Books inspired by India
Our hand-picked selection of books to get you in the mood to travel
Monisha Rajesh
Rajesh embarks on a 40,000km adventure across India, riding 80 trains of varying degrees of luxury. During her travels she encounters a host of interesting and quirky fellow travellers and amazing escapades. This is a well-written travelogue and an ode to the pleasures of train travel in all its forms.
Adam Fletcher
Author Adam Fletcher embarks on a thoroughly enjoyable journey through south-west India in a tuk-tuk race with a woman he's just met. Sometimes it feels like you're right there with them!
Vikram Seth
The tale of Lata and her mother's attempts to find her a suitable husband. It covers three families over a period of time and depicts an India trying to find its voice and on the verge of change. This is beautifully written, slow-paced and epic in its scope and narrative.
Deborah Moggach
The book that inspired "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" movie. It's about a group of strangers who leave England for a new life together in India. They find things aren't quite what they expected - but learn to live and love again through the eccentricities and surprises. Brings a gloriously-depicted India to life and will make you want to go!
Aravind Adiga
Prize-winning novel about a boy from a poor village in India who eventually begins working as a chauffeur for a rich man in Delhi. He wants access to that wealthy world, with murderous consequences. This is an incredible read and presents a truthfully raw and shocking India that'll force you to question your morals.
India Blog posts
From the UK's most popular travel bloggers
4th February 2020 by While I'm Young
Things to do in Mumbai: 24 hour guideOne day in Mumbai is a quintessential Indian travel experience. The heaving city should be on every traveller’s itinerary, but it isn’t a destination known for its tourist attractions. Instead, the best things to do in Mumbai revolve around experiencing the hustle and bustle, sounds and smells of this overstuffed metropolis....
30th January 2020 by While I'm Young
North Goa or South Goa?When we planned our India trip, we knew we wanted to spend time in Goa towards the end of the adventure, but we had no idea whether we should go to North or South Goa. People forget that Goa is a state so just saying you’re going to ‘Goa’ is a bit vague! Luckily, Goa is small enough to travel between North and South easily, even if you only have a few days in the state. We decided to wing it and spent some time in both North and South Goa. The two both boast the great beaches that make...
16th January 2020 by While I'm Young
Cruising on Kerala’s backwaters in a houseboatDuring our Globe Travel Centre tour of Kerala in India, one of our standout experiences was the night we spent on a luxury houseboat on the Kerala Backwaters. We slept in one of Xandari Riverscapes‘ private houseboats, which depart near Alleppey. Kerala’s serene backwaters are the main draw for travellers visiting the state in South India and I understand why. Our houseboat tour from Alleppey was an adventure we’ll remember forever and it’s definitely one of the most romantic things to...
11th January 2020 by The Wandering Quinn
Munnar – Astory of where humans and nature meet in Kerala.Last year I welcomed in 2019 in Kerala. The Indian state that is known as ‘Gods Own Country’. India itself is an incredibly diverse country but Kerala as a state is as diverse as it gets. From the famous backwaters of Kerala to the tea plantations of Munnar, the beaches of Varkala and trekking to find wild Elephants in Thekkady National Park, in my few weeks in Kerala I felt like I had done it all! It wasn’t just the sights and scenery in Kerala that surprised me though, the...
9th January 2020 by While I'm Young
Best places to visit in Kochi, Kerala: One Day GuideKochi, also known as Cochin, is a port city in Kerala, India where Chinese and Arabian traders established a thriving spice trade in the Common Era. Its history and fabulous shopping opportunities make Kochi a great place to stop and spend some time exploring before you set sail on a cruise of Kerala’s tranquil backwaters....
7th January 2020 by While I'm Young
Best places to visit In South India if you have two weeksMy fiancé and I recently spent two incredible weeks travelling in India’s beautiful South. It was the best adventure we’ve been on together to date so I wanted to share our complete itinerary for two weeks in South India. We went to some of the top places to visit in South India starting with five nights in Kerala. Next, we flew from Kerala to Goa and explored both the North and South. We finished our two weeks in India on a high in crazy Mumbai. Despite doing very little planning, we both...
8th December 2019 by The Wandering Quinn
Planning a trip to India | Travel guide step by stepHere is my step by step India blog post and India travel guide on how to plan a trip in India with my first-time travel tips for India, from the early stages of working out where to go in India and when to go to India. To the later stages of India trip planning like what to pack for India and what scams to watch out for in India! So let’s go, or ‘challo’ as they say in India!...