Too Big To Fail

FIVE TIMES THE SIZE OF TEXAS, INDIA OFFERS A STUNNING ARRAY OF OPTIONS FOR GETTING LOST. FROM 28,000-FOOT HIMALAYAN PEAKS TO THE TROPICAL BEACHES OF KERALA, THESE TRIPS DELIVER THE BEST OF IT.

- Stephanie Pearson

Surf

Head to the excellent breaks of Varkala, a town 85 miles northwest of India’s southern tip, where Soul and Surf India set up shop in 2010. In addition to lessons, this clifftop oasis offers rooms with verandas, daily yoga classes, and a full menu of holistic food and therapies (rooms from $61; soulandsurf.com).

Bike

Ready to get really crazy? Sign up for TDA Global Cycling’s January 2019 Hippie Trail ride, a 40-day, 1,839-mile trip from New Delhi to Goa. You’ll ride past the Taj Mahal, through the Thar Desert of northwestern Rajasthan, into the bustle of Mumbai, and onto the beaches of Goa’s Konkan Coast, with stops at guesthouses, forts, and palaces along the way. Thankfully, there are ten rest days built in. If that still sounds too hardcore, there’s an option to follow a shorter segment of the trail—usually 600 miles over the course of 14 days ($8,800; tdaglobalcycling.com).

Wander