We really do have the most incredible memories from India. We can’t help going back again and again! Albeit, when people find out that our family has travelled to India seven times now, the reaction is almost always a mix of absolute wonder and a bit of confusion.
“Seven times?” they ask. “What is it that keeps pulling you back to the exact same country?”
Coming from little old New Zealand, our home is green, peaceful, and quiet. But India? India is a beautiful, high-energy sensory explosion that forces you to be entirely present.
Over our years of travel – firstly exploring as a young backpacker with my sister and later navigating the country as a family with my husband Gavin and our boys, Harry and Oscar – we have realised that the true magic of the subcontinent doesn’t actually lie in its famous marble monuments. It is more within the moments of raw, unexpected human connection that creates the memories we treasure.
Making Memories in India (So Many Memories!)
So here are 10 of our favourite, personal memories that show exactly why India has captured our hearts and why we know it will do the same to you too.
1. Lunch in a Sandstone Family Home (Jaisalmer)
On one of our early visits to the Golden City of Jaisalmer, we were incredibly fortunate to cross paths with Bhawani (who is known also as Phoenix) and his wonderful family.
They opened up their doors and invited us into their home for a traditional, home-cooked Rajasthani lunch. Getting to step away from the busy bazaars, sit down together, and share stories over steaming plates of local dal and freshly rolled rotis was very special.
These are the kind of memories from India that honestly make me a little choked up to think about! It sparked a friendship with Bhawani and family in Jaisalmer. Now we share a meal with them every single time we return to the desert!
Read How To Connect for Lunch With a Local Family in Jaisalmer.
2. A Desert Village Wedding Celebration (Thar Desert)
Again, this is one of our special memories from Jaisalmer. Where this time, while staying with our legendary host, Padam, at the Wanderlust Guesthouse, we received a highly unexpected invitation: to attend a traditional wedding of a friend of a friend out in the remote Thar Desert villages.
We drove out the day before the actual wedding to witness the massive pre-wedding feast. There were literally hundreds of local men gathered under a canopy, many of them decked out in vibrant, traditional outfits and turbans.
We sat directly on the floor alongside them, all a bit mesmerized by the whole event, the groom’s stunning ceremonial gear, and the welcoming hospitality of their community.
3. Gathering Inside Raja’s Packed Family Home (Jaipur)
Raja has been our brilliant go-to tour guide and driver in the Pink City of Jaipur for as long as I can remember, and we proudly send all of our travel friends his way. But things reached a whole new level of special when he invited our family to his house for dinner. Raja lives in a beautifully bustling but very small home alongside his parents, his younger brother, five sisters, his wife, and their brand-new baby!
Before heading to the house, we went out shopping into the local markets with Raja to pick out a few new traditional outfits and gifts for his wife and the baby.
Sitting in that crowded, laughter-filled living room surrounded by so much family love was a profoundly humbling moment that you simply cannot orchestrate or buy in a tour package.
4. A Camel Safari with Both Our Mums! (Jaisalmer)
This goes down as one of the ultimate family milestones and definitely another of those treasured memories from India. We felt so safe and secure navigating India that we actually convinced both Gavin’s Mum and my Mum to pack their bags and join us!
We travelled all the way out to the desert of Jaisalmer and took both grandmothers out on an overnight camel safari across the sand dunes of the Thar Desert.
Nothing beats the surreal, memories of watching both our Mums happily riding camels into a golden desert sunset, laughing along with the boys, and sleeping out under a blanket of stars.
5. Drift and Devotion: The Floating Aarti (Varanasi)
Varanasi is a city where life and death unfold completely in the open, and experiencing it from the water is hard to put into words.
One evening at dusk, we hopped into a traditional wooden rowboat out onto the River Ganges. From the water, we watched the spectacular Ganga Aarti ritual take place at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
From the water you are a distance away. But we could see young priests lifting heavy, blazing brass lamps, the thick scent of incense drifting over the river, and the thunderous sound of rhythmic chanting and bells echoing off the Ghats in front of us.
I don’t know how better to describe it than as one of those spiritual memories that still gives me goosebumps.
6. Our Very First Overnight Train Route in India
Coming from New Zealand, long-distance passenger train travel was uncharted territory for us. In fact, our journey from Jaisalmer to Jaipur was only our second overnight train ride full stop! (Our first train long distance train had been in Uzbekistan the year before).
