I’m excited to say that in two weeks I’ll be flying out to New Delhi to spend the next few months travelling around India. I’ve spent very little time in Asia, my last visit being over three years ago on a research trip to Japan, and I’m thrilled to be heading back for a longer period of time to explore a different side of such a culturally diverse continent.

As the day of the flight approaches, the excitement grows along with the nerves. Thankfully, I’ll be joined by a friend on my journey through one of the most densely populated (and notoriously intense) countries in the world. We’ll be flying out to India’s capital on the 8th August and returning at the start of Diwali on the 19th October. I intend to put my freelance work on hold for the duration of the trip, but I’ll be continuing to write by journaling my experiences along the way and typing up some travel blog posts on my return to Britain.

We’ve been charting our trip since early April through research and advice from friends and family. Since India is such a huge country we’ll be following a flexible schedule to see the places not written about in the guides and make a few detours along the way. The plan is to begin in Delhi and make our way to Agra and the Taj Mahal (because who could resist) once the jet lag has cleared. After that, we’ll be following the Ganges west to the holy city of Varanasi before boarding a train across the country to the northeast state of Rajasthan, with its historical cities and deserts.

For the second leg of the journey, we’ll be going down the coast by rail to Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and the Keralan backwaters deep in the south of India. From there, we plan to fly the length of the country to the Kunlun mountain town of Leh Ladakh on the border of Tibet. After a spot of yoga and relaxation, it’s back to the bustle of Delhi for our final week. I’ll have plenty of overnight trains to collect my thoughts on the places we visit, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you on the blog soon.