India is a country of mostly unknown territory to anyone who didn’t grow up there or have family from there. Unlike Europe, where a lot of people who will never travel to can still have quite a realistic generalized idea of what it’s like. But India… the only thing people hear of is curry and “Delhi Belly.”

Delhi Belly is so closely associated with travel to India that I made a completely separate blog addressing tips and tricks on how to avoid it… you can read it here: How To Avoid “Delhi Belly”

Visas – We were told that the e-visa is the easiest way to attain a visitors visa. This needs to be applied for online at least 24 hours prior to departure, although maybe don’t leave it as a last-minute “to-do,” just in case. Go to eVisa Online for the application.

However, be aware that most people opt for this option and the line at customs for e-visa was by far the longest and took a little while to get through as all of your biometrics will be done at the airport once you arrive in India. Another pre-departure option is to to apply for the sticker visa at your local embassy. We actually tried this initially, but found the process to be long and slightly more of a hassle… after filling out the application form online 👉 Online Application for Sticker Visa, we had to book an appointment at the embassy.

We were applying in London, England, which was a foreign country for either of us, but that didn’t matter much – although maybe the price would have been slightly cheaper (in terms of the processing fee) had we applied within our native countries. We arrived at our appointment and after waiting nearly a half hour later than our scheduled time, instantly we were rejected and told to re-apply because my name didn’t match my passport… Their online system did not allow me to put a hyphen in my first name, so I spelled it as “LauraAnn,” which she insisted I had to put a space. I tried to argue that my name was still not going to perfectly match my passport with a space or no space, but she refused to accept my application and told me to re-apply and book another appointment… this is when we decided to go the e-visa route instead.

Nonetheless, if you have the time and patience to go to an appointment and wait to get the sticker visa, the line at customs in India was next to nothing. Keep this in mind if you have a short connection! The third option was to apply for a visa on arrival…. I can’t say how risky this option would be though.

When travelling domestic, you must take out ALL electronics when going through security screening, and be sure your portable chargers are in your carry-on and not check-in bag. However, you do not need to take out your liquids… in fact, I’m not even sure if there was a maximum 100ml travel-size ziplock bag requirement at all. Don’t quote me on that, though.

✈️ Be sure to always have a print out of your boarding passes or at least ticket itinerary showing your name before getting to the airports. In India, to enter an airport, you must be a passenger, so there are security guards standing at the entrances to check your flight itineraries and passport/photo identification to enter. ALSO: Be prepared for flight cancellations, changes, and delays! If you’re the type of traveler who needs to plan every second of your trip… don’t! It will cause you way more stress. Expect changes, expect delays, and heck – we were going to India right when Jet Airways, India’s number one domestic airline, was fighting bankruptcy and cancelling flights hourly! In total, we had 4 flight cancellations and about 7 flight interruptions! Buy trip insurance and leave extra budget to cover last minute tickets… don’t forget to follow-up with your refunds, though! 💸

Voltage: The voltage throughout India is 220watts, but the plugs will most likely require a specific adapter. We first assumed it was similar to the European plug, but eventually had to buy an adapter at the airport when it wouldn’t fit. Note: it was so cheap here! Definitely just wait until arrival to purchase as ours came in pack of 2 for about INR 600 ($0.65 USD) and one of them was complete with a variety plug inlet, and separate USB inlets as well.

Ways of transportation: Seems to be via white cabs, black cabs, tuktuks, and UBER! I still cannot believe that places like India have rideshare and yet back home in Vancouver, they are still arguing against these services. You could even order a tuktuk via UBER!

One more thing to note: Cows are sacred animals here. More so than elephants. You will often see them roaming around the streets or in the midst of traffic. Our dear friend who is a local told us that the cows are used for their milk (Indian cuisine consists of a lot of cheese, yoghurt, and milk), but once the cow stops milking, they are basically let go along the streets and no one really cares for them. Her family would often offer some food if they were ever roaming into their property, but it’s sort of a sad story, especially since they are considered sacred. Not how you’d imagine such a high regarded animal to be treated…

No matter how much you prepare, you never will be completely “ready” for India… and heck – that’s why you’re going anyways, isn’t it? To experience their culture, their every day. Enjoy the trip as it is honestly SO amazing. Be open-minded, keep extra tissue/TP on you, and read my Delhi Belly post. But I hope this has helped answer a few questions you might’ve had before reading! Safe travels to you!

 

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