Do’s in India
- Do not try to explore Indian roads by your own. Mazy streets are often very puzzling. Indian hotels and tour agents have excellent arrangement of cars or you can easily book a private car or hire a taxi, which are available.
- Take a note of all the important phone numbers of places you might plan to visit. Important phone numbers like ambulance, local police station, embassy’s number etc should always be with you.
- Don’t trust strangers with money. Trust your hotel, but not people you may bump into on the streets.
- Drink bottled water only. Even many Indians who have lived out of India for a few years sometimes suffer stomach upsets on drinking local tap water. If there is no alternative to tap water, ensure it is boiled.
- Money exchange should always be done from trusted financial institutions like Banks of India or exchange your money via your travel partner or hotel.
- Do immunize yourself against various illnesses like typhoid, malaria, liver disease and tetanus that are frequent in India.
- If you are on treatment, please do you should have sufficient provide of both solutions and drugs. Bring a physician’s document to prevent possible problems with traditions techniques and also with local physicians.
- India is a traditional country especially in the country side. Do dress reasonably if you are women. Native indian outfits are vibrant and cover the whole body but very uncomfortable for the first minutter. So adhere to european outfits but avoid tiny outfits.
- Do prepare yourself at the earliest. Indian traffic and roads are hapless.
- Do greet people with big smile. Handshake with ladies especially in rural areas should be avoided.
- While traveling in the train, do take care of your luggage even at the first class compartment.
- Money exchange should always be done from trusted financial institutions like Banks of India or exchange your money via your travel partner or hotel.
- Foreigners are required to pay all their dues regarding the hotel bills in foreign currency only, in the form of cash, traveler’s checks or credit cards In case of taxis and auto-rickshaws, try to hire them from the pre-paid booths, if possible. Otherwise, insist on going by the meter and check the readings regularly to ensure that the fare is correct. In case there are no meters or the meters are dysfunctional, set a fare in advance to avoid being fleeced later on.
- English is spoken at almost tourist destination in India these days. However, It is better to hire government approved guides.
- It is advisable for you to carry your own medicines. Almost all medicines in India are locally manufactured and you may not find the same brand names.
- The electric current in India is 220/ 250 volts and 50 cycles. It is AC practically everywhere. Carry converters if you have some electric equipment with you.
Don’ts in India
- Don’t display overt affection in public places with the member of opposite sexes.
- Do not drink or brush your teeth with unboiled tap water
- Do not drink beverages that contain ice made from unboiled tap water
- Make sure to remove your footwear when visiting a place of worship or mausoleum. Some temples in India will not even allow you to carry leather articles inside. You can deposit them in the temple cloakroom and collect it on your way out.
- It is not entirely unsafe to travel in India. You just have to take some precautions like avoiding isolated places, not going out after it’s too late, etc.
- Do not eat unpeeled fruit, and peel fruit yourself before eating it
- Do not carry much cash with you. In every nook of a town you’ll find ATMs.
- Street smartness is indispensable on Indian streets. Crook can easily pick the scapegoat. So do not act puzzled and terrified.
- Never ever purchase air/ rail/ bus tickets through strangers or unauthorized travel agents/ tour operators, also known as touts. They are not at all reliable. Buy tickets from the authorized centers only.
- It is advisable not to hire any type of transportation from unlicensed operators.
- Indian people are quite hospitable and friendly. Do not feel offended if they stare at you. It is just curiosity on their part. Most of the people will also go out of the way to help tourists and properly guide them.
- Don’t feel offended if Indians ask you some personal questions like how much do you earn, are you married, do you have kids, etc. They are just a little curious and mean no offence. It is just their way of getting friendly.