We have been invited to a wedding in Agra in February. I am excited, yet nervous about going, as I’ve never been there. After the wedding, we have signed up for an eight day Golden Triangle Tour. Any advice is appreciated.
I travel to India on business once or twice a year, and have been to Agra once. I can try to answer your questions.
If you haven’t done this, look into this right now, vaccines. What do they recommend for that area. Actually track down when and if you had the necessary vaccines, and if you can’t find the evidence, you can antibody test for them.
Off the top of my head, DTP, Hep A and Typhoid for India. Typhoid shots only last for two years, pills for five. We were shocked to find out that neither me nor my husband had been vaccinated for Hep A or B, since you get so many vaxxes in the military. He also wasn’t showing immunity to the measles. You’ve got to be kidding me, he didn’t have an MMR shot?
So make sure you have the recommended vaccines. We decided against Japanese encephalitis (mild) and do not know if we’ll get an updated Covid shot, but maybe. In some areas, like Vietnam, where we are going, typhoid is prevalent and a serious disease.
Otherwise, have fun!
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My primary care NP gave me a list of a dozen vaccines. I asked if this was her way of saying, “Don’t go.”. Decided to get Hep A and B (combined) and typhoid pills, COVID, flu and RSV.
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Do you wear long sleeves and/or mosquito repellant? How do you travel between cities?
Glad you did that. I was worried that you were just starting the process now.
I travel only to major cities where my firm’s offices are. I fly between these cities, as that’s most convenient. Haven’t really traveled to any smaller cities, except to Agra. That was by road from New Delhi, with a car and driver provided by the tour company I had booked for the trip.
Mosquitoes haven’t been a noticeable issue for me personally (but then, I’m mostly indoors in offices). If you’re prone to getting bitten, carrying repellent might be helpful.
Pretty much everyone speaks English so you shouldn’t have a communication problem, and people are friendly and helpful.
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Yes to the vaccine checks.
The one important thing I’d point out is to always drink bottled water (I even use bottled water to brush my teeth). Avoid fresh salads/cut fruit - all in the hope of staving off the stomach bug.
The Taj is a pretty sight but the rest of Agra is not really that great to see. Pretty dirty.
If you stay in one of the top hotels/resorts, you won’t need to worry about anything much.
What cities are you planning to travel to? We took the train from Delhi to Agra and then onto Jaipur. It was convenient and the kids enjoyed the experience - but it might be easier to just rent a car and a driver to take you instead. Once we got to the actual city, we did have a car and driver and in Agra, a guide as well.
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If your military service was before 1995 (A) or 1981 (B), then the hepatitis vaccines may not have existed at the time.
Measles vaccine became available in 1963, but some early measles vaccines were less effective, so those who were vaccinated in the early years are likely to need a booster.
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Agreed. At the five star hotels and restaurants, the food and water quality is totally fine. I do carry bottled water to drink while “on the road”.
One word of caution regarding the guided tours of Agra: the tour/guide will try to include “an authentic experience watching artisans work with marble”. This (as we learned) is merely a way to get you to buy stuff through marble workshops with tie-ins to the tour company. This seems to be fairly common, so if you don’t want to waste 2+ hours, insist beforehand on not including this in your itinerary.
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We traveled to India in November for our daughter and son-in-law’s much delayed Indian wedding (they married in the US just prior to the pandemic, and had to postpone the wedding in India). We’re fairly well-traveled, but felt more culture shock in India than anywhere else we’ve ever traveled. I’m still processing the trip and trying to figure out why. Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer number of people, the traffic, the noise, and the poverty. That said, there was great beauty and wonderful time with our SIL’s family. Your doctor will probably give you a prescription for an antibiotic in case of Delhi Belly, and will probably offer a prescription for an anti-malarial drug. We avoided Delhi Belly, and the mosquitos were not bad in the city we were in (but we did take Malarone anyway). One tip–before you hop in the shower, take a sip of bottled water and keep it in your mouth while you shower. This forces you to keep your mouth shut while showering so you don’t swallow tap water.
We had to take two international flights and one domestic flight to get to our destination. The travel was exhausting, as was standing in line so many times. One thing that did go very smoothly was getting our e-Visas. If I remember correctly, you can apply 30 days before your trip. We were notified of approval about 24 hours later. Have a wonderful trip!
We are flying into New Delhi, and need to get to Agra ASAP for the wedding, so may use Uber. Then back to Delhi to begin the tour, which which includes Dehli, Agra, and Jaipur. Somehow I feel safer being on a bus with other tourists, than arranging for our own driver and guide.
I wouldn’t want to try Uber for a long distance ride from Delhi to Agra. I have had mixed luck getting an uber in India (for shorter, in-city rides). Not sure how this would work for a long-distance ride from Delhi to Agra. Could you get someone there to help arrange a car for you instead?
The car/driver for the tours after would just give you a bit more flexibility but if that’s not an issue for you, the bus tour works well.
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Are there others traveling with you from the US? Uber isn’t ideal for a long trip (Agra is 4 hours from New Delhi by road). If you have a pre-booked car and driver, that’s a pretty reliable option. I’m not sure if there are flights from ND to Agra, but your hosts might know.
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