India "Like Marmite. Love it or loathe it."

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Backpacking in India

English and Australian students often backpack through India during their "gap year" between secondary school and college. Many Israelis make nearly religious pilgrimages to India after they serve in the army. Americans often travel between graduating from college and entering the workforce. One of the main draws of backpacking (besides pinching pennies), is the camaraderie. "Staying at hostels is a great way to meet people your own age on the road," says Laura Gordon, a former Let's Go writer and avid backpacker. "You make friends from literally all over the globe. It can also be really convenient, especially for female travelers, since hostels are the best places to find groups to go out at night with."

Most backpackers, however, don't have sherpas setting up camp. Living on a shoestring is always a challenge, especially in India, where pinching pennies means crummy hotels, suspect food and grueling travel. But the few who brave it are rewarded with an up-close-and-personal view of India--one that even if they wanted to, they probably couldn't forget.