i know, i know, this already feels wildly ambitious. the truth is that what you need to know before a trip to india is going to differ vastly based on where in the country you are going, what time of year you're visiting, what you'll be doing and a whole host of other factors. as such, i am breaking this post into sections — i'll begin with a general section of good things to know, and then each subsequent section will be specific to the four places sarah and i visited: bombay, goa, hampi, and bangalore. let's dive in!
*note: the below information is based on my most recent visit in january 2024 along with some input from sarah*
and again. bangalore, india. january 2024.
india in general.
all of india is in indian standard time [sometimes - affectionately? - referred to as "indian stretchable time"] and does not observe daylight saving. from the east coast of the u.s. the time difference is either 10.5 hours [november-march] or 9.5 hours [march-november]. the "stretchable" part also means that people are often running late — meal start times are a suggestion, people are going to show up to a 2pm coffee around 2.30, things like that. and they're always going to blame it on the traffic lol.
the currency is the indian rupee. as of this writing, $1 us = 83 rupees. in bigger cities you can use foreign cards, particularly at restaurants or shops, but for the most part cash and indian cards are what is most widely accepted. some cash machines will have transaction limits of 10,000 rupees, so if you want to withdraw more you'll have to do multiple transactions. pro tip: get change where you can! atms will dispense large bills that can be difficult to get change for, so whenever you have the chance at a shop to get change, do it. my friends used to make so much fun of me for collecting change and small bills, and then they would all come crawling when they needed rs.5 for something
most outlets in india use an eu-style plug [type c with two round pins], but some also use type d with three round pins. i used this adapter and had no issues.
check with your healthcare provider about any vaccinations you'll need ahead of your trip. sarah got one round of the hepatitis a vaccine before we left [i was vaccinated in middle school] and will get the second one in a few more months. you might also want to ask about malaria prophylaxis — i don't take any, but my parents do whenever they visit and sarah did as well. if you're in the u.s., your local health department can provide you the information you need, and sarah had good luck at her local cvs travel clinic where they did a real-time check for what she would need. she also wanted me to note that she brought vitamin c and electrolyte packets with her which came in handy along with allergy meds. we both also had headache and pain meds, and she brought immodium with her but didn't end up needing it. the cdc yellow pages is a great starting point for research. if you are like me and particularly susceptible to mosquito bites, an over-the-counter anti-itch cream comes in very handy; i forgot mine and regretted it within an hour of my arrival in coimbatore.
you'll need a visa to visit india from most countries. you can apply through your local consulate, or now they have introduced an e-visa option which is very easy — the online form takes 5 minutes to complete, and you'll receive confirmation of your approval in a few days. once you receive your approval, make sure you log in to your portal and print the full visa page that includes the seal as you'll need that to travel. if you are eligible for an oci card, you can apply for that online as well, but give it more time — the only thing i needed to do was update my passport information, and it still took a million hoops to jump through and 7 weeks for it to be approved and i still have yet to receive my new booklet. pro tip: it's good to travel with a few extra copies of your passport photo page and your visa / visa page in case hotels or guest houses ask for it
trains are the cheapest way to get around india and are such a unique experience, but they can be tricky to book when you're outside the country. you can set up an account on the irctc website, but we have been in a fight since 2013 and i don't see a resolution for us anytime soon. in the meantime i found the website 12go to be very helpful — it was easy to navigate and i was able to book one of our tickets using the site; the only drawback to them is that they'll only book a ticket if a seat/berth is available, while irctc will book you a waitlist ticket. once you are in india you can book train tickets at any station and at most local travel agents, and if you are a foreigner there is a quota you can take advantage of as well. trains open for booking 120 days ahead of a journey and they sell out fast, so if you are on a tight schedule look into that as soon as possible. my travel hack was to send my aunt all the train info and have her book the tickets for me 🙂 pro tip: if you are booking for multiple people, you'll need everyone's full name and date of birth when booking
buses are another good way to get around depending on where you are — i used them a lot when i lived in bangalore because the karnataka state buses are very good, as are the private companies who operate in the area. they're more expensive than trains but sometimes run between places where trains don't [ie from goa to hampi], stop in more convenient places, and often have better last-minute availability. redbus is a great site for checking on bus timings, but you need an indian card in order to book online; if you are already in india you can book through a local travel agent or office. bus availability opens 30 days prior to when the journey commences. keep in mind that buses in india don't have toilets available on board; they make occasional stops during the journey that will have pay-to-use toilets [this is one of those instances where having small change comes in handy].
