from cash or visa cards. You'll be told you can't take rupees into India, don't worry about this as as soon as you get to the airport you can change money. A lot of guest houses will change money too. Keep some dollars as they're always useful - people in India love dollars and you can often use them!
A sleeping bag's a good idea but not completely necessary, I managed with a sheet sleeping bag the whole time, but then I was in mainly hot temperatures. Most places have sheets and blankets or will certainly hire you a blanket for 5 rupees or something. don't bother with a mosquito net, most places have their own and in any case you can't really hook your own up anywhere so they're a waste of space in your backpack - I chucked mine out early on in my travels.
Most guest houses and hotels will book train and bus tickets for you if you don't want to do it direct. I'd agree with the person who suggested just booking your first couple of nights in Delhi as you'll have just arrived and you'll want the security of knowing where you're going to sleep; also because rickshaw drivers are on a bit of a scam in Delhi. Book somehere in the Pahar Ganj area of Delhi, which is a well worn travellers' area and full of guest houses. I stayed at the Ajay guest house which was fine, it was about 400 rupees for a double room (it's in Lonely Planet); it's a good area to stay in as you'll instantly meet thousands of other travellers, and it's also very near Delhi railway station (walking distance) as well as the brand new metro in Delhi. Be firm with your rickshaw or taxi driver from the airport that you have the place already booked - don't tell them it's your first time in India, and tell them you've just rung the guest house and confirmed your room (they might give you some story about the guest house having burnt down or it's full, just ignore this).
If you go straight to Varanasi from Delhi, it's wise to book a room ahead there too - people have spoken about Varanasi being full of in-your-face rickshaw drivers, I personally didn't have that experience, but it's good to have a room pre-booked. I stayed at Yogi Lodge in Varanasi which is very very cheap (55 rupees a night), and is one of the only hostel-style accommodation I found in India - it's very social, has dorms or rooms, and a cafe downstairs.
A month is well long enough to see a good few places in northern India, I'd suggest going west from Varanasi to Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) - book your train on to there when you arrive in Varanasi, the guest house can do it for you. No need to book accommodation in Agra, just choose somewhere out of Lonely Planet and ask the rickshaw driver to take you there from the station.
Go from Agra into Rajasthan, which you can easily travel round by cheap tourist buses from place to place - again, just choose accommodation as you go, if the rickshaw driver takes you somewhere you don't like, he'll always drive you on to another place.
Rickshaw drivers and guest house owners are really fine, you just have to sometimes be firm regarding price but don't get too caught up in it - I always said to myself, if I think something's a fair price, I'll pay it, whether or not other travellers would say 'no, haggle, haggle'. On the other hand, you'll often get quoted a starting price three times the amount of what it should be - just be intelligent and use your common sense. Keep a sense of humour as if you just laugh while you're haggling, they laugh too.
You can take your time in Rajasthan and then head back to Delhi, or you'd still have time to head up into the Punjab to Amritsar, on to Dharamsala in the Himalayas, and back down to Delhi. I'd suggest staying in Delhi just one or two nights when you first get there, then leave a few days at the end when you head back to Delhi, when you'll enjoy it much more, you'll be used to India by then, and there are good places to see - it is really a great city, so don't listen to travellers telling you it's a dive - it's not!
Like I said, there aren't really hostels in India so it'll be mainly guest houses you're staying in where you'll generally get a room with its own bathroom. Ask ahead if there's hot water if you want that, as a lot of places don't have it, but places that do are still cheap. You can get pretty good accommodation for 200-400 rupees a night, and cheaper if you want that. Some places the price is negotiable, others not. Normally if they give you a printed sheet with prices, don't haggle. Otherwise, you can try! Pretty much all guest houses have their own cafe where you can get western as well as Indian breakfasts and food through the day.
No, you can't really prepare for India till you get there, but you will acclimatise! Just expect it to look different and be different, and it's fine. Because of all the stories I'd heard over the years, I thought I was going to have the hugest culture shock - actually it was a lot less than I thought, maybe my imagination had really gone wild, but it wasn't nearly so much a culture shock as I was expecting. It really is an amazing place and you'll love it - I couldn't believe how terrified I was before I went there, and then just loved it so much, realising there was NOTHING to be anxious about. I'd never travelled before, anywhere really, and I was absolutely fine - you will be too.
That may all have been really unhelpful but hope some of it was useful anyway. Get excited, look forward to it, that's all you have to do 😊
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