Travel Tips: You are Packing for India?

A couple months ago, a friend asked me for gift suggestions for a friend of his that was going to India for three months.... this is what I wrote...

First let me say that the best recommendation I have ever read (yet never followed) is to bring a tiny student size backpack... because virtually everything you could need you can get in S.E. Asia. Unless you are trekking or mountaineering, there's not much need to bring things. It is so nice to travel with nothing! You can purchase clothing and most everything from yoga mats to shampoo cheaply once you are there.

The only real exception is high quality technical stuff for outdoor sports or electronic equipment. Such things may be cheaper if made locally or more expensive in S.E. Asia if imported and often of questionable quality. In India for example, there a locally made electronic goods that *might* work; they might not for long! If you want a proper Canon camera or Sony mp3 player, it will likely cost more than in the USA. Bangkok might have some good deals on the other hand.

As far as sports gear, in the cheap range, what you will mainly find is knockoffs of somewhat questionable quality. The knockoffs may be perfectly serviceable for limited use. They will likely be heavier. You sometime find legitimate name brand gear at prices similar to the USA.

The length and nature of your trip will impact what you want to take. If you are heading to India for a month only for the purpose of high altitude trekking in Ladakh, then you may want to take all your technical camping gear from home because high tech, lightweight, quality gear is hard to find there. Though you might be hiring ponies and guides and able to rent serviceable gear. On the other hand, if you are going to Nepal for a month of trekking on a route where teahouses abound, you might just take your sleeping bag, if that, and warm clothes. If you are heading off to India, Laos, and Thailand for 6 months to visit beaches and sight see and maybe going to the mountains, then you might take little beyond the clothes on your back and your camera or sketchbook. On such a trip, you could easily purchase or rent gear for a short trek if you wanted to sojourn in the mountains.


That being said, here are some ideas to consider (many of these I have listed in the "My Favorites" Amazon.com sidebar on this webpage):

Books: Lonely Planet Guidebook for the appropriate sections of India, Lonely Planet's Hindi Phrasebook (assuming you are visiting a Hindi area... it's the national language, but most regions have their own language as well... so if you were just going to the mountains, Nepali or Ladakhi might be more appropriate... I have heard that in the south, they resent speaking Hindi), William Suttcliffe's Are You Experienced is hilarious, and a book called Holy Cow is pretty good too. I have heard good things about Shantaram as well. Jeremy Seabrook's Love in a Different Climate is a good read about men's sexuality here.

Medicine/toiletries: most everything is available in India. Pharmacies usually don't require a prescription and would have all the basic needs. I find psyllium and charcoal tablets helpful for regulating traveler's diarrhea Psyllium is called Isabgol in India; charcoal can be harder to find. Some people like grapefruit seed extract (that is not available in India). I like EmergenC vitamin sachets and they would be one thing I would consider bringing with me.

There is a local brand in India called Himalaya products that has herbal medicines that are quite good... even a herbal hand sanitizer. A small first aid kit like available in REI with bandaids/iodine/antiseptic wipes might be useful. Travel packs of baby wipes might be useful... though doing your business like the locals (sans toilet paper) is usually very clean.

Good sandals like Teva's are the most useful footwear I have found. Unless I am high up in the mountains, that is all I wear. There are cheap local knockoff's available in India which I am liking better than Teva's now that I have found them... but Teva's would still be a good thing.

I find it useful to have a decent padlock... I like a simple Master's combination lock like we used in high school gym. That way I don't have to worry about carrying keys, and the asian padlocks supplied by the guesthouse don't seem so secure.

A sleep sack like you get for hostels... or a big comfy one for camping, but avoid the mummy bag liner cause it would be constricting ... could be nice so you don't have to rely on guest house linens.

A funny thing I would love to remember to bring for Varanasi is a gag/joke hand buzzer. The massage guys on the ghats come up and "shake" your hand and start massaging it trying to get you to pay them for a hand massage.

A water filter or purification tablets. The first time I came I brought a water bottle with built in filter. It was nice not to have to buy bottled water all the time. I got one this time, but it puts iodine in the water all the time and tastes crappy so I don't use it. There is an electric purifier called SteriPen available at REI that I think would be really good. This trip I have been drinking local water with no problem... but many traveler's wouldn't be that brave. Another idea would be just to have some water purification tablets for emergency use. Most tourist areas have bottled water (that may or may not be safe) available. That's what most tourists drink.

A money belt is highly recommended for your valuables. And to keep a spare stash of emergency cash someplace else than the moneybelt along with list of traveler's check no's, credit card no.s, etc. Some peeps like to have a zippered/lockable backpack as well.

That's all I can think of.