For that maiden voyage in India, we booked a private compartment in First Class AC (1AC) to ease ourselves in. That meant we had four berths and a lockable cabin down all to ourselves.
It is chaos on the platform, just as you imagine. But it is an exciting kind of chaos. We loved the experience so much that nowadays, our family is totally comfortable and at home navigating the classic 2AC and 3AC sleeper tiers alongside local families!
7. Navigating the Narrow Alleys to Sunny’s House (Delhi)
Sunny is our dear, protective friend and an exceptional driver who manages a reliable fleet of taxis and rickshaws in Delhi alongside his brothers, Vinny, their other two brothers, and their dad. On one of our visits, they invited us to their family home for dinner.
Their house is just steps away from the chaotic, high-energy Main Bazaar in Pahar Ganj, so we walked up a series of tiny, winding hidden alleys to find their home. We met all of their beautiful wives and children, shared home-cooked dishes, and drank cups of hot chai.
One of my favourite memories of the night was sitting down to draw with Sunny’s young son, discovering that despite growing up in completely different corners of the world, he was just like my boys and absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs!
Contact Sunny
- Sunny in Delhi: +91 95997 59259
8. A Birthday to Remember at the Golden Temple (Amritsar)
We happened to be in the holy city of Amritsar right on Gavin’s birthday, and we celebrated it in an unforgettable way that year. We spent the afternoon visiting the spectacular, shimmering Sikh Golden Temple.
To mark the day, Gavin went to volunteer inside the Langar – the temple’s legendary mega-kitchen that serves free, hot vegetarian meals to over 100,000 people every single day regardless of caste, creed, or background.
Watching the scale of selfless volunteer work, peeling vegetables alongside local devotees, joining the production line of dishwashing and learning about the beautiful Sikh philosophy of equality was a totally unique and moving birthday gift.
9. The High-Energy Wagah Border Ceremony
Sitting right on the edge of India and Pakistan, the Wagah Border hosting the daily flag-lowering ceremony is totally different kind of spectacle.
There are grandstands on both sides of the border gate that fill up with thousands of roaring fans (making an atmosphere that feels part patriotic rally and part high-octane sporting event!).
The border guards perform an incredible, exaggerated display of high-kicking, chest-puffing military choreography that is purely theatrical.
Since that first time, we have now not only watched the ceremony on both sides of the border, but we have actually crossed this international border on foot in both directions twice!
10. Launching Our Custom India Group Trips
Without a doubt, the greatest memories of our journeys in India to date has been launching our own custom Away with the Steiners Group Trips.
After spending years building connections across the country, getting to return and introduce our travellers directly to the incredible people who made us fall in love with India in the first place – Raja, Sunny, Padam, Ravi, Bhawani, and more – is incredibly rewarding.
Watching our tour guests experience that very same magic, witness the hospitality, and lose their fear of the unknown is a highlight of our traveling lives.
The Verdict: Why It’s All Worth It
India will certainly test your patience, shock your senses, and throw your comfort zone completely out the window. But if you arrive with an open heart, it will reward you with a depth of human warmth and unforgettable memories that you simply cannot find anywhere else on Earth.
Pack your confidence, lean into the beautiful chaos, and get ready to let this incredible country change you forever!
Questions answered and ready to plan your adventure? Check out our Ultimate Golden Triangle Itinerary to see how to link Jaisalmer with Jaipur and Agra!
Do you want a good driver for your first time in Delhi? Let us know in the comments if you connect with Sunny!
Safe travels, adventurers!
Read More India Inspiration
- Our Detailed & Easy 2-Day Itinerary Of Jaipur.
- Train Travel In India.
- India Tourist e-Visa: Our Step-By-Step Guide.
- 10 Things To Do In Mumbai.
- 10 Things To Do In Kochi & Kerala.
- Best Tourist SIM Card For India.
- What To Wear In India.
- 4-Day Kochi & Kerala Itinerary.
- Travelling India By Bus: Intercity, Tourist & Sleeper Buses.
Travel Planning for India & Beyond
These are the companies we use while traveling and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. It’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- 12GoAsia – Book trains anywhere in Asia through 12Go.
- Skyscanner – Our favourite flight search engine. They can search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide – A huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world. Everything from walking tours to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for short or longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Especially for your first time in India!
Hi! I’m Sarah. I am the self-confessed dreamer, travel-schemer and the main editor behind this blog. I love to write, and it is a dream come true to share so many experiences together and inspire others in our stories.
