Especially for Mid-Budget, Independent Travelers
1. Homestays. Join the nonprofit organization Servas. India has over 600 volunteer hosts who would like to have foreigners visit for a couple of nights. There is no charge, but the purpose is promoting understanding by getting to know each other—not free lodging. See www.servas.org for the international web site, or www.usservas.org for Servas USA. You can also stay as a paying visitor in many low cost small guest houses, where you're often treated almost as family.
More information about Servas
More information about guest houses
2. Transportation. Consider hiring a car and driver for your entire time in a particular region. It costs less than you'd expect, and it gives you more flexibility, comfort, and convenience. Available through hotels and travel agencies, either locally or arranged in advance from home. Most local taxis can also be hired for a day or more at a negotiated price.
More information about hiring cars and drivers
3. Hotels. Seriously consider the many mid-priced, smaller hotels; and consider guest houses at the upper end of the low budget range. These places are usually reasonably clean and comfortable, often with a warm, family welcome, but far less expensive than the big luxury chain hotels.
More information about accommodations, including Rajasthan hotels and Heritage Hotels
4. Drinking water. Local tap water may be contaminated with disease-causing organisms, so it's best not to take a chance drinking it. Avoid iced drinks unless you know the ice is from safe water. "Mineral" water in 1 or 2 liter plastic bottles is sold virtually everywhere for around Rs. 12 to 20 (US 25 cents to 40 cents), but make sure the seal is intact and hasn't been re-glued. However, plastic litter has become prevalent in India, and a portable water purifier is a good alternative. (Note that you must have a purifier component to kill viruses, not just a filter). We recently used the Exstream Orinoco (around US$40), a sports bottle with a three stage filter/purifier. It's convenient, as you can just fill it at any tap and start drinking. Drawbacks: it doesn't hold a lot of water, you have to squeeze a bit hard, and the water has a slight chemical taste.
5. Food and drink. Thoroughly cooked food should generally be safe for travelers, if in restaurants that appear to be reasonably clean and in homes. To avoid consuming tapeworm eggs and other hazards, raw vegetables or fruit should be peeled or thoroughly washed with potassium permanganate (not with tap water). When eating out, the best advice is probably to avoid salads, green coriander (cilantro) garnishes, and (because these dishes are usually only lightly cooked) to avoid shredded cabbage and carrot mixed into chow mein, and vegetable stir-fries. Also, at the small food stands in the streets and by the highways, there may not be any way for the proprietors to do a good job of washing items such as plates, drinking glasses, and eating utensils (simply wiping them with a dirty cloth is common). Tea (chai) and coffee should be safe as they are normally made with boiled water. For snacks or a lunch to carry with you: oranges, bananas, roasted peanuts, and packaged biscuits (cookies) are safe and widely available.
6. Tipping. It's less common in India. Westerners hand out more than most middle class Indians would. However, most people providing services to you don't earn enough money and appreciate anything extra. In hotels: The best arrangement is hotels offering a "Tip Box" for use at the end of your stay. The money is divided among all employees, even the hidden ones. At a mid-price hotel, Rs. 100 per day (a little over U.S. $2) is generous. More usually, you'll just tip when specific services are provided. Hotel bag boys or room service: Rs 10 is an average in non-luxury situations (about US 20 cents). Taxi and rickshaw drivers: Tips aren't normally expected, except in places with a lot of tourists, but you can give a little extra. Restaurant waiters: If a service charge is added, tipping is optional. In smaller, less expensive places with no service charge, you can give a few extra rupees. Train and airport porters: Rs 10 is average. Hired car: Rs 75 per day to the driver should be generous.
More information about tipping (and baksheesh)
7. Laundry. Wash your clothes in your hotel sink or the bathroom bucket. Take packets of powdered soap or a well sealed small bottle of concentrated liquid soap such as Woolite or Shaklee's Basic H, and a long portable clothesline with hooks on each end to string across the bathroom.
8. Beggars. India does have a lot of beggars, especially in the large cities and at major temples and pilgrimage sites. Giving to them is a personal choice. Many beggars are truly needy. Some are "holy men" who have renounced the world. Some are scam artists. We prefer to give generously to certain nonprofit organizations. We do recommend that you smilingly but firmly say no to children hounding you for pens, money, or sweets. Giving just encourages the harassment.
9. Bargaining or bartering. Except for the government-run emporia, most shopkeepers expect to negotiate a price. They are far more expert at haggling than you are. However, it helps to have some idea of what a final price should be (you can ask around or visit a fixed-price government shop), and how valuable the item is to you. You might start with around half of the asking price. Leave if you're not getting the desired results, but remain courteous and good humored. You may get a final, much lower, offer if the shopkeeper feels he's losing the sale.
10. Read India Treasures: An Epic Novel of Rajasthan and Northern India through the Ages, by Gary Worthington , and its sequel, India Fortunes. These acclaimed novels were written in part to give visitors a better understanding of Indian culture and its evolution. From local bookstores in the USA; www.Amazon.com; or 1-800-345-6665 in the USA. Order books (India Treasures is also available in India under the title The Mangarh Chronicles, published in August 2002 by Penguin India.)
SOME TIPS THAT DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR THE "TOP TEN":
If you like to use a washcloth, bring your own, especially old, thin ones that can dry fast. Only the more upscale hotels are likely to have washcloths in India.
A small flashlight can be useful at night, whether in an unfamiliar hotel or home, or when you're walking back in the dark. So can a small compass when you lose your sense of direction (even in a city) and you can't see the sun.
TimeBridges Publishers Home Page
Copyright © 2002 Gary Worthington. All rights reserved.