Passport and Visa requirements

The Indian government requires a passport that remains valid for 6 months after the proposed departure date from India to grant a visa. There are specific visas available for different purposes—contact your local Indian Embassy for more information on non-tourist visas and the applicable visa fees (journalism, voluntary work, etc). You will also need also need 2 passport-sized photographs and additional documents, depending on your country of residence.
Tourist visa fees are non-refundable and the visa is non-extendible and non-convertible.

For more information regarding visa rules, visit:
http://passport.nic.in/visrules.htm

To contact the Indian Embassy or Consulate nearest you, visit:
http://indiaimage.nic.in/embassies.htm

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is an important part of planning your trip. Given the possibility of illness during travel or other unforeseen accidents, you must take out travel insurance before departure. Make sure your policy covers personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment, loss of luggage or personal effects, and repatriation. These precautions are necessary to comply with current travel requirements. In addition, make photocopies of your passport, visa, tickets, and other travel documents. Most travel insurances come with access to a 24-hour helpline—keep this number with you at all times.
 

Ticketing

It is much too expensive to book your international travel tickets to India with an India-based company. Therefore, book your tickets from your own country, and make sure to do this as ahead of time as possible for the best rates. It is best to do some research with us about availability of services within India before you book your international flight. Check your baggage allowance to avoid paying excess—India is a great destination for shopping, so plan to leave some space taking home your purchases.
Check with your airlines whether it is necessary to reconfirm your flights 72 hours before departure time. We can take care of your reconfirmation of departure flights after you arrive in India.
 

Health and Vaccinations

At present there are no vaccination requirements for India. However, you should check with your general practitioner for suggestions about Tetanus, Polio and Hepatitis A vaccinations. Malaria pills are not necessary for most destinations in India, however, in case you plan to go to certain rural areas, you may want to bring these tablets. Be careful, however, as they can have serious side-effects. If you plan to travel to high-altitude areas, such as Ladakh, budget at least a day to acclimatize to avoid altitude-sickness, which can be debilitating.

Certain health precautions should be taken when traveling in India:

-Always drink bottled water—preferably Himalaya, Aquafina or Bisleri brands.
-Bring chlorine tablets in case you travel to remote areas without access to clean drinking water.
-Bring a medical kit including bandages, disinfectants, diarrhea tablets (Immodium), antiseptic wipes and creams, ibuprofen, antihistamine pills, and rehydration salts.
-Bring condoms: India has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world and the quality of Indian condoms is not good.
-Bring mosquito repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.
-Women should bring their own tampons as these are difficult to find in non-urban areas.

Weather
The climate in India varies by geography and season. Temperatures in North India are more extreme and can get as high as 47° Celsius in the summer and as low as 10° Celsius in the winter. South India tends to remain more temperate and varies between rainy and dry seasons. In general, May-June are the hottest months, with little rainfall in the North and monsoon rain beginning in South India. From July, monsoon rain may affect travel, so make sure to check with us about road closings, flight and train delays, etc.
If you are interested in detailed weather information, check out the Indian Government’s meteorological website at http://weather.nic.in/current.htm

Money
The best bet for travelers to India is to bring travelers checks. You can change foreign currency at the airport, at many hotels, banks, and travel agents. Make sure to check the rates before you change money. The Indian Rupee is valued at about Rs 43/USD1. Current exchange rates are posted on websites such as http://www.x-rates.com/
Do budget shopping into your calculations—India a veritable marketplace with products that range from unbelievable bargains to high-quality goods. Tipping is expected in India, but most services do put 12.5% service tax on their bills, so tips need not be as high as elsewhere.

Clothing
Light clothing, especially cotton is recommended for travel in India. Clothing, including comfortable ethnic and western wear, is generally cheap and available here, so you may want to bring less than you need. Slippers always come in handy, but are readily available and inexpensive.

It is recommended to dress with a certain level of modesty, especially for women, as societal norms in India are generally stricter than in the West. When walking outside, women should avoid cleavage-revealing tops or short bottoms so as not to attract unwanted attention. Visits to mosques, temples, and other places of worship require decent dress for men and women. However, India is a land of extreme contrasts and if you do plan to avail of the lively nightlife in India’s urban centres, bring some suitable club-wear, as this is perfectly acceptable.

Special Locations
Several locations in India require special permission to visit by the Indian Government, or have been advised against by certain foreign governments. While we at India Travelmakers respect these government warnings, and advise you to take heed of them, we also do not believe that travel to these locations involves significant risk. In fact, the lack of tourist traffic to some of these destinations makes them all the more charming.

A worthwhile place to visit, which requires special permission from the Indian Government for all foreigners due to occasional political unrest in rural areas, is India’s un-spoilt Northeast region. The sheer natural beauty of these hill and mountain states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur—is completely different from any other Indian destination. Running along the Sino-Tibetan border, these states entertain a Indo-Chinese mix of people and cultures. With the proper permission—which we can arrange—and a well-planned, tailor-made itinerary, you can avail of the captivating hotels and rest houses, natural splendour, and unique cuisine of this region with no worries. This region is growing in popularity among both Indian and Western tourists looking for something slightly off the beaten track, but which can still provide basic to luxury accommodation. Do check with us before departure so that we can arrange the necessary paperwork.

Kashmir—once known the world-over as the jewel in India’s crown—has had an unenviable reputation for the past 20 years despite its long-standing relationship with tourism. Due to India-Pakistan political tension and bad press, several countries had prohibited their citizens from traveling to the Kashmir Valley in the late 1980s and ‘90s. While these tensions have greatly dissipated within the last 5 years, Kashmir’s reputation remains tarnished and—though most countries permit their citizens to travel there—travel warnings persist. We at India Travelmakers have a long history of running tours to the Kashmir Valley and today we can personally vouch for the safety of tourists there. In the last two years, there has been an unprecedented rise in travelers to Srinagar, Kashmir’s capital—the ‘Venice of India, and the industry has picked up. The natural beauty of the Valley—surpassing that of the Swiss Alps, the beauty of Kashmiri people, and the deep-seated traditions that draw on Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam make a trip to the state a worthwhile part of your itinerary. Kashmiri culture, or Kashmiriyat, is unlike any other—with a long literary, artistic and culinary history.

The withdrawal of many troops and the success of tourism in Kashmir in the last few years, largely through word-of-mouth recommendations, is proof positive that negative publicity alone is responsible for persistent hesitation of certain countries to remove their travel warnings. Kashmir’s economy is largely dependent on tourism and exports, and it has therefore been in the interest of all Kashmiris to welcome tourists and treat them with a warm hospitality unlike any other place else in India. While we advise you to use your judgment in terms of your own psychological comfort levels while traveling, we can assure you that a stay in Kashmir is in every way materially comfortable and guaranteed to be eye-opening.