India is a diversified country where you can experience a mix of cultures. When you think of India, you will be able to get the picture of color- filled places, crowded cities, and amazing tradition. Food in India is very distinct in each region of the country. Perhaps, you will love it all!
Here is a list of 10 important things you need to know about travelling in India that will help you have pleasant travel experience.
10 Important things to know about traveling in India
1. Crazy Traffic
Being second in population, India is crowded and the traffic in the city is super- heavy. Yes, if you are to catch trains or flights, start prior to the desired timing to reach the destination on time. You can never have an estimated time to reach during the peak traffic hours. There will be times where you have to just stay in the traffic, immobile for hours. This is the case in the city areas and touristy places. Otherwise, the traffic in the other parts of the country is not worse.
2. Heavy pollution in the city side
Again, due to the number of vehicles, factories or industries, the pollution level in some parts of the country is really bad. It can be intolerable if you have breathing-related problems like asthma or anything, then make sure you wear a mask when you are outside. Cover up with a scarf to avoid your skin from getting damaged due to pollution. Wash your face frequently to keep yourself safe in pollution.
3. Proper clothing
In the common places like markets and malls, there are no clothing issues. But, there are certain areas and places where there is a strict dress done. Some of the old pilgrim destinations or tradition related places have a law on the dressing. Please make sure to know the dress code before you visit such places.
4. Beware of beggars
There are a lot of beggars everywhere in India. Some of them are children too. But, it is difficult for you to give money to everyone. In some places, if you give money to one person, a whole gang comes there to ask from you. In some cases, they make follow you till you give them something. Though you are free to offer them what you want, make sure if they are really worth giving your penny.
5. Prayer places everywhere
India, being a super- diversified country has many religious beliefs. You will surely find temples, churches, and mosques in every corner you turn. The prayer calls and songs will be heard wherever you are. It is such a different experience if you are from the western part of the world. The rich traditional values and ceremonies will delight you to the maximum if you are in these places during the festival times. There are strict dress codes that are implemented if you want to enter a pilgrim place.
6. Multilinguistic people
India has so many different languages that you will be amazed to hear people speak. Many of them know more than one regional language in the country. Each language has its own history and literature that speaks loudly about their culture. Most of them know English as well to communicate. If you are in the Northern part of India, though there are numerous languages, Hindi is widely spoken. Perhaps, people speak different languages in South India in each state. There are no common languages here and so conversing in English may help.
7. Great public transport facilities
Regardless of the heavy traffic, public transport facilities are great in India. The frequency of buses and trains to popular destinations are abundant. The ticket rates are also dead cheap and affordable by any class of people. Hence, you will have a hassle-free day travel if you want to roam around a city. Metro trains in the bigger cities are super-efficient and fast to reach your destination by avoiding the traffic.
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8. Numerous guest houses and hotels
There are so many guest houses in India. If you prefer to stay somewhere to explore and experience the culture of a place, choose to book a cozy guest house. This will never disappoint you. Hotels are also a great option. There are numerous hotels and so you need not worry about last minute booking and stuff like that.
9. Amazing street food
Street food in India is an amazing aspect of traveling this country. Food in India is different in each place and you need to have to allocate some space in your travel plan for food alone. Prefer to research about the famous street food outlets in a particular region and then visit them. We couldn’t help ourselves but taste all the must-try Indian foods we could. As there are too many street food joints, you cannot relay that everything is clean and tasty. Hence, prior research will save you from a lot of water and food diseases.
10. Respect to Elders
When it comes to elders, Indians are too respectful to them. They believe that the blessings from elders can take them to great heights in life. Taking care of elders, listening to their advice and following their life morals are considered as great values by Indians. Right from being a child, they are taught to respect anyone who is elder to them. How amazing is that? You will love to see this in India.
So thats all about 10 Important things to know about traveling in India.
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Hey this time the article is not written by me! It is written by Jimmy & Tah. It is always to good to know about other’s view about my own country!
About the Writers
Hi! We are Jimmy & Tah, American and Thai Millennials who left our careers in the military and finance to become full-time travelers. We met in August, 2015 in South Korea, kicked off traveling in September, 2017 with $4000 in saving account and first started publishing our journey on how we live the life we have always dreamt of – traveling and being able to work wherever we love ( as long as there is Wi-Fi and coffee ☕️)
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