Travel Easy and Safe in India
Posted on April 22, 2008 in Travel by Prarthna
The thrills of a trip are to experience the outside rather than staying locked up in the hotel room. Foreign nationals too exhibit the same spirit which is why you see them treading every street in the heat, under their hats and with significantly big knapsacks on their back. Sure you could see some energy in foreign tourists as they believe in exploring India from its fertile-rich soil to the snow-clad peaks. However, the tourists in India are always cautioned to stay alert and vigil about where they are traveling and what they are consuming, etc.
Safety Tips to Tour India
Tourists in India need to stay alert regarding every little thing. For instance, taxi pick up, tour packages, traveling on Indian trains and lots more. The idea is to keep your eyes and ears open to nuisance and try avoiding them as best as you can.
Taxi Pick-Up Tips
- Much to the inconvenience of the foreign tourists, international flights land on Indian ground only at nights. It is recommended that tourists arrange picks up from the hotels they are going to check into. This is the safest way to reach the correct destination without having to bother about the taxi driver being a crook.
- In case, you haven’t arranged for a pick-up facility from the hotel, then always take a prepaid taxi. This is the next best option as the taxi number and driver’s information stays with the police. Moreover you are charged the right fair.
- Also, never let the taxi driver give a lift to anyone. If he insists, take another one immediately.
Hotel Booking Tips
- Have a booking done in advance always
- If you’re checking in without having booking done in advance then check the room before paying for it
- The facility to change rooms in case you don’t like it is usually provided for so do say if you don’t like the room for some reason
- The airports also provide for tourists information help desks that display a range of hotels, their rates, facilities for foreign tourists
- The airport authorities can also book a hotel from the help desk if you ask them to late in the night
- Usually an early reservations is more economical than if you check-in on the spur of the moment
Phone Call Tips
- Avoid making international calls from the hotel rooms as they can charge really high rates
- Inexpensive or fairly cheap calls can be made from the STD (subscriber trunk dialing) phone booths (a call to the United States usually costs about 25 cents pre minute)
- You can also use the NET PHONE, which is available at STD booths where you will be paying much less for an international call (about 10 cents per minute)
- Avoid paying roaming charges on your international connection by purchasing a local SIM connection in India
Local Transport Tips
- As mentioned before only get on prepaid taxi’s
- Autorickshaw’s also run in cities which are fair bargain as against the taxi’s which can make you shell hell lot of money
- Do not allow other passengers to get on board at any cost
Train Travel Tips
- Travel with reservation or you will be fined
- Foreigners have a separate ticket counter to collect tickets from so avoid wasting time and energy standing with other in the local queue
- Contact the train superintendent for any misbehavior or problem with people, facilities, etc
- Train superintendents can be contacted through the ticket checkers as well who examine the details of your reservation tickets
- Remember that train superintendents have a log book where you can voice your concerns, issues, problems, etc
- All train staff wear badges attached to their suits so don’t be mislead by miscreants
Tour Package Tips
- Your tour guide should be able to talk in your language and convey all payments in the language you understand best
- Inquire whether the tourists bus is going to fetch you from the hotel or elsewhere at a particular time
- Clear all your doubts before paying for tour package
- Check for the policies – most entrance fees to visit sites are included in the tour package payment
- Tourist buses stop at shopping stations where they have commission – things are relatively cheaper at these places
Other Safety Tips
- Do not carry your laptops around on buses, trains, etc
- Avoid drinking water from the local taps
- Drink bottled water and drinks
- Do not receive any food from strangers
Make your trip a joyous one by taking charge of the safety of yourself, your loved ones and family while touring India.
» Filed Under Travel