We're thinking of a trip through India next December (with Tauck, so I am not concerned with the tour itselfy) but my wife is terribly sensitive to smells. This may seem like a ridiculous question, but how does it smell there?

You might want to reconsider, go to Thailand or Japan.

Strong. Some good (spices, food), some bad....

Can't wait for dogster's reply, heh heh.

LAleslie. Yes, should be fun. I was tempted myself. I'm frequently pleased I have a poor sense of smell when I'm in Asia. Of course, if the OPs are on a Tauck tour they may never walk the streets and find out they're actually public urinals.

This is a doozy.

I'm looking forward to <i>these</i> replies. Unfortunately, my eyes are rolling too much to write one of my own.

Upon arrival last month into the "new" New Delhi Airport, the first-time visitor young lady with me asked, "THIS is the NEW airport? Why does it stink!?" This, as I was thinking how unusually devoid of odor it seemed.
I think your wife will be of the first opinion, formed in the first minute.

It depends on where your tour is taking you. I found the polution from the traffic a problem with my allergies, but that is what they make antihistamines for. Occasionally there was an unpleasant smell, but only briefly. If she thinks the cow pies are going to be a problem, they are not. One it is hot and they dry our fast (so no smell) and two , they are scooped up for cooking fuel.

Often you will get a smell of spices, but that is a good smell. Very rarely did we find anything so foul we could not stand it. Just don't take her to a tannery.

Relax and enjoy India.

If you are going on a Tauck Tour it will probably be a sanitized tour of India, with minimal bad smells.

i did not find that india smells any worse than other places... i find thailand has a unique smell, but it is not offensive...

india's smell, if there is one, is part of what makes it unique..

take the trip and enjoy it, smells and all.

Glad to see some people trying to help the OP (even if the question was elementary) as opposed to just being obnoxious.

There are several fine DVDs of India available. I suggest your wife sit on the sofa and view those in the comfort of your home. It would eliminate the problem while still allowing her to view the sites unassaulted by the first-hand experience.

I, too, have an acute sense of smell (if we can compare, maybe it's awareness rather than acuity) and it's the smells of a place I remember after most else has faded. And when I return it's the smells that welcome me back most intensely and this includes India. Returning to France, the first place I left home territory for in the 60's, it's the coffee and cigarette smells and I can conjure them from memory anytime I want to put myself back there and then. So maybe if your wife approaches the issue with sensory memory in mind, rather than "a bad smell" she can begin to be more positively effected.

I didn't think rhkk's reply was obnoxious in the least, filmwill. He's a valued contributor.

where can i get those dvd's that include the smell?

Rhkkmk, they are in the "scratch and sniff" row at Blockbusters.

That really wasn't a funny comeback. I know you were trying. Try harder.

Moi???

Filmwill, looks like the original comment you referred to has been removed.
For those who didnt see it, it was a suggestion by guess-who for the OP's wife that if she had problems with odors in India, just stick a finger up her nose.

My initial thoughts when arriving in India was that it did not smell as I had assumed it would. Certainly I did pass by areas where a cow had left it's dropping and it smelled badly, or an area where someone had urinated, but the bad smells did not permeate the air and I merely held my breath for a moment, laughing to myself afterward - only in India! If you want sterile conditions, go to Switzerland or Singapore...but if you keep your mind open and your nostrils closed, then India is a fascinating country to visit.