It is generally accepted that India is a safe country to visit but one cannot be too safe. Here’s a round-up of safety precautions and tips when travelling to India.
To start with, here’s a compilation of my 101 tips when travelling to India. The list comprises of how to keep safe to what to wear while India.
Act like a local
Although India has many languages, you just cannot escape Hindi. English will also do just fine but what better way to impress the Indians with some of your Hindi. Here’s a compilation of some Hindi words and phrases I recorded, you might need in India. Also the local language will make you look like as if you’ve been here before and cannot be taken for a ride.
Wear Indian clothing
What exactly should you wear in India? Most foreigner travellers to India wear the jeans. I think that’s perfectly fine. Cotton is the best fabric one can wear as they are light and keeps one cool in a hot country like India. More on what you should wear in India. But in order to lower your tourist profile, I would recommend wearing Indian clothes. Here’s what we Indians wear.
Travel pants such as combat trousers or cargo pants are also popular amongst tourists to India. I personally like them as it frees your hands from carrying things. These pants allow you to keep your money at various places and if one gets pick-pocketed then you still have money in the other. If you happen to be a woman and want to try out the saree (sari), then here’s the step by step guide to wearing the saree.
Look after your health while in India
Mosquitoes are big problem in India. Unless you are staying in a luxury 5 star hotel where they have inbuilt mosquito resellers’, you should make sure that you have repellents or mosquitoes nets. Here’s how to combat mosquitoes while you’re in India. Make sure that you are immune against typhoid, cholera and hepatitis A before you come to India. Always drink bottled water and make sure they are authentic and not refilled with tap water. Here’s a guide to drinking water in India. In addition, considering going veggie while in India since a dodgy piece of meat could ruin your holiday.
Safety when using local transport
Although cabs are perfectly fine to use, there is no substitute for being safe. Here’s how to be safe while riding cabs in Delhi. Child abduction is a reality. So if you’re travelling with a child then make sure that you keep them safe. Learn about child abduction in India.
Are you travelling alone?
Many men and women travel to India alone in large numbers! In general, India is a safe country but you just can’t be too safe. Here’s how to be safe when travelling alone.
Solo female travellers to India must take extra precautions to be safe India. An unthinkable crime has happened where a 23-year old was gang-raped and assaulted on a moving bus in Delhi in such a way that her intestines were ripped off her body. Unfortunately she died. A women’s helpline number “181”, operational on all service providers has been set by Delhi police for females in distress.
Hence a word of caution is not to use Delhi buses especially if you are a lone female traveller There was a time when I used to use these buses but not any more Chances are that you might be groped, touched or stared at. Avoid local Delhi buses at all costs. Take taxis or auto-rickshaws.
When you are on the streets or at busy places or on a crowded train, chances are that your purse or wallet will be pick-pocketed. This happens all the time with foreigners and natives alike. Here’s how to beat the pick-pocketers.
I am not trying to scare travellers out of India but you just cannot be too safe . If you remain on high alert and exercise caution, you’ll be fine. I still maintain, India is a relatively safe country for holiday.
Safe journey
All I can say is that I love India. I’m proud to be a Pakistani national, and an Indian Rajput by identity!
Hi Raheel,
I think that is the right to attitude to have. If we all have this mentality, then there would no issues between the two nations. Thanks for your comment and hope to see you gain.
Best wishes to you.
Wonderful roundup of tips Shalu!
I love the tips you share here, which are sure to help many. 🙂
Yes indeed, act more like a local is what I would recommend also because then you tend to blend well with the people around the area. Dress more like them and learning a few phrases and words of Hindi helps a great deal, something that most tourists our end also do.
I still haven’t got over that gang-rape case and just hope and pray that some stricter laws and rules are made to avoid such incidence in our country – let’s hope for the best.
Thanks for sharing, and wishing you a much joy and success in this year as well. 🙂
Hi Harleena
I am a firm believer that a traveller must learn some basic language and at least try to blend in so that their profile is lowered and chances of being mugged/cheated is reduced.
I completely understand your feeling about the recent incident. I hope the lawmakers will be able to do something about it. I was watching the news but I am not sure if they will be able to or not. Lets keep fingers crossed.
Thank you for your comment and hope to see you again here.
Wish you all the best for the new year. Take care.
Hi Shalu ji,
You’re doing a great job educating all tourists to India so that they may enjoy their stay and the country as well.
Adding to that list, a primary contact device is essential. It would be better if the tourists, on the day of arrival get a local number with emergency numbers fed into the one-touch or quick dial buttons. This would aid in a quick call for help or even for tracking purposes.
Keep up the good work Shalu ji.
