Traveling around India by myself for the first time

At the ripe old age of 24, this past month, I traveled to India without my parents or family for the first time, and it was an eye-opening experience. 

As someone who has traveled to and around India several times, I had always gone under a layer of comfort: my parents were always with me, and directed a large portion of the trip. This time, I was going only with my high school friend, and we had to figure out everything on the go, from booking tours to finding taxis to take us around. 

Although it took much convincing of my parents, planning and going on this trip has changed my confidence level as a traveler. I realized that not only can I navigate India on my own, but I was able to mask myself as a native! (which in my mind is my greatest accomplishment on this trip). As someone who was often shushed by my parents for speaking English in shops in India so we could bargain better, I was able to speak decent enough Hindi to get two tickets at a native Indian price, rather than a foreign tourist one! 

Sometimes, as South Asian first-generation Americans, we’re not taught the importance of traveling around the world on our own, and this trip helped me understand so much more of my capabilities. I was able to learn so much more about my parent’s native country (I even visited the town my mom grew up in!), and I definitely feel more connected to my roots more than ever.