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Last year my husband and I got to go to India for a friend’s wedding. What a fantastic experience! It was only a short trip but I will never forget how amazing it was. On our journey, I made a list of my six Best India Travel Tips.
Be careful about eating street food especially in the hot summer months.
1 – Uber –
This is the easiest way to travel in India. It is fast, inexpensive, safe, and has minimal language barriers. Make sure you choose an easy-to-find spot for your pick up. We always chose a corner, since we did not know which direction they would be coming from. Put in your app where you want to go. When the driver shows up, simply match the license plate to your app for easy identification. Since the driver already knows where they are taking you, there should be little confusion about directions. The best part – no haggling! The price is the price, it automatically gets charged to your credit card at your bank’s exchange rate.
2 – Airbnb free Sim card –
If you are staying at an Airbnb, ask if your host will provide a sim card. There may be a card included or it may simply cost a little extra. If they can, ask them to put a good amount of data on it for you. Having internet in India made getting around 100% better. “Pay as you go” cell phone packages are super inexpensive in India compared to North American plans. We did not think to ask when I booked, but our host provided a sim for us anyway. One issue we ran into was that we needed an Indian credit card to add talk time or data to it. My host was gracious enough to add data on our sim for us as well. Remember when booking your Airbnb to do a thorough check before booking. I will be doing a post soon about how to find and book a fantastic Airbnb. Make sure to subscribe to La Petite Watson and see it first.
3 – Garbage cans are scarce –
As we walked through the streets, we noticed a large amount of random items left along the sides and middle of the road. Some food vendors had garbage cans. More often than not, we couldn’t find any while we were out walking through the markets. We saw several people throw their garbage on the ground. It seemed to be socially acceptable to do it. I never got used to that and would always carry my trash around with me until I found a garbage can in a store or restaurant.
Not a good place to fill up your water bottle
4 – Don’t drink the water –
None of the tap water is drinkable for tourists. Only drink bottled water that you open. In most tourist hotels juice and other beverages will be made with bottled water. If you are unsure about what kind of water is in your drink – ask. Bottled water is inexpensive; buy some whenever you can and make sure to stay hydrated. You may see the locals drinking tap water; they can because their bodies are accustomed to it. If you drink it, you will get sick.
5 – Be careful of what and where you eat –
In India, there is so much tasty food to choose from! I enjoyed everything I ate. However, because the water will make you sick, be aware of what you are consuming. Eating street food is risky as they use resources that are most accessible to them. If they are cooking with or washing their dishes in tap water, it could make you sick. While it’s hard not to try all the tasty food you will see on the streets, it is safer not to. We both had only a bit of street food and paid the price.
This is a classic Bombay Sandwich from a local popular restaurant. It was so delicious and I felt great after enjoying it.
6 – Pack tons of medication –
If you do get sick (like we did), you do not want it to slow you down too much. We took a day to let things go through our system. After that, we took some pills and felt good enough to leave the hotel room. I packed painkillers, Gravol, and anti-diarrhea. Once we got home, I found out about IMODIUM Multi-Symptom Relief, I will always be packing that one now too.
I loved visiting India it was such a beautiful busy country filled with delicious food. When visiting any new country I always try and be prepared for the new environment I am about to experience. I hope these tips help you on your trip. If you have tips you’d like to add please comment below or tweet at me here.
Want to learn more about India?
Click here to read, “India Hotel Tips from a Canadian Tourist”
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