Before going to India, we did a bit of research: preparing for our holiday was exciting at the time... and proved very useful once in India. These are our main tips, based on our research and consolidated by our experience!
This is one of the most important travel tips for India.
In spite of the hot weather, it is highly advisable to dress 'conservatively' in India, particularly for women - ie wearing shorts and tiny tops is definitely not an option.
First of all, you wouldn't feel comfortable for the glares from India women and possibly more than glares
from Indian men... It is helpful to understand that some Indians view Western women as 'promiscuous' but we found that adopting a style of dress similar to theirs (eg for ladies: Punjabi suit, ie fairly baggy (long) trousers with tunic tops) meant
that we were treated with kindness, respected and helped everywhere - we didn't get any problems. Our guide, a native Indian, explained that for Indians, dressing like them means we show respect to them and their culture and this always seems appreciated!
A large scarf was an invaluable accessory to cover, as necessary, either head, shoulders and neck:
In addition, sunglasses were also very useful. The sun was hot and bright... but this was a very useful accessory as eye contact with Indian men is often perceived as an invitation.
It is also quite easy (and relatively inexpensive) to chose your fabric and have a Punjabi Suit made to measure in record time (about 3 hours)! A unique experience not to be missed!
In India, Westerners are strongly advised to only drink bottled water - and to check the top seal is unbroken. This advice extends to brushing teeth, even in top-class hotels. Locals have acquired natural resistance to some bugs which easily get to newly arrived Western travellers.
Bottled water was available in most hotel rooms, but we saved these for drinking. We had packed a small travel-kettle and a jug and found this useful to boil and keep water for teeth-brushing.
Although it is tempting to try eating in restaurants where the locals eat, it may be wiser to stick to the restaurants used to cater for 'Westerners' - these tend to use better hygene... which may save you from the dreaded 'Delhi Belly'.
It's also worth avoiding the temptation of market and road-side fruits and snacks...
We packed a couple of packets of cream cracker biscuits - these were excellent while recovering from our Delhi Belly attack. Indians also recommended eating a banana and yoghurt...
Although unpleasant and worrying, a Delhi Belly attack may not last for very long... Ours was over in 24 hours. Our Tour Operator / Guide was very helpful and caring when we were suffering...
Needless to say, most Indian food is spicy. Some of it is also quite sweet.
Vegetarian food is the norm wherever you go - the Hindu religion forbids eating meat, eggs and fish and drinking wine on certain days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays?). Even on days when meat is allowed, only chicken and lamb and mutton (actually goat!) are allowed meats.
Restaurants are classified as 'veg' (serving only vegetable dishes) and 'non-veg', serving veg and also 'non-veg', ie meat.
Few restaurants serve alcohol as the license is costly.
Lentil dishes are popular. Meals are most often served with 'chapatti' bread - we found these quite oily and got used to ordering some plain boiled rice instead.
We love Indian food... and enjoyed most of our meals very much!
India enjoys hot tropical weather with variations from one region to another. Generally:
Most of North India remains dry, dusty, and unpleasant during the summer months. The further North you go (eg north of River Ganga - North of Rajesthan), the more extreme the climate (ie even hotter Summers and chilly nights in the Winter).
Most Indians speak good English and education is recognised as important.
The whole of India is on the same time zone:
GMT + 5.5 hours
(BST + 4.5 hours).
Most Indians speak good English and education is recognised as important.
Travel to India requires immunisation but this depends on where you travel and on the time of the year when you travel. The same applies to anti-maleria measures - none were needed in Northern India in March. Your surgery should advise you.
It is necessary to apply for a visa (30 GBP for British passport holders and UK residents). The application needs to be posted via 'next-day' delivery and the fee needs to be sent as a Postal Order. You will also need to enclose a 'next-day' delivery self-addressed envelope with yuor application. Our application only took a couple of weeks but needless to say, it woujld be wise not to leave it to the last minute!
We found that although we are used to reinforced security in Europe... when it comes to travelling by plane, the Indians take security very seriously - some security measures even seemed over-zealous. For instance, when arriving at New Delhi Gandhi Airport, after clearing immigration and retrieving our luggage, we were asked to scan our luggage once again before coming out of the aiport!
Security prior to departure was extremely tight, when we returned to London. The luggage to be checked in needs to be sealed by the staff with security sealed straps. Strict regulations also apply to hand-baggage - eg it is forbidden to carry loose batteries, spices and other listed items in your hand-baggage - enforcced by multiple checks and scans until you board the aircraft!
India uses the same plugs as mainland Europe (eg France, Germany) - ie 2 pin round plugs. Top-class hotels usually provide a range of adaptors.
A word of caution: power surges are common in India - we experienced a few in March - and are particularly frequent during the Monsoon season (June - August). It is possible to buy adaptors with built-in power-surge protection, these may be safer when travelling to India.
It is worth being careful what hotel you book in India. Low budget hotels are reputed for having low security (my research recommended packing some padlocks and a pair of clean sheets(!) if you chose to stay in these hotels). However, if your budget permits it, international hotels offer excellent standards. Indian Heritage hotels also offer good standards as well as rooms/setting with character. We stayed in 2 of these:in Mandawa and in Pushkar. Both of these hotels had great character and were also reasonably comfortable, although a touch less than the international type.
Tips are expected and demands for tips are omni-present in India...
We would recommend you always ensure you have a good supply of lower value notes for tips - if you don't, you may find yourself parting with 100 rupees (80 pence) for something as trivial as the photo of a guide... (as we did!)
As the rest of this website testifies, we love taking photos. We found that most Indians were happy to have their photo taken but, as everywhere, a respectful and friendly approach (ie asking for permission first by pointing to the camera with an inquisite smile) ensured everyone was happy: a smiling subject makes a much better photo!
Photography is restricted in some temples and mosques and where allowed, it sometimes incurs an extra charge.
However, as mentioned in the Tips section, in most cases, finding a smiling subject was highly dependent on waving a (small) bank-note!
Something which works quite well: because we stayed mainly in international hotels dispensing an abundance of toiletries (shampoo, shower gel, body lotion etc), we found these made good little gifts and tips which were gladly received by many of the women who paused for us!
Our shopping experience in India was somewhat limited...
We were only taken to 'Cottage Industy' outlets - these are specifically set up for tourists. Although these were a safe environment (no crowds) it also meant that an 'over-dedicated' sales assistant would follow us around, applying various pressure sales techniques. Prices were also very 'uncompetitive'... and the range of goods perhaps limited.
Personal regret: not buying a sari.
There are some 80 different recorded manners of wearing a sari and these also vary depending on the region. These are also very versatile and can be put to varied uses around your home if you decide not to wear it as a sari... - A sari is basically a long piece of fabric, the length of which equals 10 times the width.
The Indian currency is 'rupees'. In March 2008, there were approximately 80 rupees to the GBP. Visa cards are accepted in many shops and hotels in the major cities - but you need to make sure you contact your bank to tell them you are going to India as transactions will get blocked otherwise because India is considered a 'high risk' location.
India is a real 'pro' in terms of Internet and modern communication generally. Mobile phones are everywhere. Everyone has a mobile - if not more than one! It's a good idea to purchase an Indian Sim card - in India, mobile calls are inexpensive, even to the UK!
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