In this article I’m going to be sharing with you 13 things that you should not do in India and this is going to be very useful for you if you are looking to visit India.
1 – first up do not be surprised when you see the locals staring at you whether it be, when you are walking through the street or when you are on transport this is going to feel very uncomfortable especially at first but you will get used to it. they don’t mean any harm at all they’re just intrigued and curious to see a foreigner walking through their streets and quite often you’ll be greeted, you’ll be welcome to the country and they’ll ask you a few questions about where you’re from, what brings you to India and they might even ask you for a selfie, it’s something that I hadn’t experienced in any other country until I went to India don’t take it personally don’t get aggressive just embrace it.
2 – this one’s going to seem a bit strange do not be surprised if you get knocked in public and nobody apologizes to you, so India if you don’t know is the second most populated country in the world with almost 1.4 billion people which means that works out at roughly 1 000 people per square kilometer or so they say, so you’re going to be regularly coming into contact with people and therefore there’s going to be a chance you’re going to get knocked by someone and you’ll look around you won’t see who’s done it, you won’t even know and the person who’s walked past you probably doesn’t even realize because they’re used to it, you won’t be used to it they will be used to it and so don’t take it personally it doesn’t make them rude it just means that they are just used to brushing past people you know squeezing past all the time and they’re knocking each other all the time so it doesn’t affect them as much I know when it first happened to me a couple of times I looked round and I sort of thought wow and it felt strange at first and it took me some time to get used to it doesn’t mean you’re going to get knocked and pushed all over the place well maybe when you’re getting on a train in Mumbai then that’s a little bit different but I mean just usually walking in the street I know it can be uncomfortable but just think about it busy cities hectic cities loads of people only so much room it’s bound to happen at some point just don’t take it personally try to remain as calm as possible.
3 – this is one that not many people mention when you are walking in the streets do not forget to look down, now the reason I say that is the streets are not always the most even and there might be some holes, I’m not just talking about potholes I’m talking about six foot holes, yes i said it holes that are six foot deep and it might be like any western country where you have like barriers surrounding it with a cone and a flashing light warning you not want to walk any further, it will just be left unmarked unattended and if you are walking in the street looking at the maps on your phone while looking down like that you could be in trouble so just be aware and don’t walk in the street unaware of what’s down I mean you’ll notice when you’re in India, you need to have eyes everywhere so much is going on so much movement everywhere you really need to just be aware and do not forget to look down when you’re walking in the street.
4 – do not be surprised when you go to a tourist attraction and you see that tourists have to pay more than locals, this happens in quite a few countries not just India, i think most western European countries it’s just a flat rate for both tourists and locals maybe students get a bit of a discount but in India if you’re a foreigner you will have to pay more and it’s usually maybe five to six times more than the local would pay so I’m sure you can understand India is a lower cost of living country and most locals do not earn as much so it makes sense and if you really are bothered you don’t have to go in the tourist attraction and you can find something else to do that is free of course I know when I went to the elephant caves in Mumbai I was actually yeah I was shocked to see how high the price was compared to the local, actually another thing I’ll add to that is if you take a camera inside don’t be surprised when you get charged a fee for doing that and it varies depending which camera you have and on the tourist attraction of course so that’s another thing don’t be surprised about it and sometimes even if you’re taking a mobile phone and you intend to record or even if you don’t intend to record if you’ve got a mobile on you and they see that they might charge you for it and you have to pay for a ticket to carry around with you to prove that you paid.
5 – when you buy a can of drink from a street food vendor check the top so check the lid where you’re about to drink from the rim of the can, before drinking you will notice that the streets are dusty in India and because of that when cars keep going past the dust travels and it lands on all the products on the packets of crisps on the cans of drink so because you are in India and it’s hot and you are so thirsty and you really want that kind of drink and you’re getting carried away don’t just go ahead crack it open and drink it make sure you check the rim first and either carry some tissue with you so you can wipe it or even wipe it with your t-shirt and just wipe it anyway even if it doesn’t seem that there’s that much dust on.
6 – do not get angry when someone pushes in front of you in a queue in India, how you see it in shops and you know in train stations when you’re queuing up for the ticket office it’s just like how you see it on the roads people cut into each other’s lanes and that’s normal for them it really doesn’t matter so don’t get angry don’t get frustrated I think the way to get around that is just by sticking tight to the person in front of you so no one can squeeze in.
