Top 5 International Destinations to Visit from India in 2026

Planning your first trip abroad in a while, or your fifth one this year, 2026 works in your favour either way. Entry has gotten easier across a lot of countries for Indian travellers: visa-free access, visa-on-arrival, or an e-visa you can sort out from your phone with no embassy visit needed. Places that felt like too much hassle a couple of years back are a lot more doable now.

Here's what came up most in conversations with our customers at LuLu Forex this year, from students planning a first solo trip to families putting together something bigger for the holidays.

Thailand

A trip to Bangkok alone could take up all your time. Street food vendors fill up an entire block, a shopping mall is by a temple and nobody cares if the traffic keeps going this late at night.  A short walk here can take you from a rooftop bar to a hundred year old market with no real sense of contrast.

Phuket and Krabi cover the beach side of things, boat trips between islands, resorts at every price point, backpacker hostels a street back from the sand if that's more your speed. Chiang Mai sits further north and moves at a slower pace, cooler air, mountain views, and night markets that regulars return to trip after trip mostly for the food stalls that only open after dark.

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Check entry requirements before booking since these shift from time to time. Bookings a few months in advance typically work out to be more economical, and may be significantly so if you are flexible with your travel dates. Also bring some Thai Baht with you, they may not accept cards at smaller stalls and shops out of the main tourist areas. 

Bali

Bali keeps showing up on the shortlist, and it's easy to see why once you look past the postcard shots. Indian travellers can use Indonesia's Visa on Arrival facility, making entry straightforward without applying through an embassy before departure.

Ubud sits inland, with rice terraces, art markets, and a pace that slows down the moment you're off the main road. Canggu and Seminyak attract travellers looking for both beach days and great cafés, with surf schools, beach clubs, and cafés that stay busy well past sunset. Uluwatu lies further south, offering cliffside temples, quieter beaches, and some of the best sunset views on the island if you time your visit right.

Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, shuts the entire island down for 24 hours once a year, including the airport, so it's worth checking the calendar before finalising your travel dates. Bring Indonesian Rupiah for smaller warungs and markets, as card payments are common in tourist areas but not always available once you head further out.

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Malaysia

Old & new side by side with little friction, Kuala Lumpur - glass towers just a few street blocks away from the older shop houses at Chinatown. The slower pace of Langkawi is for those who come to enjoy the beach and duty-free shopping. The George Town of Penang has been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the food scene, no less, is quite sharp enough and there are locals ready to debate for an hour which hawker stall offers the best.

There's a big price appeal. Food, hotel, and transport rates are comfortably cheaper than in Singapore, but not "cut rate. Public transport is adequate for Kuala Lumpur, so unless you are going farther afield, it makes little sense to hire a car, and English is widely spoken and families and first-timers cope with it pretty well.

Planning your trip to Malaysia? Get Malaysian Ringgit from LuLu Forex and have it conveniently delivered to your doorstep.

Vietnam

More Indian travellers are choosing Vietnam these days. Better flight connections are a big part of it, along with an e-visa process that skips the embassy visit entirely.

Hanoi's Old Quarter rewards walking, narrow lanes, packed local markets, food stalls tucked into corners you'd otherwise miss. Ha Long Bay takes some extra effort to reach, but limestone cliffs and slow boat cruises make up for the travel time, so staying overnight on the water is worth the extra planning. Ho Chi Minh City is a different country altogether, bustling and sophisticated yet with its history captured in the Cu Chi Tunnels.

One thing worth knowing ahead of time: the Dong comes in large denominations, so price tags look alarming until the exchange rate actually clicks. Not every forex counter back home stocks Dong, so many travellers carry US Dollars or a prepaid card as backup.

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Georgia

Georgia has come up a lot more this year than in recent years combined. Once you factor in the landscapes, the history, and how far money stretches there against most of Europe, it's easy to see why.

• Tbilisi: Historic streets, vibrant cafés, and a renowned wine culture.
• Kazbegi: Breathtaking mountain scenery and the iconic Gergeti Trinity Church.
• Kakheti: Georgia's renowned wine region, known for its vineyards and centuries-old winemaking tradition.

Compact enough to explore multiple regions in 7–10 days with minimal travel time.  Local travel, hotel and food prices remain very low when compared to most of western Europe. 

Before You Go

Picking where to go is only half the job. Travel money is the part people put off until the last minute, and it's usually what ends up costing them later, whether that's a bad rate at the airport counter or a card that doesn't work at the one ATM near the hotel.

Sort your currency and cards out before you leave. It's one less thing to deal with after landing, and it almost always beats whatever rate is on offer at an airport counter with a flight to catch and a queue building behind you.

Talk to LuLu Forex for the right foreign currency and travel card options before your next international trip.