uber is great for getting around cities. i used it in both bombay and bangalore with great success; sarah had some issues with hers when she first got there but it finally worked for her on her last day when she needed to get to the airport. you can pay using a card saved to your account or with cash. depending on what you're used to you might have a longer wait for a car [traffic in those cities is no joke], but they seem to be much more reliable than they were 8 years ago. when you book a ride you'll receive a pin that you'll need to give to the driver to confirm and start your ride. ola cabs is also an option but i had too many bad experiences with them, and i think for ola you can only use cash or an indian card to pay.
i hate telling people what to wear, but the truth is there are certain parts of india where you're going to be more comfortable [especially if you are a woman or present as one] dressing conservatively. the general advice is to make sure your shoulders, stomach, and knees are covered, and this is especially important when visiting religious sites. if you're in goa, wear whatever you want. if you're in most places in bombay, same goes. if you can ask a local, even better. you can find cheap indian clothing pretty much anywhere, but if you don't want to buy stuff then pack lightweight layers and you're good to go.
this might be more for u.s. based readers where most of our phones don't have sim cards, but check your phone plan's international roaming plan — when we went in january, we each paid $100 for a month of texting, calling, and data, which came in clutch especially when we were in goa and hampi without wifi access. you can also get a sim card when you arrive, but i've heard that it's not as easy as it once was and the roaming plan was easier for us since it was active as soon as we landed.
be careful with drinking water! don't drink the tap water, full stop. most restaurants serve filtered water — it's up to you if you want to drink it from day one [i do] or stick with bottled water for a day or two while your stomach adjusts. if you have a refillable water bottle, you'll be able to fill up at most hotels and guest houses.
indian street food is delicious and a must-try, but proceed with caution. i usually recommend giving yourself a few days before trying street food, but i took sarah on a street food tour within 24 hours of her arrival and she was fine. the key is to go to carts or stalls that are crowded, because you know the food is fresh. a food tour is a great way to get started so you can have a guide and they will ensure the places are safe and hygienic; if you're in bombay, i highly recommend reality tours' mumbai street food tour.
wear sunscreen. the indian sun can be brutal, especially in places like goa and hampi. take care of your skin!
for my non-indian / non-brown-skinned readers — you're going to be stared at wherever you go. in most cases it is out of curiosity and not malice, but be aware of your surroundings and it's up to you if and when you want to engage with people. people will stare, they'll ask you how much money you make and whether or not you're married, they'll try to get you to hold their babies and take a photo. for the most part sarah's encounters were entertaining [we'll tell you the story from the gateway of india another day], but we did have one at the hampi railway station that was kind of annoying, so just be prepared.
favorite snack. bombay, maharashtra. january 2024.
bombay.
my favorite way to get around bombay is on the local train. i'm lucky in that all the things i enjoy doing and all my friends are along the western line, which makes it very convenient. to save myself getting too into the weeds on this i am instead going to direct you to this post with lots of great tips on how to navigate the local trains.
most places in bombay accept cards, but there are some that are cash only [like my favorite britannia] so it's always good to have some with you. you'll also need cash when buying local train tickets or if you travel by auto rickshaw. there are atms all over the city, so you'll never need to look too far to find one.
if you want to do any guided tours, my favorite company is reality tours & travel. i have done the dharavi tour, the early morning south bombay bicycle tour, the midnight bicycle tour, and the street food tour with them, and all have been great. most [all?] of their guides are from dharavi and are so nice, and 80% of the tour profits go directly back into the dharavi community. if you decide to go with a different company, make sure to do your research — there are a few others that are reputable, but there are also many that are not, especially when it comes to the slum tours. reality also offers tours in delhi and hampi and are regularly expanding their offerings, so check them out even if you're not visiting bombay.
day one sunset. palolem, goa. january 2024.
goa.
the first thing to know about goa is that it is a state made up of many towns, not one singular town. what i have mostly found to be true is that central goa is the party place and for people who want more of a trance music / club experience and then the farther north or south you go, the calmer both the atmosphere and the sea. my personal favorite beach is palolem in south goa, because the sea is calm and the people are chill; morjim in north goa is much the same. if you decide to go to palolem, we stayed at pacific sunset view and liked it very much.
i'm repeating the sunscreen reminder here because the sun in goa is very intense and you'll burn without even realizing it. and be sure to reapply a few times throughout the day.
carry cash! it'll make your life so much easier. we were able to pay for our room with my card, but some of the guest houses and cafes prefer cash. and if you buy anything from people selling jewelry and trinkets on the beach, you'll need cash for that as well.
and on that note, depending on where you are atms can be few and far between. in palolem, for example, the closest atm is 2 kilometers from the beach, which is not something you want to have to deal with once you get there.
