Top Tips for First Time Travelers to India

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So I had a request from my friend Quiche (long story) for some advice for going to India, so I decided I'd write it into my blog so anyone can benefit (hopefully) from it.

Your First Days in a Big City in India

It's a sad fact but it's true in the cases of most people I've met, including myself, but spending your first days in India in a major city such as Delhi or Mumbai can be hard going, even for people who have been to other hectic places in Asia. There are people everywhere waiting to take as much money as they can from unsuspecting tourists, often leaving them in difficult or unpleasant positions. With a little knowledge and a bit of grit however, this can be avoided. Some good ways of dodging trouble when you arrive are as follows:

-> Don't hang around – This is the best tip - get out of the big city ASAP and save the sightseeing for when you've got a little more grounding in the country and the culture, it will be much easier!

-> Be confident – If you wander around looking lost you'll be pounced on from every direction by people trying to take you to “official tourist offices” to get you roped into buying tickets you don't need or going too places you hadn't intended, from which they will pocket commission. A good idea is to wear dark sunglasses, then you can look around you to find places, but if you keep your head up and looking forward no one will notice you're looking.

-> Turn up scruffy – It's really easy to spot a new arrival, with clean hair and looking freshly shaven. Clean western clothes and a new rucksack are a dead giveaway. You're not going to look like that for very long, so consider turning up unshaven (boys) with slightly grubby clothes and no new looking kit. Purposely rubbing a bit of dirt on your precious new stuff will throw the touts off your scent a little. Besides, the minute you throw your bags on the floor or get on a bus, they'll be dirty anyway!

-> Read my blog – The first couple of entries give a first hand account of dealing with a big city with a fresh face. I returned to Delhi two months later with a beard and a new and slightly grubby wardrobe and a hardened attitude – I wasn't approached once.

-> Never get out a map or guidebook – By doing this in public you'll look like a helpless young buck in a lion's den. Read the map etc before heading out and go and hide somewhere if you really need to review it outside.

-> Politeness is a mugs game – When you're approached, it's easy to get drawn into a messing around by trying to be polite with the person on your shoulder. In the big cities, people following you around are rarely honestly motivated, so don't be afraid to say “I'm busy and don't need help and I don't want to talk” then carry on your way and blank them. They may seem annoyed, but ignore it.

-> Avoid the common lies – Some common themes emerge, all of which are lies, despite how many times you here them. These include: “I'm on holiday here also...” “My is a rich jewel dealer” “This area is not safe” and “The tourist office is closed / moved / this way”

-> Don't question yourself – If you've read something in a guidebook or map, make sure you get there BEFORE you allow anyone on the street convince you otherwise. You'll be made to question your judgement, but don't.

-> Make your own choices – When looking for anything, especially transport to your next destination, always shop around, speak to other travellers and let yourself make your own mind up in a quiet place away from any touts or agents. Never let yourself make a decision on the spot regardless of what any agent tells you. If looking to leave Delhi, be sure to check out the Tourist Bureau in the train station to find out your options (ignoring the myriad people on the way that will tell you it's closed) – sleeper trains are a great way to travel as they save you a night's accommodation cost and you don't lose any days on the road. See below.

-> Always say you've been to India before, or you've been elsewhere for a while. Knowing you're fresh off the plane and clueless will help make a target out of you.
Ignore “helpful” advice from Rickshaw drivers. They'll often tell you a hotel is closed or that somewhere is better or safer. In almost all instances they're going for commission and do not have your best interests at heart.

After reading all this you're probably having second thoughts about going, but please don't – it's really not that bad. It's an shame that in a city of millions where most are genuine, we have the misfortune of being faced with the touts and cheats while the rest of the wonderfully friendly population go about their daily business. You have to remember that many people are very poor and an opportunity to make some money becomes as good as any other when you have a family to feed. Don't judge people that may try to lie to you or cheat you, as they're just trying to make a living in a tough and heavily populated place.

