Travelling to India? Read all you need to know for your visit to India
Travelling to India is a challenge, no one will deny that. Going on a trip to India is also the greatest thing you can do if you ask me. It does take some preparation if you haven’t been before. So in this blog, I am going to share with you everything at you need to know before your visit to India.
The smells, the colours, the sounds… everything comes at you and there is no escaping it. The first steps you take outside the airport will be overwhelming. Your first day will also be impressive…. And I can assure you, I’ve been about 10 times…. I still find it impressive too and that is exactly why it is so great to travel to India.
All you need to know for your visit to India
India never bores and will always surprise you! In a positive way…and sometimes negatively. But you have that in all countries. And then India may be the superlative on all fronts. That’s when you learn the most.
But I don’t want to put you off by starting my introduction like this but I just can’t tone it down either. India is not for wimps!
What should you know before travelling to India?
Where is india located?
India lies at the foot of the Himalayas (below China) … and then you can travel over 3,000 km south to get to Kerala or Tamil Nadu. India therefore ranks 7th among the 10 largest countries in the world. (Russia ranks 1, Canada 2, America 3) India has the Arabian Sea on its left and the Bay of Bengal on its right.
How many inhabitants does India have?
India has almost 1.5 billion inhabitants. (China seems to have just a little less population) That number is not even imaginable to us. If you consider that the city of Mumbai already has more inhabitants than our entire little country …
How many states does India consist of?
India, officially Republic of India, has 28 states and 8 union territories (administrative units). The most famous states are of course Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa on travel. But other states are also in the news from time to time, e.g. Kashmir due to its struggle with Pakistan.
What is the largest city in India?
In terms of area, Delhi is easily India’s largest city. It covers a whopping 1,400 square kilometres. The city is therefore made up of 7 former cities that have merged together.
Is it safe to travel in India?
India is generally a safe country to travel to. If you keep in mind the local norms like e.g. don’t dress too nude and treat each other respectfully. I have made several solo trips in India and have never felt unsafe. Then again, I don’t go out on the streets at night or drink alcohol which might make you more loose.
Is India a poor country?
In India, an incredible number of people live below the poverty line. There are also many people living who are incredibly rich. You are going to see an awful lot of poor people during your trip. I always find it admirable how kind and nice these people treat you. This is another reason why we can learn a lot from India. People mostly remain optimistic and curious about the tourist. I always have the nicest conversations with people on the street in India. People are very quick to speak to you there and that also makes travelling in India a lot of fun.
You cannot compare the difference as we know it between rich and poor with the difference as seen in the streets of India. In Mumbai, for example, you have the large slum of Dharavi but you also have the hugely expensive flat Antilia, value would be €1,828,000,000.00 and which has 27 floors.
Getting ready for your trip to India
If you are going on a trip to india then you should apply for a visa and have a look at what vaccinations are advised.
Arrange visa for your India trip
There are several visas for India for sale. Of course, there are also various agencies that offer them for sale but they are all middlemen who earn from them. If you just want to do it yourself you need to be on this site at indianvisaonline.gov
The different visas are as follows:
30 days
1 year with multiple entry
5 years with multiple entry
For the latter two, you are allowed to stay in India for a maximum of 180 days.
Currency in India
The currency in India is the Indian rupee. The exchange rate of the Indian Rupee (abbreviated in INR) is 10 INR is about 0.10 cents.
India and religion
You cannot look at India and religion separately. The streets are drenched in offerings, expressions of religion in images but also attire. There are many kinds of religions (Hinduism, Muslim, Christian, Sikhs, Buddhism, Jains, Jews, Zoraism and Baha’i) and I heard about religions I had never heard of before e.g. the Jains.
Which religion is most prevalent in India? That is Hinduism with 80 per cent. Hinduism is also the faith of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thus guiding most of the decisions and tenets of recent years in politics. This has led to strange scenes. Just as with us faith is shielded from politics, it is not so in India. And the India of how I experience it on the streets is not what Narendra Modi propagates in his politics.
How do you best dress for travelling to India?
If you make sure you walk the streets a little covered as a woman, but also as a man, you will soon be fine. It is often thought that only women have to be mindful of clothing but in Asia, they generally find it very strange for a man to walk around in shorts. This is really something for children. The other side is that men are not bothered by wearing shorts but if the woman walks around looking too naked it does bother them. Unwanted stares are the order of the day if you have bare shoulders or wear a skirt or trousers that are too short.
Hygiene in India
Hygiene is of a different class in India. Not always immediately very dirty but, as in all of Asia, they don’t look up or down when they clean. Cleaning is done what is seen, in hotels.
