The Myth of the "Real India": Why Travel Vloggers Get It Wrong

I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos recently featuring foreign vloggers traveling to India to document their experiences. India is, without a doubt, a complex country. We are 1.6 billion people strong, and yes, we face massive hurdles. Our politics, a collective consciousness often influenced by pseudoscience, and blind faith have sometimes worked against us.

I am the first to admit that we have fallen behind in the global race. While we once had a massive advantage with our English-speaking population, countries like China have surged ahead in manufacturing, defense, robotics, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, we are still grappling with corruption that rots our public systems, a lack of jobs, and environmental exploitation. Rivers, forests, air, and food—everything sacred has been compromised. Our civic sense often leaves much to be desired; we ogle, we honk without reason, and our hygiene standards in public spaces needs a complete overhaul.

I say this because I want to be clear: We are very aware of the problems we have in our country. We are quite self-critical.

However, despite these flaws, the Indian population remains one of the most hospitable in the world. Moreover, domestic travelers—and sensible international tourists—travel to have the best experience possible. They look for beauty, comfort, and culture.

These famous YouTubers, however, seem determined to do the exact opposite.

It surprises me to see them come to India and intentionally do things that the majority of Indians would never do. They immerse themselves in transport and areas where the people living there have no other options. They seem to confuse "recklessness" with "bravery," and "poverty" with "authenticity."

Initially, when I watched these videos, I felt embarrassed by the bad conditions. 

But as I reflected, I realized that these creators are curating a specific, distorted reality. 

Here is why their approach is so baffling to me, especially when compared to life here in the USA or Europe:

1. The "General Class" Obsession
I have lived in India for years, and I have never traveled in a "General Class" train compartment myself. Even if I wanted to try it for the "experience," I wouldn't, because I know how dangerously crowded they get. If I had cash crunch situation, I would spend less somewhere else. 

Yet, vloggers flock to these specific compartments to film the chaos. 

They ignore the AC coaches, the Vande Bharat Express, or regular flights, implying that the most struggle-filled option is the only "real" way to travel.

In fact, I don't even remember when was the last time I took a train. you don't travel in train, if you can afford a flight or can take a taxi. For most Indians that is the reality. 

2. Risky Street Food Choices
They eat at the filthiest roadside eateries they can find. 

Now, India is a foodie’s paradise, and yes, we love our street food. But even locals have a "street smart" instinct—we know which spots are hygienic and which are not. 

In major cities like Delhi, there are incredible, clean, and historic food joints. and these are not secrets that only locals know. there are tons of online sites to tell you where do you go for that? and the review system was invented online several decades ago.

Even in the US, before we decide to eat somewhere, we read reviews.

But these vloggers seem to bypass the good spots to find the most questionable hygiene, seemingly just for the shock value.

3. The Water Logic
For years, and especially since moving to the USA, my family takes precautions when visiting home. 

My dad pre-orders bottled water to ensure our health. 

It is a known fact that tap water is not potable in India. Even when I travel to Europe, I often buy bottled water rather than chugging from a washbasin. 

Why, then, do travelers treat drinking tap water in India as some sort of dare? 

It isn't adventurous to ignore basic health advice; it's just reckless.

4. The Tuktuk vs. Uber Reality
For local conveyance, auto-rickshaws (tuktuks) can be a major pain—even locals struggle with the haggling and refusal to use meters. 

In modern India, Uber and Ola are available in plenty. 

While the cars might not always compare to an Uber in the USA, the experience is straightforward and fair. 

Why is someone adamant on haggling with rickshaw drivers for hours? They ignore the modern conveniences the middle class uses, just to struggle for the camera.

5. The Hypocrisy of Hotel Pricing
Hotels in India are available across all price ranges. In the USA, to get a clean experience without resorting to a motel, I have to spend 100–100–150 a night. 

In London, I paid $250/night; in Italy, $160/night. Yet, these vloggers come to India and make a massive fuss about paying $40 for a hotel. They expect 5-star service for peanuts. 

If you want a Marriott-level experience in India, it exists—but you have to pay for it, just like anywhere else. Complaining about the standards of a dirt-cheap hotel is simply entitled.

in fact the service levels of the same hotel in US and India will be night and day different. has anyone shown that? 

6. Ignoring the Beauty
It is astonishing that they rarely visit the main attractions. I have always maintained that India’s diversity is like dozens of countries packed into one—the food, clothing, culture, flora, and fauna change every few hundred miles. But these YouTubers seem more interested in zooming in on garbage, open drains, and ugliness.

The "Authenticity" Trap
This brings me to the core issue: The Fetishization of Poverty.
These creators seem to suffer from a delusion that "Suffering = Authentic." They believe that if they stay in a nice hotel or visit a modern mall in Mumbai, they aren't seeing the "Real India."

But why is a slum considered "real culture" while our IT hubs, art galleries, and modern highways are dismissed as "westernized bubbles"? 

A software engineer driving a car to work is just as much a part of the "Real India" as a villager. 

By focusing only on the poor, they treat Indians not as complex humans, but as exhibit animals to be pitied.

The Algorithm of Shock
What is the motivation? It’s simple: Money.
YouTube algorithms reward shock. A video of a clean, efficient Delhi Metro station is "boring." A video of a foreigner getting crushed in a crowd gets millions of views. This is "Poverty Porn"—a business model where content creators are financially incentivized to find the dirtiest, weirdest things because "Normal India" doesn't go viral.

The Double Standard

I have traveled across the world, and I have never been interested in exploring the absolute worst a country has to offer. Every country has filth and major problems. Drug abuse, homelessness, and gun violence are huge problems in the USA too. but that is not the whole of USA, rather an aspect of USA.

But imagine if an Indian YouTuber came to America, went straight to Skid Row in LA or the worst drug-filled neighborhoods of Philadelphia, filmed the homeless encampments, and titled the video: "Surviving the USA."

Americans would be furious. They would say, "This isn't the whole story! You missed the Grand Canyon, New York City, and the National Parks!"

That is exactly how we feel. You don't go to the dangerous "hoods" of New York to show how miserable life can be, so why is it acceptable to do it to India?

We know our flaws. We are fighting them. But India is not just its flaws. It is a chaotic, beautiful mix of the ancient and the modern, the rich and the poor. If you come here and only look for the dirt, you will find it. But you will have missed the point of the country entirely.