If you visit North India between December and February, pack for a European winter. Bring thermal underwear, a heavy down jacket, and wool socks. You are not going to the beach. You are going to a place where monkeys huddle around street fires and the morning fog turns your eyelashes into ice.

But here is a surprise that shocks most first-time visitors: Like, "scrape the ice off the windshield" cold. "Wear three layers and a balaclava" cold.

The myth that India is "only hot" is dangerous for travelers. Every year, unprepared tourists arrive in Delhi in January wearing sandals and a light sweater, only to panic-buy woolen hats from street vendors.

When you picture India, your brain likely serves up images of sweltering heat: scorching deserts in Rajasthan, humid beaches in Goa, or steamy jungles in Kerala. We tend to think of India as the place you go to escape the cold.