Hygiene on the streets… As with us that the rubbish is collected…so in India the rubbish is (hopefully) burnt. If not it will just be there a month later. And yes, animals will eat from that, like the Sacred Cow. And so it may well be that the Sacred Cow eats a piece of plastic and gets sick from it. So even in the streets you come across strange and sometimes nasty scenes.
Hygiene among people is often of a very high standard. There is a lot of washing and people generally look super neat. So there again, in India it is clean on one side and very dirty on the other.
Take a Train in India
A train journey in India is an experience in itself! Among the people, seeing daily life up close. The food brought by the families, the chai-walla who comes by to sell you chai or coffee and the landscape passes by… I want to say it rushes… but often the train doesn’t go that fast so you have plenty of time to watch and enjoy the views.
I have done several train journeys and always find it a tremendous experience.
I don’t have any tips for booking a train ticket. I never booked my train ticket myself and always had it done by a local travel agency. There are so many different classes and trains that I gave up and went for the easy option. Train travel is not expensive and I am happy to pay the small allowance.
Food & drink in India
Alcohol and India do not mix. There is alcohol in some places but most religions do not allow it. In western hotels, you can get alcohol but you pay a high price for it. The second question then is whether your glass of wine is tasty.
Meat and India don’t mix too well either. Even that is allowed for quite a few religions but largely India is vegetarian or even vegan.
If you order some food in India, the menu is vegetarian and non-vegetarian. So that is exactly the opposite of ours. We only have a small vegetarian section and most of the food is non-vegetarian, which has no name but is just ‘the menu’. In that respect, I feel very much at home in India.
Did you know that a hotel on the side of an Indian road usely means that it is a restaurant?
Read more about everything you need to look out for when travelling to India.
Staying healthy during your visit
As already mentioned, India has different hygiene standards. It is therefore important that, if you eat with your hands, you wash your hands regularly and use soap / hand alcohol. You might unknowingly put your finger in your mouth or nail to remove something from between a tooth or molar. Keep that in mind.
You can NOT drink tap water while travelling in India. I do use the tap water to brush my teeth with, I feel I build up some resistance that way. You only take in a very small amount of water and it never bothered me.
In India, you also increasingly find the western toilet but the squat toilet is the rule. After using a squat toilet, of course, always wash your hands. But also keep in mind that your shoes can get dirty and clean your sole regularly too. The toilets are often dirty and you do stand in them. Maybe then you will also understand better the rule that shoes should be taken off before entering people’s homes.
Travelling to India Vaccinations
Various vaccinations are recommended for India, e.g. DTP, typhoid fever and hepatitus A. In addition, there are a number of individual recommendations for which you should consult a doctor. For the latest advice, check your doctor / hospital.
India Travel Advice
The travel advisory for most of India is green. So there is really no reason not to go.
However, there are some places that are not recommended to travel to. These are part of Kashmir, the Aksai Chin region, the Jammu & Kashmir region. Similarly, there are some regions of India above Myanmar, below Bangladesh and China that are covered by code orange.
What is impolite in India?
What is rude? Showing the bottom of your feet. So when you sit on the floor, you should keep your feet with you to avoid showing this. This is why, of course, the sitting in lotus is ideal.
Kissing and hugging in public is also very rude. You won’t actually see it happening anywhere either. Sometimes there are some parks or other places that offer a bit more privacy and where couples sit a bit closer together. Other than that, you won’t see affection between people on the streets of India.
Couples holding hands in ‘our world’ when they are shopping or walking on the beach or in nature? You don’t see that in India. On the other hand, what you do see is friends holding hands or having an arm around each other. So then that is not a gay couple but are just friends.
Once, I saw two soldiers walking hand-in-hand but I was just too late for the photo. Otherwise, I would have shared a picture here of the back of two men with machine guns on their backs and holding hands.
It is also very polite to handle something, e.g. money or a product, with two hands. That shows respect. Sometimes you also see people holding one hand on the elbow of the other arm, so it is still an extension of that receiving hand.
So, do you have any plans to travel to India as well?
Want to read more inspiration for your trip to India?
Dive into the streetfood culture of Mumbai
Complete Travel Guide for Holy City Pushkar
Highlights of Fort Kochi – Kerala
The Best Spot to Spot Tigers – Ranthambore NP
Jacomijn is een politieagent uit Nederland die jou graag laat zien hoe je veilig, actief en gezond de wereld kan over reizen. Safe and Healthy travel is a MUST