Regards
Jay
Jay
thank you for your comment. Keeping a list of emergency numbers is a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Shalu, you have essential tips for tourists travelling to India from all over the world. These are very reassuring and specific to your country. I’m hoping to visit soon. I’ll have to make a copy of your tips when I do. Thanks.
Hey Connor,
Hope to hear how you got along. Best wishes to you.
Useful tips, I would suggest here, If you’re traveling at new place in India then try to travel in day time and be cautious with strangers.
Thank you Aasma for your comment and the tweet.
I am definitely bookmarking this, Shalu. I’m excited to be there by March, and no, I’m not scared by the news. Thank you for your safety tips; they will be very useful for me.
Hi Aleah
To be honest,there is no need to be scared. Its a safe country but keep an eye on things. Keep me posted.
Thanks and best wishes.
Hi Shalu ji,
Nice post.
India is a country where safety is less as compared to developed or developing country for both Indian citizens as well as outsiders coming in India.
Outsider should be well aware of this fact when they come India for Vacations or traveling.The points what you have mentioned are very nice and are according to Country situations.
One more point i want to a add that is if some outsiders want to travel in India or Part(city/state) of India then they should always have a guide with them.The guide can help them alot in traveling or any thing.
Thank You
Shorya Bist
From Youthofest
Hi Shorya
I think having a proper guide makes a lot of difference hence I too recommend getting an authorised guide from the right company.
Thanks for your comment.
thanks for the tips mate. i have visited your blog first time and going to bookmark it now.
🙂
Hi Shalu, very useful information for foreign tourists as well as our brothers and sisters form India. Thanks for the tips.
Gujarat and AP have a wonderful Emergency Service reponse helpline like the 911 with the number 108. Slowly these services are being adopted all across the country and 108 probably will be the only emergency helpline number in the years to come. (Hopefully) Nice post Shalu – comes at a very appropriate time.
Thank you Janit,
I hope more emergency numbers would be set up.
These safety posts of yours have been most excellent! Really appreciate your sharing these words of wisdom.
HI Shalu jee
These are surely the great tips. Wear Indian clothing and speaking native Language is the key. If any Foreigners visiting India intend to do these, will surely protect him from most of the problems.
They need to be extra cautious of their health as well. They are more prone to falling ill because of the lack of pure water which you have mentioned in your previous post, they have to careful of that as well.
Thanks for sharing these great tips.
Sapna
Hi Sapna
In agree that tourists needs to be cautious in India. Even we as Indians sometimes have to be careful.
A local knows more about their place and hence can advice what to avoid and what not to. Thanks Michael for your comment.
Wow! Thank you! I needed to write on the same topic for my blog. Can I take information from your post for write ups to be posted on my blog?
No you cannot, you will be violating copyright rules if you did. Thank you.
Very nice tips. I hope you wrote this article for people who are visiting from other countries. First point itself is one of the best point as people don’t try to harm local people. But they can easily identify people coming from western & European countries.
Thanks for giving these tips.
Hi Shalu Ji…..
Its really true that safety of normal people is in very poor condition in almost every part of India.
Recent Delhi Gang Rape had raised the issue of safety once again.
My advise to all traveler is to avoid late night roaming around and stay in known hotels only.
If you notice any suspicious person or thing around you then contact Police immediately.
Hi Sandeep
the Delhi incident has waken everyone up. It has been really shameful and we are now seriously beginning to think that Delhi is no longer safe for women.
This is definitely helpful. Been planning to go to India for the longest time but I’m pretty scared of what I’ve been hearing. This post of your seems to be pretty convincing.
I don’t know, despite these tips. I’m still skeptical about going to India though I’d really want to. I’m torn.
I still feel scared by the thought of going to India. No offense meant. But with all the horror stories I’ve been hearing, it’s really scary.
very useful tips for the tourists thanks for sharing such great post.
These are wonderful roundup travel trips. I would love to travel and go to India and have been long waiting to see the Taj Mahal. Your safety tips could be really helpful especially to foreign tourist. Thanks for posting!
Awesome, Nice Sharing and very useful tips. I have visited your blog first time.
The tips and safety points described by you about traveling in India a extremely correct and must be followed by each tourist
What I firmly believe is although safety is a issue in our country, still now government is focusing on making it better for the women.
The latest 2014 budget has lot more for women. It would be interesting to show that what growth and changes occur in India under this new government administration.
Great Piece of content and sharing . Thank You for the article .
Travelling in India requires a lot of safety. The people, the direction providing signals are very different from countries like UK and USA. Thank you for posting this. It is especially helpful for people going on frequent business trips to India.