20. Prepare your eyes for beauty that will literally leave you glued to the window as you try to take it all in!

19. Have your camera ready to capture some of the incredible views you will find as you move deeper into the valley and higher into the mountains – just don’t live through your camera lens! The lenses in your eyes will be more  than sufficient.

18. Take nausea pills while traveling, especially if you’re prone to motion sickness. The roads are twisty, bumpy, and built for one car, but two cars manage to fit.

17. If you still happen to get sick even after you’ve taken a pill for nausea, just throw up out the window; you’ll feel so much better.

16. Be ready to see numerous fuzzy dogs EVERYWHERE that you will gush over. And if you’re staying in Kaza, you might want to have a pair of earplugs because the dogs party ALL night.

15. If you can, travel to as many villages in Spiti and stay at the various homestays in those villages. The locals are incredible, they’ll teach you how to cook and feed you SO much food.

14. Eat like the locals! The food is delicious.

13. TRY THE MOMOS.

12. Try the plums. They’re super sour, but they are delicious.

11. Support the locals by buying their goods such as shawls, hats, socks, mittens. You’re friends will be digging your new threads.

10. WEAR 60 SPF SUNSCREEN OR YOU WILL MORPH INTO A TOMATO. Seriously. Wear that sunscreen. The sun is super strong up there.

9. You have to go through the excretion process at least twice while in a village. They use dry compost toilets, which are literally holes in the ground with a five foot drop where the waste will go, and then you take ash and dried dung, and scoop it down the hole. But let me tell you, trying to get that aim just right is hard as hell. Don’t worry though, you should get it the second time around!

8. Get yourself a dictionary with some Spitian words and phrases so that you can converse with the locals, even if it is on a small scale.

7. Don’t be shy. Talk to everyone. They all have such amazing stories!

6. Be sure to visit a monastery and to put your camera away. Just take in all the murals, prayer rooms, and watch how the monks interact with each other. A photograph will never be able to properly depict all that you see; also, most monasteries prohibit picture taking. Just sit, meditate, and take in the glorious mountains around you.

5. Go on treks.

4. Go outside at night. You will be blown away by how vibrant the stars are! It’s as if someone painted a ceiling full of stars! That’s how bright they are and that’s how many there are! It’s awe-inducing.

3. Take a dump under the stars.

2. Only use internet if you absolutely must. Otherwise, just unplug and enjoy each day. You honesty don’t miss using Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or any social media. You’ll be so taken with Spiti that none of those things will matter.

1. Take it easy. Relax. Eat good food. Make new friends!