Safety

Street crime and robbery is not too much of a risk. Many people will try and cheat you, but it's unlikely anyone will use force. Take the same precautions you would anywhere else (don't flash valuables, don't go to known dangerous areas and don't leave easy temptations) and just take care in crowded places, such as public transport, as pickpockets abound in every country.

Diarrhoea

Most people visiting India will get struck with this at least once, with varying severities. A good idea is to keep some Rehydration Salts with you. When you arrive, consider finding a chemist and picking up some Orfloxacin / Norfloxacin or similar (200-500mg), which should be under 100 rupees for a strip of 12. This is a basic antibiotic for most common types of food poisoning. After 3 days or more of constant loose movement, you can take 1 of these with breakfast and one with dinner. This should clear it up, but if not then you can take two more the same way the next day. If symptoms persist, then stop taking them and visit the local hospital for a stool sample and appropriate treatment. (Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and each person's condition will be different, so follow this advice at your own risk and using your own judgement)

If you have it available to you, it is worth trying ayurvedic (natural) medicine first, as antibiotics will strip your gut of good and bad bacteria. Natural medicines take a little longer to work but are much easier on your body and you're less likely to pick up anything else in the mean time as you've left the good guys in your gut intact. You may also wish to take half and half – a weak course of antibiotics and a selection of ayurvedic medicine. In any case, be sure to stay extra hydrated.

Avoidance: You can help avoid the affliction by taking some basic precautions. Avoid eating street food in major cities and in any other instance ensure it is cooked freshly and thoroughly for your order. Wash your hands or use sanitising gel before eating anything or touching your mouth. Never drink anything but sealed bottled water – be careful for water bottles that have been refilled; always check the seal. Finally when showering and washing, be sure not to get any water in your mouth. The same goes for brushing your teeth, use fresh water to rinse and to wash your brush.

The best piece of advice is not to worry about it, just go about your days and have fun, it's really not a big deal to have to go to the loo a little more; though it is helpful to keep some loo roll with you when you go out, whether you're unwell or not, as most places won't have any. Also, don't fear the squat toilet, it's really quite nice and natural once you get used to it, plus having a straight back is much better for you. You also waste less time as you can't sit around and waste time, unless you have calves of steel! Just be sure to keep your trousers well clear and up off the wet floor.

Top 3 Tips for Visiting India

1. Don't plan too much. It's good to have an idea of what the various places are, but don't set yourself on visiting any of them in any order unless you REALLY want to. You're going to meet people every day with wonderful tales of magical places that you'll find yourself irresistibly drawn to. You'll make friends and go with them to places you haven't heard of and you'll find it's much cheaper to go here than there and so you'll do that instead. I haven't met a single person in India that had gone with a plan and stuck to it. Save yourself the stress and just go their free as a bird.

2. Talk to people. Not necessarily strangers that approach you with unsolicited advice, but people who serve you in shops, or sit next to you on buses. You'll soon begin to find out amazing things about the people, their lives and the country that no guidebook or other traveler will ever tell you. Meeting the locals and learning about the reality of their lives really is the essence of travelling.

3. Don't rush. I've done it myself and many people fall into the trap of trying to see everywhere in a week. It's much better to spend five days or a week plus in one place and really get a feel for it than it is to go for a day or two, see what the streets and buildings looks like and then move on. The best experiences of my time in India came from hanging around an extra day or two in places with no agenda and meeting people or discovering courses, classes or less obvious sights in the area that will stand out in memory forever. It's far better to to spend a week in one place and really get to know it and the people there, than to visit 3 places in the same time, spending half your time travelling and knowing nothing more about any of the three than what they look like.

Once you leave the main tourist cities, you'll realise what a wonderful place India really is, the people are actually mostly trustworthy and very friendly and it's not actually that polluted! Of course wherever you go, some people will see you as a foreigner with a bit of money, so you should always maintain a slight guard, but this is the case anywhere in the world, India is simply no exception.

