• Money: There is bank counter open 24 hours a day. You may need to convert your foreign currency to Indian rupees. Whilst doing so, they will give you a receipt called an exchange certificate. Please do not throw away this receipt. This is proof of foreign exchange. In some hotels payment in rupees involves an additional tax which can be avoided.
• Taxis: When you get out of the airport you do not have to bargain with the taxi drivers. There is a prepaid taxi booth at the airports. In many airports there are private and government prepaid taxi booths. They have different tariff. The private taxis are better maintained,but, these counters do charge a lot more. They charge as much as GBP 15 - 20. Whereas, the governemnt taxi stands for Bombay charge as little as GBP 3 - 4 (based on current exchange rates) to go from Bombay airport to Bombay Victoria terminus railway station.
• Buses: At some of the airports there is also something called an airport bus for travellers going into town centre.
• Jet Airways passengers: Passengers with Jet Airways flight tickets can also use the airline bus to travel between the international & domestic airports at Bombay. Please check departure times locally.

• Visas: All British nationals require a visa for visiting India & Nepal. For India, you have to obtain the visa prior to arrival in India from the country of departure. In addition to this you may require special permits for visiting certain parts of country classified as restricted areas. In the UK you have to contact the Indian High Commission at India House, Aldwych. website address: www.hcilondon.net. Current cost of an Indian tourist visa is £ 40 for 6 months. Make sure you obtain a multiple entry visa. This allows you to go into Nepal or any other country and return to India within the period without having to obtain a visa again. For Nepal, you can obtain the visa at the Nepalese High Commission, Kathmandu airport or the border crossing between India & Nepal. Please check visa fee. This does vary.
• Health (Injections & Jabs): There is no specific legal requirements for British nationals to visit India or Nepal. However, typhoid, cholera & anti malarial precautions are recommended. Please consult your doctor pertaining to your requirements.

• Toilet rolls. Indians use water for cleaning not toilet rolls. Note: These can also be purchased in India at most cities. Worth carrying one toilet roll from country of departure especially if you are going straight from plane to train etc.
• A First Aid Kit: pain killers, malaria tablets (applicable to some), anti-malarial repellent cream, imodium, water purification tablets, salt tablets etc. These are just some suggestions. You may have other ideas on what to carry pertaining to yourself.
• Clothing: Unless you are heading to mountainous areas, India is hot in many parts. Weather is T-shirt weather for popular times (Oct - Apr) in most destinations. Long cotton type clothing is most suitable. For girls, it is advisable best to cover the legs and arms (Indian Kurutha & pyjamans). There is no such strict requirement. However, short pants tend to attract unnecessary staring by the locals. We feel an ideal traveller is the one who gets unnoticed and blends into the crowd as a local. The other thing is that local transporters such as taxis and rickshaw-wallahs assume you have lived in India for a while. This is pure mind-set and thus, the tariff tends to be more reasonable.
• Guide Books. These are essential part of any trip. There are many good guide books such as Lonely Planet & Rough Guides; India Handbook by Robert Bradnock, India By Rail by Royston Ellis. Each person has a personal preference.
• Money Belts: Essential for keeping valuables such as money, credit cards. air tickets, rail passes & passports.
• Hindi/English Dictionary of words if you are travelling extensivley in North India.
• Luggage: Make sure the luggage item is lockable. Many travellers tend to use rucksacks. It is advisable to rig up a method of locking the item (eg: through chains, padlocks etc).

• Be more careful about food and drink in the early part of your trip. See how your stomach behaves and then judge depending upon the immunity level you have built.
• If possible keep the stomach light (i.e. eat less). This is hard especially when the food is tempting and very economical. Avoid food sold from hawkers and peddlars on rail stations, streets etc (purely your immunity level issue).
• Drink more especially in warm areas that you travel. Bottled water is readily available in India and Nepal. But check the seal at the time of purchase. You may need water purification tablets (again purely personal pertaining to you). One of the safest drinks is tea. It is boiled.
• Eat plenty of fruit (but not cut fruit or cut salads). For example: It is safer to peel your own banana or orange or cut your own papaya. Cut fruit could have been anywhere.
• If you can, try and stick to vegetarian food. There is a very big choice. You do not know if the meat has been kept out or in.
• Where possible, go for full thali meals rather than a la carte meals. Thali meals are produced for the large masses, and, thus usually safe.
• If you have one spicy/greasy meal the next one should be non-spicy and non-greasy (this does not have to be western. It can be Indian non-spicy such as Chappati, Daal, curd). You may blame the last meal, but the damage may be done a few meals ago. Many flavours which you get in Indian restaurants in the West can be achieved using different ingredients. One of these ingredients may not suit you.