7 – do not think that all of India is chaotic, it’s not so when someone arrives in India for the first time the chances are they’re arriving in a busy city like Delhi or maybe Mumbai and that is a lot to take in straight away and actually Delhi is the most intense city I’ve ever been in, but sadly when someone does this and arrives in a hectic city it can put them off it might be too much for them to handle and they don’t give India an actual chance because I believe there’s something for everyone in India and I’ve found quiet and calm locations whether it be a beach in Goa or even in the mountains there are so many calm tranquil locations as well but yeah sure there are a lot of hectic cities but just please be aware that not all of India is like that.
8 – do not forget to take toilet roll with you in your day backpack, now this is an essential item, a must-have when you are exploring in India, when you’re out and about the chances are you might need to go to the toilet and when you find a toilet the chances are they might not have toilet roll because Indians many of them wipe their backside with their hand and we don’t do that over in the western countries so we use toilet roll if that’s what you want to do and you do not want to wipe your bun with your hand and make sure you carry toilet roll with you it’s an essential and you will feel so relieved before you go to the toilet and obviously after you’ve been.
9 – do not expect road users to follow the rules of the road, now when you go to India and you first see the streets and it can be in any city it might look like there are no rules on the road but there are some but that doesn’t mean that people stick to them, I’ve been in the tuk-tuk before and the driver decided to drive on the wrong side of the road because it was easier to get to the cash point, I’ve been in another tuk-tuk and the guy went the wrong way around so if you are driving or you know riding a scooter or motorcycle on the streets of India just be super aware because you know especially coming from a western country we sort of expect everyone to stick to the rules and for everyone to know what they’re doing and for no one to sort of cut in front of you quickly, you know that sort of wouldn’t really happen over here and if it does you’d get angry and probably blast your horn at them well in India I suppose it won’t make a difference if you do blast your horn because everyone’s doing it anyway so you just need to be really aware and don’t expect the person in front of you or anyone around you to be following the rules.
10 – so for a previous point I mentioned that the roads in India are dusty so with that being said it’s important that you don’t wear your best pair of trainers or your most expensive pair of trainers because honestly after a day or two you will be disappointed and even if you carry some sort of wet wipes or tissue to wipe them and clean them, there’s only so long they’re going to stay fresh, honestly the roads are really dusty there and there’s a lot of pollution I’ve even been wearing like a shirt and it was a white colored shirt and after a day it looked dusty and it just looked discolored and had to be washed so just bear this in mind it’s just better if you wear a cheap pair of trainers that you don’t mind getting dirty and mucking up for the next two months, I think these tips you can take with you into any country really but I’ll mention them anyway as I feel they are very important.
11 – do not forget to bring with you a travel adapter like a power cube something that allows you to charge multiple devices at one time because if you get into a hotel room and they’ve only got one plug socket you’re going to feel very frustrated and I know it’s an essential item for me as I always need to charge multiple devices at once.
12 – do not forget to bring hand sanitizer you, and I don’t really need to explain too much about this one you’re going to be touching stuff all the time and using your hands to eat, they don’t really use utensils in India I mean you can ask for a spoon and fork and knife in India if you wish but you know the way the locals do is they eat with their hands and so you’re going to need hand sanitizer, have it with you for peace of mind as well actually outside a lot of restaurants they do have a tap for you to be able to wash your hands as well which is a good thing but anyway just keep it with you, hand sanitizer is a must.
13 – do not forget to give yourself time when traveling in India, in India things happen, and when they happen if you are flexible with time you’re going to find traveling in India less stressful, they say India is three times more stressful to travel in than any other country, it can certainly be if you don’t give yourself time, when you’ve got time things like unexpected delays in for buses or trains or even flights, if you wish to fly in India which is a great option it’s not going to affect you if this happens and it can happen believe me, it’s always nice to have time when you travel anywhere to be honest with you but especially in India, if you’ve only got a certain amount of time for example if you’re only got one month to travel in India I’d say pick fewer destinations instead to make it easier for you.
so there you go, those are 13 Things Not To Do In India, India is not a country to be feared, just embraced i urge you to go and visit India you will have the time of your life.