Is it safe to visit India on holiday?

How should a Western family visit India for a relaxing holiday?

• I think it may be the key scene in Bride and Prejudice that Aishwarya Rai's character tells her American suitor that he has to seek the real India, not the colonial air conditioned luxury India that Westerners will find if that's all they want. How can I take my family to India for a holiday, stay comfortable, safe and well, but not fail to experience true Indian culture? There is apprehension about the risk of food and water borne pathogens triggering the mother of all shitstorms from my three young children.  Is it possible to see India, and especially the India I'd like to see, and not give my wife a nervous breakdown?  (I had a brief travellers stomach bug when I last visited India - as a child - and when I more recently visited the USA.  I know an upset stomach is a reality of travelling anywhere.)

• Answer:

  I think it depends on how many children you have, their ages, and how much experience you have of India. In general I'd imagine that the parents would struggle more than the children for whom it could be a wonderful and amazing adventure. Safe options would perhaps be to go to a resort in Goa or similar, venturing out on rarely. A more fun approach would be to hire a houseboat in Kochi (the malabar coast) or if feeling amazingly brave in Srinagar. To go to an Eco lodge in the a Western Ghats or the foothills of the Himalayas. If the children wanted something different - hiring a car and visiting castles and fortified cities in Rajasthan would leave magical desert memories. Another option could be to take a train journey from one end of the country to the other. Lots of good fun whichever way you do it Edit: Depends on your concept of relaxing. An alternative could be the resorts on the west coast of Sri Lanka 2nd Edit: I live in SE Asia with a young family and have travelled around a bit. Generally if you eat local food in places where lots of locals are eating you don't tend to have too many problems. In general the people who have more problems are those who are more fastidious.