How to plan a family trip to India
A trip home to India is three weeks long and planned over three months. The flights are more than half the cost and get dearer every week you wait, the paperwork has a habit of expiring quietly, and the hardest scheduling problem is which relatives you see on which days.
The countdown
100 days before
- Book flights before fares climb
90 days before
- Check passports (6 months valid) and OCI cards or visas
6 weeks before
- Confirm who's coming and agree the budget
- Book the travel there and back
- Check vaccines and refill prescriptions
4 weeks before
- Buy gifts for family
3 weeks before
- Check everyone's ID and documents
- Plan which relatives you see on which days
2 weeks before
- Plan the days and share the itinerary
7 days before
- Share the packing list and who brings what
- Tell your bank you're travelling and sort a phone plan or SIM
5 days before
- Arrange the airport pickup
3 days before
- Reconfirm travel and stay bookings
1 day before
- Send the meeting point, time and emergency contact
- Pack, charge phones and download offline maps
2 days after
- Settle up who owes what
3 days after
- Share the photos
Add your dates, destination and who's coming and get this checklist with real due dates, a day-by-day itinerary and a link everyone replies on.
Plan mine freeHow the budget splits
Shown for 4 people over 21 nights on $7,900. The percentages hold at any size.
| Category | Share | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 55% | $4,345 |
| Gifts | 15% | $1,185 |
| Travel within India | 10% | $790 |
| Food & outings | 10% | $790 |
| Buffer | 10% | $790 |
A sample itinerary
The first 3 days of a 21-night trip to Hyderabad. Every time is a starting point.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Each person packs
- Passport and OCI card or visa
- Prescriptions in hand luggage
- Light clothes
- Kids' favourite snacks
- Phone charger
- Some rupees for arrival
One of you brings
- Gifts for family
- First-aid kit and everyone's medicines
- ORS and probiotics
- Mosquito repellent
- Plug adapters
- Luggage scale
Tips from the plan
- Book the flights first, and early
- About a hundred days out, before fares climb. Flights are around 55% of what the trip costs, so this one decision moves the budget more than everything else together.
- Check passports and OCI three months ahead
- Passports need six months left on them, and an OCI card tied to an old passport causes trouble at the counter. Three months is enough time to renew; three weeks is not.
- Plan the relatives like an itinerary
- Three weeks before, decide who you see on which days and tell them. It stops the trip turning into a daily negotiation, and it leaves days with nothing in them.
Questions
How far in advance should I plan a trip to India?
About three and a half months. Book flights around a hundred days out, check passports and OCI at ninety, sort vaccines and prescriptions six weeks before, buy gifts at four weeks and arrange the airport pickup in the last week.
What should I pack for a family trip to India?
Passport and OCI card or visa, prescriptions in hand luggage, light clothes, the kids' favourite snacks, a charger and some rupees for arrival. For the family: gifts, a first-aid kit, ORS and probiotics, mosquito repellent, plug adapters and a luggage scale.
How much does a family trip to India cost?
It depends on the season and the city, but the shape is steady: flights about 55%, gifts 15%, and travel within India, food and outings, and a buffer around 10% each. Staying with family is why there is no line for a hotel.