This past December, Morgan and family journeyed to India for a 21-day adventure through the northern part of the country. Discover her favorite places and things to do below.
Traveling for long periods of time, especially with children, takes an intense amount of preparation. Our trip to India centered around visiting new production partners, but of course we made time to explore this beautiful country filled with tradition and history.
Before I dive into my favorite spots, I would like to share that I highly recommend working with a travel advisor to plan a trip of this magnitude for 5+ people. In you don't have one, we adore Leah @journeyontravel. She will ensure the trip is seamless from your airport arrival until the moment you step on the plane to return home, with every detail in the middle perfectly arranged!
One of my favorite things to do at the end of a trip is ask our children individually what they loved the most. For India, it was unanimous—the game drives in Ranthambhore National Park with hot coco and snacks, while we stayed in luxury tents at The Oberoi Vanyavilas.
My favorites are a little harder to nail down. 21-days in India is a lot of time to discover the wonders of this country. I'm going to break it down by the cities we stayed visited.
DELHI
I've never met a market I don't love, and the wholesale spice markets in Old Delhi we no exception. That said, if you don't like crowds, chaos, intense smells and rickshaws, you may want to skip this one!
AGRA
Though the Taj Mahal has been a bucket list of mine for as long as I can remember, a part of me thought that it may not live up to expectations. That part of me was wrong. It's breathtaking and quite honestly, my brain still hasn't fully grasped the amount of work it took to create a structure of this scale, beauty and detail.
I also highly recommend The Oberoi Amarvilas, and I wish we had booked an extra night there just to enjoy the hotel more.
AJABGARH
The trip got a little dicey for us at this point. I was so incredibly sick, and we had two intense days of rain, so we had to cancel a few of the planned events, but I always look for a silver lining, and in this case, it was the hotel itself. If ever I was going to be that sick, staying in bed at the Amanbagh was a solid option.
And while I was trying to recover, the Aman had so many unique opportunities for the children (and not at all in a cheesy kids' camp way). They offered henna, vintage puppet shows, music, dancing and bangle making.
JAIPUR
Perhaps one of the spots I was most excited about pre-trip, Jaipur was truly magical. From the main palace to the shopping (rugs galore and jewelry galore!) it was a very fun few days.
A few tips, make sure you get the VIP pass for the palace so you have access to all of the most beautiful rooms (like this stunning blue room above).
We stayed at The Oberoi Rajvilas, a beautiful property with a great pool for kids and peacocks all around you!
One of my favorite lunch spots during our trip was at Villa Palladio, a boutique hotel just outside the city. If traveling sans kids, it would also be a delightful place to stay, but quite small so I think lunch or dinner is better with kids.
UDAIPUR
From the very first time the Instagram algorithm showed me the Taj Lake Palace, I was hooked. I hoped to spend my 40th birthday there, but the world had different plans. Five years later, I got to ring in the New Year with all five of my family members and it couldn't have been more magical. Sometimes the best timing is not of our own doing.
Should you have any specific questions about our trip, don't hesitate to reach out via DM on instagram or with a comment here.
And don't miss my packing list HERE!
TRAVEL
PS: If you're able to snag an Emirates flight, I highly recommend it! I love my Delta when flying domestically, but Emirates just gets it right.
