Planning for India

So I'm heading to India in October. A journey of a lifetime so to speak. I've always wanted to travel there but have been reluctant to do it on my own. I'm going with AK. While she's travelled previously to her village in the Punjab, this will the first time travelling around the country. We're going to have a great time.

Being the geek that I am, I've already started to block out my itinerary. Old travel agent habits die hard it seems.

Itinerary currently planned is as follows:

Vancouver
London
Delhi
Gaya
Varanasi
Agra
Jaipur
Udaipur
Amritsar
X Delhi
Goa
X Delhi
X London
Vancouver

My todo list is as follows:
- get passport renewed (already in progress)
- get India visa (ASAP)
- get vaccinated (late august)
- find good backpack suitcase
- book hotels (ask around for cheap but clean with good toilets)
- book international flights. ASAP
- book domestic flight in August
- book trains mid-September

Can't wait. So much planning to do. So many people to ask recommendations and advice from.