travel tips

Pre - Travel Tips

Pay the rent and other necessary bills.
Balance your bank account.
Change the message on your answering machine.
Empty all water containers.
Empty your refrigerator.
Leave your duplicate keys to someone else.
Hold back your subscription of newspapers and magazines.
Unplug all your electrical gadgets.

Travel Tips for India

	01.	Always do some homework by reading before visiting india. It will help you a lot.

	02.	India offers the best accommodation facilities to the travelers.the variety of hotels and resorts in india ranges from luxury hotels (star category), standard hotels, budget hotels and heritage hotels. So don't be concerned about living conditions in india.

	03.	Always try to make travel arrangements well in advance especially between october - march and may- june - the indian holiday seasons.

	04.	English is spoken throughout india. You can also avail government trained and approved guides who can speak german, french, spanish, japanese, italian and russian. Local tour guides will help you to understand india better.

	05.	The tourists are advised to drink bottled water or use water purifying tablets, but 1st class hotels have their own filtration systems.

	06.	Always avoid eating spicy food after your arrival in india. Ask the waiter to cut down on the chilles. However all types of cuisines are available in india

	07.	Try to plan your trip by rail or road that will help you to get a truer picture of rural india. Always try to include a fair or festival in your trip and attend a folkloric or classical music, dance or drama program.

	08.	Do not forget to remove your shoes when visiting a place of worship. Some temples also don't permit any sort of leather articles in the premises.

	09.	Most museums in india are closed on mondays and site museums near archaeological momuments are closed on fridays. So plan your trip accordingly.

	10.	India is a shopper's dream. We recommend you to purchase from government emporium or approved shops.

	11.	There are some restricted areas in north and northeast india. Always try to avail permits from indian tourist offices or local authorities before entering the area.

Tipping

	01.	Some hotels include service charges on their bills. In such cases tipping is not necessary. Where this is not done, a tip of 10% is customary. If you are in a big group and the food bill is high, the tip on the total can come down to 5%.

	02.	The porter who takes your baggage to your room is usually tipped rs.5 per bag or rs.10 to rs.20 per trolley. (these estimates are for 5 and 4-star hotels and are proportionately less in 1, 2 or 3 star hotels.)

	03.	Tipping to taxi drivers for airport/railway station transfers are not customary. However, tour guides and drivers do expect tips depending on the assignments and number of days they are engaged for.

Currency

01.

The units of Indian currency are the Rupee and Paisa (100Paisa equal 1 Rupee). Paper money is in denominations of Rupees 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. Coins are in denominations of Rupees 1, 2 and 5. There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency or traveler's cheques a tourist may import, provided a Declaration form is completed on arrival. This will facilitate the exchange of imported currency as well as the export of unspent currency on departure. Cash, bank notes and traveler's cheques up to US $ 10,000 or equivalent need not be declared at the time of entry. Any money in the form of traveler's cheques, drafts, bills, cheques, etc.which tourists wish to convert into Indian currency should be exchanged only through authorized money- changers.

Photography

01.

For amateur photography of national monuments, there are no restrictions on taking photographs with a still camera (with flash inside the camera synchronized with exposure) or an 8mm.movie camera. It is prohibited to photograph places of military importance, i.e. airports, bridges, sensitive border regions. Certain temples may prohibit interior or exterior photography. Charges may be levied to photograph some monuments, forts or temples. Inside museums, or when photographing art works, flash cameras are prohibited. Photography inside the Taj Mahal is prohibited but prior permission can be requested from the Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi, 110 001. If tripods or other outside aids such as props or floodlights are used, or for professional and commercial photograph, special permission must be obtained from the Archaeological Survey of India. Similar permission must be obtained for movie cameras other than 8mm and for video cameras.

Do's and Don'ts

	01.	Foreign nationals have to pay their hotel bills in foreign currency only, in cash, traveler's cheques or by credit cards. (However, Indian rupees are accepted if supported by proof of certificate of encashment in India of foreign currency or traveler's cheques).

	02.	Don't exchange money on the black market—it's not worth the risk. Keep currency exchange receipts if you wish to reconvert your unspent money.

	03.	Don't accept damaged or torn local currency notes, as they may not be accepted by others. You may also find that large banknotes may not be accepted for small purchases because of a shortage of small notes.

	04.	Concessional- tickets like Indrail Pass, Youth fares, Discover India Fares and Air Fares are to be paid for in foreign exchange only.

	05.	We do not recommend purchase of air/ rail/ bus tickets through strangers or unauthorized travel agents/ tour operators.

	06.	For your safety, we suggest that you do not hire transportation from unlicensed or unapproved operators. We can provide you all types of transportation at very reasonable prices. Self- driven cars though available are not recommended as it is not advisable for you to drive on the Indian roads with all the traffic.

	07.	Taxi and auto-rickshaws fares keep changing; therefore, they do not always conform to readings on meters. To avoid confusion, insist on seeing the latest fare chart available with taxi/ auto-rickshaw drivers and pay accordingly. Taxis and auto-rickshaws do not have meters in all cities, but where they do, insist on the meter being flagged in your presence. Incase the driver refuses to cooperate, seek the assistance of a policeman. Where there are no meters, ask assistance at your hotel and agree on the taxi fare in advance.

General Information

	01.	TIME EST plus 10hrs 30min` IN winter, EST plus 9 hrs 30 MIN` in summer.

	02.	Generally banks operate from 1000 to 1400 hrs (except Metro Cities) Monday through Friday, 1000 to 1230 hrs Saturdays.