Clothes

Take minimal clothes as it’s easy to pick up more cheaply if you need them, and laundry services are also inexpensive.

Take clothes that will cover your body. Short skirts/shorts and tight or revealing clothes should be avoided. On women, clothes should cover knees and shoulders. Long sleeved shirts and linen trousers will keep you cool, prevent you from burning and can stop you from being bitten.

Travel in a pair of sturdy shoes that are comfortable for walking long distances and pack a pair of sandals, which are handy to slip off when visiting temples.

Wraps can be useful to cover you in the sun, to wrap around you if it gets cold, to sleep under during journeys and to wrap around your head if visiting a mosque.

If you’re visiting a touristy beach resort, take modest swimwear (a one-piece for ladies).

Take a lightweight fleece – even if you’re visiting during the hot weather, air conditioning can sometimes be fierce and nights can cool down.

Remember to take a sun hat.

Toiletries and medicines

You can take small bottles of your usual products, although you’ll easily be able to buy most things in India. Remember to put bottles of liquid in waterproof bags to avoid leakage.

Put together a medical kit. Although medicines are available in India, they can be under different names. Be sure to include all of your usual medical essentials, especially diarrhoea medication and a thermometer.

Take the advice from health professionals about whether you need to take anti malaria medication.

Insect repellent with DEET is essential (check for advice about using repellent on children). You can buy plug in repellents when you arrive.

Luggage

The most practical luggage to take is a lightweight, soft rucksack that has a detachable daysack. A rucksack will allow you to dodge through a busy airport and it will also be easy to squash into the luggage racks on buses.

A packable bag is also useful, so you can pull it out if you go shopping or you need something more than just your daysack.

Documents

Make sure you leave photocopies of any important documents – including your passport and insurance – with somebody at home.

Extras

• A camera and charger.
• Sunglasses.
• Ear plugs and an eye mask (useful for both on the flight and in case your hotel is noisy).
• Suncream.
• Aftersun.
• Umbrella and packable rain macs.
• Antibacterial hand wash.
• Individually wrapped, antibacterial hand wipes and small packets of tissues.
• Plug converters.
• A torch.
• A travel washing line along with a small bottle of liquid wash detergent.
• A mobile phone (ensure it is activated to be used abroad before you go).
• A mixture of cash, credit cards and travelers cheques.
• A lightweight travel towel (takes up minimal space and dries easily). Whether you take one of these each depends on whether your accommodation includes towels or whether you plan to visit the beach regularly.
• Notebook and pen for planning, writing memories and making notes on train times etc.
• A good guidebook.

Travel to India

Don’t take too much with you on vacation as heavy, bulky bags can make your time in the country less enjoyable. You can get most things in India, so don’t worry if you forget to pack something. A good piece of tried and tested advice is to put everything out that you’d like to take, halve it and then take double the money! But even if you can’t double up on your spending money, you’ll certainly benefit from traveling light.

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Find Cheap Flights Online

It is easy to find cheap air tickets online at any number of websites, including some top travel sites like Travelocity.com or  Expedia.com. If you go the online route, you will not need to purchase through an agent and you can compare airline costs for the same flight with several airlines. It is also possible you can find fantastic deals, packages and offers through the websites and a few offer special incentives and gifts for buying with them.

Book a Flight with a Domestic Carrier

Since the travel industry is booming in India, along with business travelers, several domestic airlines have come on the scene. Instead of booking with a larger carrier, book with a smaller domestic airline (like GoAir or Kingfisher Airlines) for cheaper seats. You are sure to find the price you want and still travel in style and comfort.

Book your Flight through an Agent

One of the best ways to get a cheaper flight is to book through a travel agent. A travel agent has access to all available flights within the country, knows the taxes and costs of each flight and can find you the best flight with the cheapest cost possible. An agent can explain the breakdown of the prices as well, for example, taxes, aviation fuel costs and Passenger Service Fees.

Look for Selloffs and Deals

Depending on the time of year, many Indian airlines will offer selloff prices and great deals in order to help their bottom line. For example, the slowest period for travel tends to be around January and February, so airlines will offer seat deals to encourage travelers. Also, airlines know many people travel for business reasons and will offer deals and discounts for frequent domestic flyers to obtain their business.

One thing to bear in mind when booking a domestic flight in India, all airfares are subject to change at any time. It is a good idea to make sure of the price of the flight before booking and know what your taxes will be as well.

The post Tips on Buying Cheap Domestic Air Tickets in India appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

You just need to know how much you can negotiate. Though you’ll never get the same rate as locals, but you can try. Here is official pre-paid rate list for hiring taxi or tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) at Agra Cantonment railway station.

Rickshaw rates from Agra Cantonment railway station to:

Additionally you need to pay 5 rupees pre-paid service charge.

Small cab rates from Agra Cantonment railway station to:

Big cab rates from Agra Cantonment railway station to:

Parking fees are extra.

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But I want to paraphrase it as not only good things happens there.

Somebody probably checked my photos in 7 super shot post and can be surprised why in posts about trip to Sri Lanka I was using pictures from flickr. Explanation is in this picture:

That is that I found in the bag after night ride on the train in India.  The photo camera bag was empty. Only lens cap and hood left and my beloved Canon 20D and Tamron 18-50 lens were gone. I even don’t know when it did happen. My large backpack was  chained to the bedpost and another small day pack with camera bag inside I was keeping beside my head in the bed.
The train arrived to the destination very early. I checked my bed for any my stuff I could leave and got out of the train. The hour later I opened my day pack and saw empty camera case. What?!?!
During night I did left a bag for a couple minutes, other time the bag was always with me. I can say only one word – incredible. How did somebody managed to steal it?
Nobody could believe it can happen in India, but it did…This camera probably three or  maybe even four times traveled around the world with me. It is quit old Canon camera and  had a lot of wear signs, so it didn’t have much value. Not the camera and lens were biggest lost. I lost flash card with all pictures from my journey to Sri Lanka.
The rest of day I spent in police office. Everybody was very nice, but of course nobody could promise anything and I didn’t have much hope. Actually I didn’t have any hope to recover my camera with my photos.
Are there any travel insurance which covers stolen items? Of course if won’t restore images, but at least it would be possible to buy another camera. Let me know if you know such insurance coverage.

The post Incredible thieves in India appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

You most likely will use train if you are planning trip to India. I should disappoint you if you are hoping to get train tickets when you’ll be in India. It is better to buy tickets in advance ff you want your trip to be without hassle. During my preparation I find out that tickets on some routes were sold out even two months in advance. So don’t wait till last minute.
The next question: where to buy these tickets? There is railway tickets reservation system (IRCTC) funded by Indian Government but is not very user friendly. Also you need to have Indian phone number as otherwise you won’t be able to register there.
The best site to make your tickets reservation is Cleartrip which is created with IRCTC association but looks much easier to use and there more search options which helps you faster to find tickets you need.
I hope this will help your trip planning and enjoy India.

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