if you sit on the beach long enough — and especially if you are white and/or a woman — you will at some point be approached by people selling various items. it's mostly jewelry but it's also sarongs, light-up necklaces, fidget spinners, and other trinkets. engage with the sellers as much or as little as you like; just know that whatever price they give you at first will be wildly inflated and you'll need to negotiate. from sarah: yes. they will make you feel special because they are skilled salespeople. you are not special and in fact they think you're an idiot! but if you are cheap like me you will offend them by offering a price that is low but probably closer to their investment. but they won't be pleased because you are messing with their profit margin.
uber isn't allowed to operate in goa, so if you need to book a ride somewhere you either need to download the goa miles app [and i'm not sure if you can download it on non-indian phones] or ask for taxi recommendations from your guest house. we got lucky in that norten's friend avni lives in goa and shared the contact information for a taxi driver, and he picked us up from our guest house and drove us to dinner on our last day. from there the restaurant helped us organize a taxi to take sarah and me to the bus stand, after which he went back and picked up priyanka and deboo to take them to the airport. if you want contact info for either let me know and i can share.
local buses run between the towns and are a very cheap way to get around if you have time and flexibility. sarah and i took a local bus from the margao bus stand to palolem, and our tickets cost rs. 40 total as opposed to a cab that would have cost us around rs. 2,000ish. it also offers some great people-watching and scenery. the bus drivers and conductors are pretty helpful at pointing you in the right direction, so i've never had any issues finding the right bus. we needed to get from the madgaon train station to the state bus stand, and this blog post was very helpful in providing photos and instructions.
goa is famous for its seafood and for goan sausage. if you want to try seafood during your time in india, goa is a great place for it because it's fresh and there are lots of varieties available. and if anywhere has goan sausage naan on the menu, definitely order it because it is delicious.
arrive in hampi, immediately climb 600 steps to catch the sunrise. hampi, karnataka. january 2024.
hampi.
hampi is about 12.5 kilometers from hospet, which is where all trains and most buses drop off. the easiest way to get between the two towns is by auto rickshaw; prices fluctuate depending on time of day and the driver, so honestly it's up to you what you want to pay. you can also hire a car and driver for a set price.
sunscreen and water reminder once again — the sun in hampi can be quite brutal, and there's very little shade. take care of your skin, drink water, and rest when you need it. fresh coconut water is also great for hydration.
hampi is great for sunrise hikes. one morning we did matanga hill [the highest spot in town] and another we climbed to the top of the hanuman temple, and both were spectacular. the hanuman steps are now lit, but a flashlight or a head torch would come in handy for the first part of matanga hill. and there's a separate note on footwear below.
accommodation in hampi can be tricky. when i visited between 2007-2011 we would stay in a guest house in hampi proper, but many of those guest houses don't exist anymore. i really enjoyed what we did this visit which was to stay at the zostel gangavathi property — it was farther out and required more planning for when we wanted to go places, but they organize activities and have connections to auto drivers and were very helpful when we had questions. also we met some cool other travelers, there are lots of animals to befriend, and the food was delicious.
we met one very nice auto driver on our own named vijay, and i'm happy to share his contact information. he speaks great english, he is a safe driver, he watched our bags while we were sightseeing, and he's generally just a really great guy.
an alternative to hiring autos or cabs is to rent a scooter yourself. i am not comfortable enough on a scooter nor did i want to have to worry about navigating that way, but many people do it and love it. same goes for goa.
hampi is a holy town, so you'll want to dress conservatively while you're there. for women in particular, make sure your shoulders and knees are covered. you'll also want comfortable shoes! you'll be doing a lot of walking, so make sure your footwear is up to the task. i recommend sneakers, but good hiking sandals can also work — i wore my brooks ghosts every day, and sarah loved her tevas [so much so that i bought my own pair after returning and am also obsessed with them].
carry cash in hampi. there are many atms in hospet and at least one in hampi.
and finally, watch out for the monkeys! they'll try to grab anything, from food to dangling straps, so keep an eye on your belongings. as sarah said, they're simultaneously the most entertaining and the scariest part of hampi.
fave place. bangalore, india. january 2024.
bangalore.
while my favorite way to travel in bangalore is on the city bus, i recognize it's not everyone's cup of tea. to that end, uber works great for both cabs and auto rickshaws for getting around.
if you want a piercing, go see raju uncle on commercial street. he's done all of my piercings apart from my first ones, and he's the best.
if you want to do any shopping in bangalore, commercial street and the nearby safina plaza are the best places. you can get jewelry, indian clothing, shawls and bedsheets, and so much more.
okay! i for sure left out a lot, but i hope this can at least be a good starting point if you are planning a visit. india can be overwhelming, but it's also an amazing place and if you do find yourself there i hope you have a wonderful time.
happy planning!
xx
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