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General guidelines
We at travelmartindia.com are always pleased to walk
that extra mile so our honored guests to India can truly
savor the wide and varied bounty of a diverse and multi-cultural
society in a way uniquely memorable-and always pleasantly
so!
For this reason-and for enhancing the comfort level
of all your sojourns in and around India, we have put
together a handy guide that helps you expand your travel
horizons while also keeping you in touch with Indian
customs and traditions that help you adjust better to
our culture and have a fun-filled vacation.
So, pack your troubles in a bag- chuck that out the
window! Fill your eyes with wonder and your mind with
local info as the land of Maharaja hs
accords you a royal welcome, hand in hand with travelmartindia's
insightful guide to India.
Travelmartindia's Ten Commandments
for safe travel in India
- Do not buy travel tickets or book transportation
with unauthorized dealers and persons. The safest
way to having peace of mind and an enjoyable trip
that is memorable for the right reasons is to ask
your Travelers Hub tour operator to arrange for transportation.
- Do remember to check your travel documents before
starting the journey and update all important telephone
numbers in your diary, apart from storing emergency
numbers (Police assistance, Ambulance service, local
contact person etc.) in your cell-phone, if you choose
to carry one.
- If you are on prescription medication, please ensure
you have adequate supply of both prescription/s and
pills for the entire duration of your India tour and
perhaps a little extra to cover unforeseen delay periods
during travel etc. Do remember to carry a doctor's
certificate along with you to avoid possible problems
with any customs checking procedures in India.
- First-time travelers to India may well be fascinated
by the exotic array of spices, cuisines and affordability
of street and hotel food, but it is inadvisable to
eat spicy Indian food without sampling a bit first
or affirming the extent of spice-blends used with
the chef/service attendant.
- If unsure of your ability to communicate in regional
scenarios for the entire length of the tour or if
opting for a combination of tour packages, especially
to remote areas, please feel welcome to request your
travel agent for a language interpreter. Do not play
Lone Ranger - as adventurous as the prospect may seem
- foreign tourists can be regarded as far from that
by unscrupulous elements and considered easy targets
for mugging and far more heinous crimes.
- Mineral water is your best companion while in India's
tropical climate and is your safest bet for keeping
various contaminated-water related ailments at bay
and also for brushing your teeth.
- If you intend making any changes to Domestic Tickets
in India, do consult your trusted travel agent for
the best advice.
- All foreign nationals can use credit cards, traveler's
cheques or foreign currency for the payment of all
their bills, though they may use Indian rupees in
case they can furnish proof of having exchanged money
legally.
- Please remember that banks in India function from
Monday to Friday from 1000 hours to 1230 hours (some
also function post-lunch, but you may need to consult
your tour operator for specific bank details) while
Government and administrative offices in India function
from 0930 to 1700 hours on weekdays. So, please make
arrangements for bank transactions and business dealings
with either group keeping these timings in mind.
- Pack smart, travel light and determine weather,
region-specific culture and etiquette, available cuisine
(especially for those with specific diet restrictions)
and range of activities prior to setting forth on
the vacation of a life-time. To avoid the Holiday-from-Hell,
we encourage you to try one, or more, of our custom-designed
tour packages that eliminate the hassles of holiday
planning (thanks to an in-house expert team of experienced
tour
managers) and are guaranteed to pep you up with promise
of happy times while in India!
Advanced Planning Tips
We at Travelmartindia.com understand the modern traveler's
need for comfort, convenience, concept-novelty and safety
especially when you are touring new and exotic destinations,
such as India.
For this reason and to serve you better, we have put
together some basic guides that bring you closer to
preparing and experiencing India like a true-blue vacationer.
The following segments cover some details your tour
operator needs to know, guidelines for secure but fun
holidaying, picking
the right tour package and packing for enhancing the
joys of traveling in India.
Booking Basics help us customize
the perfect holiday package for you!!
Skim through the following check-list to boost your
holiday spirits by being specific about vitals in your
dream vacation-planning for Indian holiday spots. Cover
basic ground for determining whether your travel consultant
can professionally organize a tour package with all
the ingredients you are looking for-and get set to have
a holiday of a life-time!
- If traveling with a partner or group, it pays to
determine the needs and interests of each person and
convey this to the travel agent. Even if you are travel
by yourself, the more specific you are about your
tour requirements and what appeals to you, the easier
it is for the tour professional to accommodate a perfect
holiday package for you. Besides, India being vast
and varied in terrain, concept tourism offerings differ
greatly, so it's advisable to know what you are game
for -and also what the country offers before picking
a particular tour package. Read up and know more about
your destination and whether your tour operator can
combine one or more interests in a tour package and
the cost and time implications of each of them.
- Please try and be as specific as possible about
the kind of accommodation you are accustomed to and
will require while in India and if traveling with
a companion, their needs for lodging as well; beds
for example, may vary from King size to Queen size
in some hotels and if you are particular about this
aspect, do mention it at the time of booking.
- For persons with mobility limitations/health conditions
that require vehicular support devices, such as lowered
steps or wheel-chair assistance, it is advisable to
enquire before-hand of the tour operator whether arrangements
can be made for
the same when being received at the airport/railway
station and transported to hotels.
- Do make it a point to let your tour operator know
about what time of the day you'd like to arrive/depart
from India to avoid unnecessary jet-lag and having
to waste precious holiday time.
- Ask your tour operator about the other activities
and popular tourist attractions of Indian destinations
you will be visiting and whether any of these can
be accommodated with your tour package at extra cost,
should you wish to stretch your holiday possibilities.
- You can also contact the local Tourist Boards of
various Indian states as these have offices in Delhi,
should you require additional region specific information
and guidance about what their State offers.
