Travel Guide

• Do all your bookings of tickets and hotels before 1 month.
• Go to a place keeping in mind the weather and season.
• Confirm all your bookings with the travel agent.

Things to do before stepping out of your house.

• See to it that all the switches, electrical appliances and gas connection are turned off.
• Ask to neighbours to keep a eye on your house.
• Inform the local police station so that they patrol your house on a regular basis.
• Lock all the doors ,windows and taps tightly.
• Activate your answering machine,burglar alarm. 

Tips for women travelling alone

At one time, women travelling alone used to be frowned upon. Indian men still tend to think that such women are as easy and free. This is of course hardly true of the metros any more, however in small towns single women will still be gawked at.

Indians have long made their peace with things like jeans, short tops, shorts and such, however in certain places you will have to watch the atmosphere and dress accordingly. It is best to be decently and fully clad while in religious places. It is safer to keep your distance from men though, ironically more in the cities than the rural areas where men will treat single women almost like men. Steer absolutely clear of any conversations that might be mistaken as come-ons by the Indian male – no heart back slapping and too much laughing with unknown guys. Getting invited to drinks and late night-outs with men you do not know well or are not known to someone you know intimately might have disastrous consequences. Safety first. Remember everything depends on how you conduct yourself – it's not fair, but that's just the way it is.

Remember that the further you get away from busy areas , the fewer problems you’ll encounter .Use the privileges given by the government like special ladies queue for train tickets, ladies’ compartments in trains and even ladies seats in buses.

DO'S

• Always carry the telephone no. and address of the destination.
• Keep the contact numbers of police stations, ambulance.
• Carry food, medicines ,water ,torchlight and sanitary towels with you.
• Keep luggage to the minimum so that you can carry it yourself.
• Respect local traditions and wear appropriate clothes.
• Wear a watch to know the time.
• Wear minimum jewelry.
• Always lock your luggage.
• Ask for help when you sense any danger.

DONT'S

• Do not talk to strangers even if they are women.
• Do not give your phone number ,address and other personal details to strangers.
• Do not carry lot of valuables like cash and jewelry.
• Do not leave your luggage with anybody.
• Do not eat food offered by others.
• Do not go to dark and unknown places.
• Do not hire taxis ,rickshaws in the night wait for dawn.
• Do not wear revealing clothes.
• Avoid getting into arguments and fights with anyone.

Travelling with children and elderly people.

• Carry all the medicines and first aid that these people may require.
• Do not let children aand elderly people go anywhere alone.
• Do not give your child to any stranger for babysitting.
• See to it that they eat hygenic food and water.
• Insist on them to wear woollen clothes in winter and cottons in summer.
• Please keep the address label as they might get lost.
  
  Click for tips on how to travel with pets.

Theft

• It is advised to carry all your stuff with you when travelling and never leave them behind in your room.
• Having good travel insurance policy might be a good idea.
• Do not carry lots of cash instead carry traveller's cheque.
• Traveller’s cheques can be easily stolen or lost but the good thing about them is that they are replaceable.

What to wear

• Dress according to the season.
• In winter, reasonable heavy woollens are necessary,cottons are preferred even to light synthetics which can be sticky in sultry weather

Behaviour

• Smiles and gestures work well where language is a barrier. "Namaste" is a good start at any time of the day.

• " Thank you" is easily understood by the man on the street. If you want to make a special effort "dhanyavad" in Hindi and "sukriya", "meherbani" in Urdu can be quite rewarding in bridging the distance.

• Do not try to become friendly with people of the opposite sex others may take it diffrently.
  

Eating

• Eat in a hygenic place.
• Do not eat strange dishes  and food items.
• Never eat food from roadside outlets.
• Insist on drinking mineral water at all restaurants.
• Make sure that the mineral water bottles are opened in your presence.
  

Photography

• Take photograhs only where it is allowed.

• If you’re travelling during the monsoons it is better to have waterproof covering for all equipment.

Shopping Tips

• Bargain. Hard.
• It will make sense to postpone your buying till you have a working knowledge and appreciation of the handicrafts available. Street hawkers are not beyond passing off fake marble, semi-precious stones, ivory, coral and silver as real, so take care.
• Be careful when buying stuff which includes delivery to your home country. You may be told that the price includes homes delivery and all customs and delivery charges. This is invariably not so.
• Be cautious of any shop that takes your credit card and comes back with the slip for you to sign. It’s possible that the shopkeeper will imprint a few more forms, forge your signature and make you pay for items you haven’t even touched.
• Export of certain items such as ivory, fur and skins, antiquities is banned and hence it is mandatory to obtain a certificate of legitimate sale and permission for export.
• For all cloth-based handicrafts ask for washing instruction. Some of them cannot be washed in hot water, while others cannot be