I had the privilege of traveling to India to study abroad for two weeks, from December 2024 to January 2025. I was part of a program studying culture and business in Goa, Agra, and Delhi. My peers and I attended lectures at the Goa Institute of Management, visited cultural sites such as the Taj Mahal and the Qutub Minar, and learned from companies like Dabur, Colgate, and Reliance Retail. In this article, I will describe my experience and provide advice for anyone who wants to visit India, which I highly recommend you do!
The Flight
Probably the worst part of the trip, but it really wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. The longest leg of my journey to India was from Dallas to Doha, Qatar: a 14-hour flight. To keep myself from going stir crazy, I got up once an hour when I was awake, tried to sleep for at least six hours, and kept myself entertained with books, video games, and shows. Drinking lots of water is also a must because a lot of jet lag is due to dehydration. If you have a chance, look up pictures of the Doha airport because it is crazy awesome! There is a jungle in the middle, and giant statues everywhere.Â
Goa
A beautiful Indian state filled with jungles, beaches, and mountains, Goa is the perfect place for nature lovers. We stayed at the Goa Institute of Management, one of India’s top business schools, nestled in the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains. We were housed in the student dorms and attended lectures taught by GIM professors. When not in lectures, we hiked, explored Panjim, swam at the beach, and visited temples, spice plantations, and local businesses. Goa is also known for its parties, and we got to experience one of those parties for New Year’s Eve. We dressed in Indian attire and danced to Bollywood music at an outdoor venue near the ocean. If you visit Goa, I highly recommend anything to do with being outdoors.
Agra
Agra is a city in Northern India with lots of historic cultural sites. The most famous site is the Taj Mahal, which was truly spectacular. It is huge and mostly made from white marble with intricate carvings and inlaid gemstones. It was built as a final resting place for the emperor’s wife in the 1600s. The Taj Mahal is a must-see, but something my peers and I found even more impressive was the expansive Agra Fort. We spent two hours exploring this red sandstone fort and only saw about a quarter of it. With a deep moat and high walls, the Agra Fort was impenetrable. If you go to India, Agra has to be on your itinerary, as it was the highlight of my trip.
Delhi
Delhi is the capital of India and a city full of cultural sites, business, and food. We visited historical sites such as the Red Fort, which was similar to the Agra Fort, and the Qutub Minar, the world’s tallest brick minaret. We also went to more modern sites such as India Gate, a monument similar to the Arc de Triomphe, and the Lotus Temple, which is a giant nondenominational temple shaped like a lotus flower. There are many differences between businesses in the U.S. and in India, but I’ll explore that in another article. The food in Delhi was fantastic, and I found that Northern Indian food is very similar to what we have in the U.S., just spicier! We got to go to the restaurant that claims to have invented butter chicken, and it was the best food we ate on the trip. I highly recommend visiting Delhi because there are experiences that you can’t miss.
Final Advice
India is very different from the United States, but not so different that you should be afraid to visit. I do recommend going with a tour group of some sort because driving in India is much different from driving in the U.S., and having a tour guide who speaks Hindi and knows the customs is helpful. I hope you found the information in this article interesting enough to add visiting India to your bucket list!