• Prior to any trip consult the British foreign office to ensure that you are not entering areas which they do not recommend. Their advice generally tends to be sound and not alarmistic.
• Do not go to Kashmir. We have been telling people not to go to Kashmir since 1990.
• If you are going beyond Darjeeling in the eastern part of India such as Nagaland, you may need a special permit. Hence, please recheck this at the time of obtaining the visa.
• In the current climate, terrorism exists in virtually every part of the world. It could be outside your own house (who knows?). We advise people to travel as normal but exercise caution whereever you go (be it India/Nepal or anywhere else in the world). Generally our advice is to exercise more caution at focal points in big cities (eg: London, UK: Trafalgar square could be classified as a focal point. Delhi: Houses of Parliament could be focal point. Bombay: Stock exchange could be a focal point. Kathmandu: Durbar Square could be a focal point.). Generally, terrorists are interested in publicity.

• Money belts are essential for valuables (money, credit cards, travellers cheques, rail passes, air tickets, passports). This should be concealed on the inside of your clothing (not worn on the outside as it tempts opportunistic crime). Take out the amount of money you require for that day when you go to the bathroom. If you were to loose your luggage chances are that they are replacable at a very small cost in India or Nepal. But loosing of the money belt is a different proposition.
• Luggage: This can be chained to the trains for any overnight travel for peace of mind. However, if you are paranoid this does not help.
• Generally, luggage security is safe on the trains, unless you are travelling in lower classes such as 2nd class basic or sleeper class basic. This is largely because people who are not travellers are able to get into train carriages. In AC Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier etc people without confirmed reservations are not allowed inside. In these classes, the only possibility is an opportunistic crime such as cameras. Hence, use appropriate casings for such items.
• You have to be more careful with camera items in railway stations (not trains) and monuments.

• International flights have to be reconfirmed. If you fail to do so, this may result in the automatic cancellation of your booking. This is essential for any inbound journies from India and Nepal. Although airlines do not insist that you reconfirm the outbound journey to India or Nepal, we recomend that you do so by contacting the airline. Please also ensure departure times, reporting times and any special requests whilst dong so.
• Internal flight bookings must also be reconfirmed locally. For those purchasing Jet Airways tickets and Jet Airways Visit India passes please reconfirm at the airport on arrival for the next onward journey. For help with reconfirmation please also open the tickets and on the inside cover you will find a list of telephone numbers pertaining to the cities.

• To obtain coach & seat numbers for train journies. Indian trains tend to be very long. Sometimes, the engines haul approximately 25 carriages. The length of such a train is nearly quarter of a mile. Hence, having seat No. aids the process of finding your reserved seats.
• If there are any last minute changes, local reconfirmation helps (eg: if a train time has been brought forward or any other local information).
• The whole purpose of reconfirmation is to bring any possible problem to the surface, and, rectifying it rather than being caught unaware.

• You will be approached by many people in and around New Delhi Railway station (sometimes even dressed in railway uniform with badges. Virtually, all of them will claim that the International Tourist Bureau does not exist where you are going. It has been moved to an office outside the railway station.). The golden rule to remember is that : "Why should a railway official be interested in you ? ". If you want a railway official you have to go to them. They will not come to you. You know that something is not right. Politely, tell them to go away.
• Most travellers will enter the New Delhi railway station through the Paharganj entrance. A diagramatic drawing is shown below:-
  
  
  On entry you will find 2 staircases as shown above in the diagram (one on the right hand side and one on the left hand side). Choose either staircase. You may prefer to use the left hand side as it leads directly to the "International Tourist Bureau". Do not go into the queue, but go to the UK desk.
  A diagram of the exterior of New Delhi railway station and the main foyer is shown below when you approach through the entrance.
  
  

  Photos above are taken by John Tickner

• Each train in India has a train number and a name. This should be provided to you in an itinerary sheet along with the rail tickets. Look for the train number on a board in the station. This is usually found in the main foyer as you enter the train stations. Against, your train number a platform number is given. Head for the platform number associated with your train.
• Approx. 1 hour - 30 minutes prior to the departure time of your train reservation charts will appear at the station (like the diagram below).
  