- Decide before-hand the amount of sight-seeing/touring
on foot or local transport means (cycle/auto rickshaws,
boats, buses, horse or camel rides etc.) you will
be comfortable with.
- Determine the distance of your hotel from the main
town area, especially if you have a penchant for checking
out local markets and cultural scenes for getting
a personal glimpse into the soul of a city on foot.
Although, Travelmartindia.com does make the effort
to include visits to specialty areas of each regional
zone, such as cottage industries, crafter's galleries,
plantations and souvenir shopping points, it is possible
you may like some alone time. However, please do not
wander far from your lodgings if by yourself and unfamiliar
with the local language/Hindi- for your own safety-
and always inform the tour guide, hotel manager and
any other guest about your reconnoitering plan.
- If you have an affinity for any particular Indian
tradition or holiday offering that is not currently
available with us, be sure that Travelmartindia.com's
aim is to provide you with the best of Indian touring
experiences and we will work on your request at the
earliest to bring together your dream vacation plan.
- Just let us know what moves you (to India, that
is) and the Travelmartindia.com team will jimmy up
the most dazzling sun-rise breakfast on an idyllic
South-Indian rice-boat or a traditional desert-meal
against the backdrop of iridescent sands when in Rajasthan's
regal hotels, ferry you and your partner to the perfect
hideaway beach in Goa or help you begin life anew-with
that someone special: YOU-if all you need to re-charge
is a grand-scale shopping spree, fine exotic dining
and or being nourished, body-mind-soul with ancient
Indian therapies like Yoga and Ayurveda…..and
we do all of this with a knockout view of India!
Packing Tips
Travelmartindia.com gives you handy tips for putting
together the professional nomad's Bound-for-India luggage,
learning and outlook tour package.
For all those of you that are headed for the mystic
and modern charms of an ancient culture, India may come
as both a surprise and a bit of an enigma, but, much
like an interesting woman that captivates, nurtures
and enthralls while giving you a glimpse into age-old
civilization strengths that have endured countless invasions
yet accommodates an essence of enduring forever, India
is a spirit that lives beyond her shores.
India-bound? Then, pack for a trip that will
change more than your perceptions about a tradition-bound,
globally recognized rising economic power that is fast-emerging
as the preferred destination for concept tourism as
varied as its land and people: from weddings
to festivals, from wildlife to luxury travel and back-to-nature
or history tours, we have it all.
Travelmartindia.com handy check-list
covers all the essentials for packing right and packing
light: see for yourself!
- Ensure you have all the relevant documents necessary
for the duration of your India-vacation plan before
you leave home. Take time out to 'know' the tour plan
details and additional activities that are included
or can be accommodated upon request: pack garments,
footwear and accessories appropriate for these.
- Put away adequate reading, music or video material
for spending your time unwinding with; this is especially
helpful to persons visiting India the first time as
it is known to give a sense of the familiar when in
a foreign place, making for easy adaptation to surroundings.
- If you intend to travel with jewelry or excess cash/other
high-value items, please confirm with your tour operator
about the availability of safety deposit boxes with
the lodging site/hotel you will be putting up at.
- As any experienced tour operator will tell you,
Murphy's Law about things going wrong if they can,
may very well apply despite the best precautions and
preparations towards making the perfect vacation travel
plan. For such instances, please pack a small overnight
bag with basic change of garments, emergency medication
and telephone numbers, toiletries, small hair-dryer,
duplicate copies of important travel documents and
extra cash (credit cards do not always work in all
situations) to avoid distress over luggage arrival
delays and other such similar situations.
- Sensible packing of toiletries for India would include
putting in hand sanitizers,(toilet rolls are not available
at all transition points or in remote areas, where
at times, even rest-rooms may be few and far between
one major sight-seeing spot and another) your brand
of sunscreen (may not be available everywhere in India),
essential make-up kit, mosquito repellant of your
choice, water purification tablets and bath-salts.
- If shopping is high on your priority list, please
remember to add in another bag suitable for carrying
your larger purchases.
- Buy/download print-outs of guides to exotic and
unfamiliar destinations and consult these during your
journey to stay updated about travel specific problems
or hazards at the Indian location you are headed for,
so you have a clear idea how to deal with something
similar should it happen to you.
- Most government websites give fairly comprehensive
information about current political situations in
Asian countries that report large-scale conflicts
and be unsafe for tourists at certain points in time;
please look this information
up if you intend going beyond touring India.
- Pack clothes that are made of natural fibers to
allow a certain level of 'breathability' for your
skin; Indian being a tropical country is never short
of sunshine and sweat in most regions except the hills.
Nylon fabrics are best avoided unless visiting cold
regions in India or planning a winter visit, while
reading up about dress-codes prevalent in places on
your tour itinerary can guide you about garments best
given a miss.
- Carry only those things you will need in India with
you, such as enough cash to cover emergencies or occasional
urge-to-splurge, traveler's checks and credit cards
but exit home with extra baggage like social security
cards, extra credit cards, shopping mall coupons,
club memberships you won't need here.
- Do remember to carry duplicates of credit cards
and ATM cards, passport, traveler's checks, tour itinerary,
airline/railway tickets and hotel reservation slips,
contact information of local British consulates.
- Packing for India tour destinations becomes easy
if you familiarize yourself with the events and activities
of the destinations you will be visiting as acculturation
to customs and laws will clue you in to what is appropriate.
- A linguistic tool, such as a cassette or guide book
that gives you knowledge of the native language is
a handy item that can help you out of a sticky situation
such as calling for the police, contacting a hospital
or asking
for help should you get in trouble away from your
tour group.
Above all, a sense of humor, bewildered awe and
camera to capture irretrievable moments with adequate
supply of film and batteries/chargers are possibly things
you can't do without when packing for India.
Concept tourism packages of India
that travelmartindia brings your way:
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