When we first told our friends and family back home that we were packing our bags to take our boys to India, people thought we had completely lost our minds. Travelling India with kids wasn’t the usual destination! Our boys were just 4 and 6 years old on that very first trip. Fast forward through six incredible, chaotic, life-changing adventures across the subcontinent, and those once tiny travellers are now 11 and 13. As we sit down to map out our seventh family trip back, we’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on what this incredible country has taught us.
Travelling India with kids isn’t always a walk in the park – it’s a high-energy sensory explosion that challenges everything you think you know about travel. But if you lean into it, we reckon it is one of the most rewarding destinations on Earth.
Pulling straight from our journals at Away With The Steiners, here are the 10 biggest lessons we’ve learned from navigating the beautiful chaos of travelling India as a family.
1. Ditch the Rigid Itineraries
If you try to tackle India with a packed, military-style sightseeing schedule, you will burn out before day three.
We quickly learned to go by the “One Big Thing” rule for travelling India with kids. We plan one major activity for the morning when everyone’s energy is high – like exploring a sprawling Rajasthani fort – and leave the afternoons completely open. Head back to the hotel, let the kids unwind, rest through the midday heat, and let the rest of the day unfold naturally.
2. Indian Trains Are Totally Doable Travelling India with Kids
Coming from New Zealand, long-distance passenger trains were completely uncharted territory for our family. On our first trip, we anxiously booked a private compartment in First Class AC (1AC) from Jaisalmer to Jaipur just to ease ourselves in.
We shouldn’t have worried though – the boys instantly fell in love with it! Now, we happily navigate 2AC and 3AC sleepers right alongside local families.
- Tip: Always book the Upper Berths for the kids. They love clambering up top, treating it like their own private fort where they can read, watch their tablet, and see the Indian countryside roll past the window. (That and see the world of the Indian train adventure below!).
3. True Hospitality Doesn’t Live in 5-Star Hotels
Don’t get us wrong, we love a good luxury sanctuary with an amazing pool to recharge our batteries (properties like the Hyatt Regency Amritsar are a godsend with kids!).
But the moments that completely shaped our boys’ experience of travelling India happened when we stepped away from the tourist track.
From sharing a traditional home-cooked lunch on the sandstone floors of Bhawani’s family home in Jaisalmer, to squeezing into a crowded, laughter-filled living room for dinner with our Jaipur guide Raja and his extended family – India taught us that true, unforgettable Indian hospitality is all about its people.
4. Trust the Street Food, But Follow the Crowds
We used to be terrified of the legendary “Delhi Belly.” I mean, who isn’t?! But six trips later, travelling India with kids we’ve learned that avoiding local food means missing out on half the adventure. You can’t claim to experience India without getting into the food scene!
- Our golden rule for eating street food with kids is simple: look for the crowds. If a street food stall or a local sweet shop like Ram Das Jalebi Wale in Amritsar has a massive queue of local families waiting, the food turnover is incredibly fast and fresh.
- Start out with a guide. There are some amazing guides in India and they are locals who know where to go.
- Load the kids up on mild Jeera rice, fresh buttery naan, and creamy mango lassis, and watch them become adventurous foodies right before your eyes.
It isn’t as scary as it sounds to start with!
5. Auto-Rickshaws Are Doable with Kids Too
Why spend money on theme parks air-conditioned taxis when you can hop into the back of an open-air auto-rickshaw?
Zipping through the narrow alleys of Old Delhi or weaving through traffic in a motorized three-wheeler is an absolute core memory for our boys. It’s breezy, incredibly cheap, and endlessly entertaining.
Then when you need a break from the heat or a long city transit, just use ride-sharing apps like Ola or Uber to secure a fixed-price, air-conditioned cab without the hassle of haggling when the kids are tired.
6. Selfless Service (Seva) is a Cool Life Lesson
One of the most profound things we learned traveling India was the concept of seva – selfless service. We took the boys to volunteer at Guru Ka Langar inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a mega-kitchen that serves 100,000 free meals a day to anyone, no questions asked.
Sitting on the floor alongside local devotees peeling garlic and rolling out chapatis taught our boys more about community, equality, and humility than any textbook or school lesson ever could. It was an incredibly moving experience that we still talk about at the dinner table today. These are the kind of travel experiences – and one of many travelling India with kids – that we feel so incredibly grateful to have shared as a family.
7. Lean on Trusted Local Guides
India is vast, loud, and steeped in thousands of years of complex history. Trying to figure it all out on your own while managing tired kids is exhausting. We learned very early on that investing in trusted local guides completely transforms the experience.
Legends like Sunny in Delhi, Raja in Jaipur or Anil Sharma in Amritsar don’t just protect you from tourist scams; they keep the kids completely engaged. They break down those heavy historical contexts into real life, show you the hidden local alleyways you’d never find on a map, and quickly become lifelong family friends.
Contact These Awesome Guides
- Sunny in Delhi: +91 95997 59259
- Raja in Jaipur: +919928130309
- Ravi in Varanasi: +91 85769 16590
- Padam at Wanderlust Guesthouse in Jaisalmer: +919461157753
- Phoenix (Bhawani) in Jaisalmer: +919414763000
8. Guard Your Water Closely
This is a non-negotiable rule that we drilled into the boys from day one: never drink tap water. We use bottled mineral water for everything, including brushing our teeth. (Sorry, India).
When you buy bottled water, always double-check that the plastic seal is completely intact. Keeping a steady supply of rehydration salts (ORS packets) and wet wipes in your daypack is an absolute must for staying healthy on the road travelling India with kids.
9. Bring the Grandparents!
If you think India is only for rugged backpackers, think again. We felt so safe and comfortable navigating the country that we actually convinced both Gavin’s Mum and my Mum (Granny!) to pack their bags and join us on a desert adventure.
Watching the grandmothers ride camels into a golden Thar Desert sunset with the boys, and sleeping out together under a blanket of stars, proved to us that India is a multi-generational destination if you pace it right.
10. The Chaos is Where the Magic Lives
Our final, and most important lesson: stop fighting the chaos. India is loud. It’s crowded, it’s intense, and it will occasionally (quite frequently) test your absolute last nerve. But the moment you stop comparing it to home, take a deep breath, and smile, the country rewards you tenfold. We love India and travelling India with kids is a whole next level of shared adventure.
Travelling India with Kids
Traveling here has taught us all about adaptability, empathy, and a deep sense of gratitude. India didn’t just give us a holiday; it changed the way we live and travel as a family. If you are debating when, where or whether to go travelling India with kids; do it. We can’t wait to get back! 🙂
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!
Did you give our drivers and guides a message? Let us know in the comments if you connect with Sunny, Raja, Phoenix and Padam!
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). Get insurance before travelling India with kids!
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.