  Photo above are taken by John Tickner
  
  Look for the your names on the charts to re-verify coach/seating provided against the class of travel that you are booking. Note: Many times your name may be spelt incorrectly. This is quite common and not an area of concern. Every reservation has the person's name in conjunction with the rail pass number. Hence, let us say your coach number A1 and seat No. is 3. You name is Mr J Smith and you rail pass number is 006102. Your reservation on the chart for coach A1 will look like:-
  
  1. Mrs A Patel 0051023
  2. Mr A Karia 51022210
  3. Mr J Smith 006102
  4.- 46. Other names in columns Other Ticket No.
  
• When the train arrives on the platform look for your carriage number. On the side of the carriage as you enter, your name again reappears (similar to the diagram below):-
  
  
  
  Photos above are taken by John Tickner
  

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(1) AC Class:

AC Class 4 berth compartment

AC executive Class

• Work out your railway itinerary (if you need help use the Train Times section or if this is not enough obtain a 'Trains at a Glance' timetable). Check whether the trains you intend to travel have the AC Class service. If you find that a large number of trains in your itinerary have AC class, then this would be the most suitable product for you as it would justify the extra expenditure. Otherwise, you may find that you have purchased the Top AC Class but are travelling by AC 2 Tier for your journeys.
• AC Class sectors exist in major routes. If you are travelling by Rajdhani expresses, then this is one of the most enjoyable experiences for AC Class travel. If you are purchasing this type of ticket it is well worth adding the sectors which have Shatabdi expresses and Rajdhani expresses. In such circumstances, it is well worth purchasing this type of ticket even if there is a lower percentage of AC class availability on your proposed routes.

(2) Ist Class permits travel in AC II Tier, Standard Ist Class or AC Chaircar.

AC II Tier:

AC 2 Tier

Standard Ist Class:

Standard First Class

AC Chaircar:

AC Chaircar

(3) Second class:

ADDITIONAL HELP.

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• In most railway stations there is a left luggage office. You can store luggage for up to 24 hours for a very small fee. Do check the local opening and closing times of these offices. This is especially good if you are arriving in a city in the morning and departing in the evening by another overnight train. Note: They do not accept any item that is not lockable. Hence, if you are carrying a rucksack you have to rig up a method of locking the same.
• In most railway stations there is a Ist class waiting hall for Ladies and Gents. The Ladies can go to the Gents waiting hall but not vice-vera. These waiting halls have a basic washbasin, toilet and shower facility. You have to carry your own soap, towel etc. This is ideal for those arriving at a city in the morning and leaving by overnight train in the evening.
  A typical waiting hall (at Howrah station) is shown below:-
  
  Photo above is taken by John Tickner
  
• If you are arriving at a destination and staying for a night you can do so by availing of the retiring rooms. These are basic rooms with beds and attached shower/toilet facilities at the railway stations. They cost a very small amount of money (as little as GBP 1 - 3 per night per twin room). The costs do vary in each city. They are on a first-come-first-served basis. Hence, ask the station masters at the railway stations for availability on arrival. Your Indrail pass always helps here. A typical retiring room resembles the photo below:-
  
  Photo above is taken by John Tickner
  
• If you are going on a train departing at 2200 hrs and arriving at the next destination the following morning at 0600 hrs, then chances are that you would eat your dinner before you board the train and breakfast the following morning when you get off the train. However, the train times may mean that you have to eat on board the train. You may either wish to carry food items for your travels. You can purchase food from the hawkers and peddlars at the railway stations. However, we do not recommend this (Not because the food is bad, but your stomach may not be suited to it). Alternatively, you can order the food on the trains through the conductor or attendant. Generally, these are full Indian Thali meals. The message of your requirement is passed on to the railway station. Your meal is prepared at the railway station and delivered to you on the train. All you pay for this is the cost of the meal which is approx. 30 - 40 British pence. Generally, this type is prepared for the masses of the population. Being full meals it is reasonably safe. However, its suitability largely depends on your stomach suitability.
• If you are travelling in AC class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 tier and are really ill, you can request for a doctor through the conductor/guard. You will find that they pass on a message to one of the oncoming stations and a the facility of a railway doctor is available for help.

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