8 Things To Know Before Travelling To India
In March 2020, I stayed with my friend Shreya in Mumbai and we backpacked around the state of Kerala. Even though I only spent 2 weeks in India, I learnt and observed a lot about this big, colourful country. I came up with 8 different tips and facts you should know before travelling to India!
1. Always have cash on you
You will be able to pay by card in many places but you will need cash for rickshaws, public transport, street vendors, small shops, markets, tipping etc. I would usually withdraw 10,000 INR (roughly £100) at one time and depending on what budget you’re on, this could last about 1-3 weeks. Most of the time I paid in cash because I had it on me, unless it was a larger purchase like accommodation or a tour.
Before you start withdrawing money, check with your bank to see what policies they have on withdrawals. I currently use two online banks for my everyday banking and travel spending. I use my Starling bank card to withdraw money as there is no limit or extra charges on withdrawals. The other bank I use is Monzo because I prefer their phone app but I mainly only use them for card purchases as they charge a fee if you withdraw more than £200 a month.
2. You probably will get sick
I am not saying, you WILL get sick, but no matter what precautions you take, there is a high chance it will still happen. I read online taking probiotics one or two months before you go to India will insure your gut is in tip top shape before consuming food and drink in India. I did this, along with eating food from clean (looking) food stalls or restaurants. (My friend Shreya who is from Mumbai; knew where all the good places were to eat and she was fine) But l still managed to get sick. I wasn’t vomiting thank god, but I did loose my appetite, have sharp stabbing pains in my stomach and eventually had to urgently go to the toilet a few times. Incase you have the same symptoms I suggest you buy some diarrhoea relief and pan-d. I was cured in a few days! I think it unfortunately comes down to my stomach not being used to the different bacterias of a new country.
3. Have an VERY open mind (with everything)
Firstly, lets talk about the people; Indians are very direct and they will tell you how they feel or what they think of someone or something. Being from Australia, I am not hugely offended by this because I think Aussies can be a little like that as well. I know there are some people who might take this as being rude. If you find this rude, you need to remember that being direct doesn’t mean they are trying to offend you!
Lets take staring as another example; in a lot of western countries, it is considered rude to stare but In India this is not the case. Most of the time staring is out of curiosity because you look different.
Sometimes our first reaction may be to be angry or offended by the people who are staring, but you have to remind yourself that you are in a different country with a different culture. My first instinct is to give them the death stare back (If it’s a creepy man you don’t want attention from then I would suggest you do this). But if they are female, I would smile at them and the situation would quickly move from me feeling uncomfortable to feeling warm and fuzzy inside because they smiled back at me.
It is the same when you are catching trains, buses and eating different food to India. It will be extremely different to what you are used to. The trains won’t be as comfortable, the buses will be loud and bouncy and the food will make your taste buds dance or burn. It is true when they say India is on steroids, times 10. I would say if you are someone who travels a lot anyway, you’ll probably learnt to have an open mind. But with India you need to open it up even MORE.
You have to just go with it and say ‘It’s India!’
One last thing I will mention are the Indian toilets. Believe me when I say; Squat toilets are better than western toilets in India (because you don’t have to touch anything). Most of the time the western toilet seat is wet from the toilet hose and there won’t be toilet paper to wipe the seat. Make sure you always take wet wipes, anti-bacterial hand sanitiser and spare change to pay for the public toilets.
4. Pack one pair of comfortable ‘travel clothes’
If you are backpacking around India, you are probably going to be travelling long distances on trains and buses. A pair of clothes I noticed I was wearing the most were my ‘travel clothes’. It consists of a pair of black work out leggings, a black long t-shirt and a pair of trainers. These were the perfect pair of comfortable clothes that I didn’t mind getting sweaty in and where I could comfortably carry my backpack. Nothing more annoying then wearing a skirt and your backpack is constantly making it ride up!
If you need help on what to wear in India, I made a blog post on what to wear in India as a female tourist.
5. Not everything is what it seems
This can refer to anything and anyone in the world, not just India. Unfortunately, when we think of India we may think; poverty and the slums. Some of us may look at the slums and assume if they are poor they must do nothing all day or you may not know what to think. But they are probably some of the hardest working people in India! The slum communities have their own little society full of businesses making them money. Even though there are a lot of people suffering in these slums, there are also people earning an honourable living.
This is the great thing about travel; going to different countries and learning about them for yourself, instead of believing everything on the internet or on TV. I encourage you to go to India (or any country) and if it’s possible, speak to locals from different cultures, regions and religions, in order to gather a well rounded idea of the country. You’ll be very surprised to hear what it is really like from a locals perspective, compared foreigners looking in from the outside.
6. India is a big country
India may not look that big on the map, but trust me it is HUGE and It will take longer then you think to travel overland around India. If you are backpacking India on a budget you will probably be taking buses and trains because they are very very cheap. Mumbai to Kochi doesn’t look far apart on the map but It is almost the same as travelling from Manchester to Berlin! Be prepared to be travelling for long distances if you are travelling by bus or train as travelling from Mumbai to Kochi will take 20+ hours on a train (and only 2 hours by plane)
Rome2rio.com is a great way to plan travel routes (it is way better than google maps!)
7. India is extremely diverse
I honestly didn’t realise how diverse India was until I went there an experienced it for myself. It feels like India is full of multiple little countries with their own cultures, languages and traditions.
My friend Shreya is from Mumbai, which is in the state of Maharashtra and her local language is Marathi but she speaks Hindi and English as well. When we travelled further south of India to the state of Kerala, she could only communicate with people if they spoke English or Hindi. Shreya couldn’t speak the local language in Kerala because they speak a completely different language there: Malayalam. Not just a different dialect, a different language!
Even the food culture is extremely diverse. In Northern India they use paneer in their curries and Shreya told me about a women who was from the East of India who hadn’t even heard of paneer before and didn’t know what it was!
8. Indian’s are some of the most welcoming and friendliest people you will ever meet!
To be honest most of the time in India, my friend Shreya spoke on our behalf. It gave me the chance to step back and observe a lot about conversations without even knowing the language. One thing I noticed was that everyone spoke to one another as if they were friends. Whenever we asked for help people would always be helpful and accommodating.
If you ever get the chance to be invited to an Indian families home, you must take it. There is a saying in Hindi; ‘Atithi bhagavaan ke samaan hai’ which translates to ‘guest is like god’ I went to a few different families houses when I was in Mumbai and let me tell you; I never went hungry!
