With 1.2 Billion residents, there’s a 17.5% chance that you already live in India. But if you are a member of the 82.5% of the world’s population that does not live in India, chances are you’ve never been there. India is enormous, intimidatingly so to the intrepid traveler. WIthout a specific knowledge of Indian history, geography, and culture, it can be near impossible to know where to start. This article isn’t going to give you that information, but it is going to give you a sense of the great stuff beckoning you to go give India a try next time you want to go on holiday. With cheap flights to Goa in India, now is a great time to make this trip a reality. Here’s 5 excellent reasons to help motivate you.

1) The Food. There is little example of more flavorful or colorful food anywhere on the earth. But Indian food is far from uniform. Depending on where you traverse this massive country, you’ll taste different regional takes on classic flavor and spice combinations. Northern cuisines favor creamy curries, moderately spicy. The food just gets spicier as you go south, but starts to include more seafood, coconut, and rice. India is especially friendly to visiting vegetarians, due to the large number of vegetarian Hindus who live around the country.

2) Rajasthan. Known as the most historical province in India, this northern region is what you think of when you picture ancient India. Filled with palaces and forts from centuries long gone by, and surrounded by a millennia-unchanged desert, Rajasthan is a romantic vista for anyone who values seeing life through the lens of another time and place.

3) The Beaches. Located close to Goa, among other places, beaches probably aren’t the first thing you think of when you consider visiting India. But perhaps you should think again. The further South you travel, the more remote and unspoiled will be the beaches that you encounter. Like many beachy locales around the world, there’s plenty of vibrant culture to enjoy when you get away from the beach, as well.

4) The Cities. As everybody knows, Indian cities are some of the most massive and condensed in the world. Well-routed, a trip to and through some of India’s largest is an experience unlike any other you can have on the face of the planet. Every city in the world has a personality, and there are none like India’s.

5) The Religious History and Architecture. Like many nation’s, India’s religious history has had a tremendous imprint upon every aspect of its culture, including its food, politics, and architecture. But unlike other nations, India’s religious history has worked its way further into the DNA of the country than just about anywhere else on earth. Whatever your religious background, enjoy the colors and devotional art which has woven its way into the impressive buildings that still stand after many centuries of use. It’s an atmosphere unlike any other, and the Indian people have found a way of making it visual and tactile in a way that cannot help but impress.