I'd encourage anyone reading this not to be put off by the intensity of arriving and spending time in a big city, it's a shock to most people and can seem unbearable at times, but this will galvanise you and provide a great grounding for the rest of your travels. Wherever you go after a few first days in Delhi or Mumbai will seem so incredibly refreshing you'll forget about any troubles you'd had within minutes of getting off the train / bus.

Moving On in India

Metro: If you're in a city with a Metro system, use it wherever possible. In Delhi for instance, a quick and safe trip on an air conditioned metro for 2 stops costs less than 10 rupees. The same trip in a rickshaw would cost closer to 100. Double or triple that in a taxi.

Sleeper Trains: For me this is the single best way to travel in India. You get a bed to yourself to sprawl out on, space enough to get all your stuff secured around you and it's very cheap. Travelling by overnight sleeper you don't lose any valuable exploration time and it is even cheaper when you factor in the cost of a nights accommodation which you save as you're travelling. The AC classes are the best, but if you're going in the day, the normal non-AC sleeper can be nice as you get people coming by selling food and chai; just avoid non-AC if you're somewhere roasting hot!

Flights: Some journeys in the country (such as Delhi to Mumbai) or to neighbouring countries can take several hassle filled days. It's often possible to get great value flights to save all the hassle (I just flew to Kathmandu for£60 from Delhi). Try www.skyscanner.net to find the best deals.

If you need a ticket, the best place to try is www.cleartrip.com – though many trains may require you to join a waitlist, which adds a level of uncertainty. You can often avoid this by going to a tourist office at the train station, or by visiting a travel agency – there is an additional tourist quota which you may be able to access, though be prepared to pay a little more for this privilege if booking through an agent.

Books: Books are an invaluable tool for passing the time, but avoid carrying loads with you. Most towns have bookshops where you can trade in your used books and get a new one for a dollar or so. Each town will have it's own specialities (such as Buddhism and meditation in McLeod Ganj, or yoga in Rishikesh) so doing this is a great way to widen your cultural intake.

Example Prices

Some example prices are listed below which should help you avoid getting ripped off in your first few days (correct summer 2011). Prices are in Rupees.

- Bottled Water (1l): 15-20
- Coke / Sprite etc: 25
- Budget Hotel Room: 150-500
- Mid Range Room: 500-1500
- Basic Trousers or Shirt: 100-300
- Rickshaw Ride in a City: 10-100+ (depends on the ride, always haggle hard – Across the whole of Delhi should be around 100, to Connaught Place from Paharganj should be 50-80)

You'll always pay more in more popular tourist places and this “tourist tax” is mostly unavoidable, but you can usually save a few rupees by taking a rickshaw from a spot away from the main stand, or by going shopping in side streets, off the main thoroughfares. You'll always save money by shopping for yourself also, as opposed to getting taken on a shopping trip or tour by the tout in your hotel reception or a new “friend”.

Haggling is your best friend in all market places. Unless you're in a “fixed” price shop you can expect to pay half or less of the initial asking price. Before you start, decide how much your maximum price is. When they give a silly price, offer an offensively low one in return. Keep smiling, let them know you know their game and work you way to a compromise at or under your maximum price. Never go above that price, walk away if you have to. In most instances, they'll not want to lose the sale and will shout you back to concede.

Closing Thoughts

Again I have to re-iterate that despite a few annoyances in the big cities, India is a magical place to travel. I consider myself fairly well travelled and this is my favourite place on the planet. The food, the people and the culture is as diverse as it is amazing. The yoga and meditation in the north and the beaches in the south are magnificent, as is the trekking in the Himalayas. There is something for everyone in India and I'm certain that once you've been you'll go back. However long you go there for, it's never long enough!

If anyone would like to ask me a question, please feel free to send me a message through the facility on this blog. Be sure to include your email address.

I wish every traveller the best of luck and hope you each enjoy India as much as I have!!

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Comments

[Siva]

Nice blog..
Exactly what any indian would also do during our travels in the country. You have measured it all up very well. Good writing. Go on..