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What to Bring

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It is a good idea to make a list of all the things that are needed for a trip to India at least a month before departure. It is best to have everything you need at least a week before you go to India, which will usually never happen.

There is a high duty (changes all the time) on goods imported into India. So even though things are usually cheap in India, anything imported is very expensive, even by Western standards. Also the quality of many products made in India are often inferior to that of the same items made in the USA or Europe.

A sturdy backpack or a strong plastic or cloth bag is usually better than a suitcase. If you plan to travel a good deal by bus, two small bags could be better than one large one because the small bags can fit under the seats and you will not have to put them on top of the bus.

Clothing    
Cotton clothing is usually best in India. In India, you can get good clothes that are made for the weather. The same Indian style clothes you find in the West can be one-tenth the cost in India.
It is a good idea to bring modest-type clothing. Wearing shorts or not wearing a shirt in formal situations is not well received in India. Except in beach towns, big cities such as Mumbai, and major tourist towns, women wearing shorts, short skirts, or low cut dresses is not a good idea and is just asking for trouble.

If you are going to be in North India during the winter, from the end of November to the middle of March, you will need some warm clothing. It can get very cold in Delhi and Rajasthan, going close to freezing. In the Himalayas it can be cold at night, even in the summer time. You should bring a warm sweater and maybe a jacket or thermal underwear, if you are going to be in North India in the winter. I bring a sweater and sweatshirt and often wear both of them on a cold morning. You should bring more than enough socks, as it is difficult to get a good pair of socks in India and laundry men tend to ruin them.
Sandals are useful in India, because you will have to take your shoes off to go into temples or people’s homes.

Personal Items
Soap, toothpaste, and other toiletries are easily available in India. You can get a good Ayurvedic soap called Candrika and good Ayurvedic toothpaste, like Vicco or Neem. It is still a good idea to bring whatever toiletries you might need, as the quality of shampoos, lotions, razors and some other personal items are not as good as in the West. You can get good Gillette disposable razors cheaply in India. Dental floss and shaving cream are important things to bring from the West. Bandages and anti-infection creams are also very useful. A cream to kill the pain of insect bites is very useful. Calamine lotion is good for this.
Imported cosmetics are expensive, and the Indian brands are often highly inferior.

Bring your eyeglass prescription if you wear glasses, and ideally an extra pair of glasses. Good inexpensive glasses are available in major cities. If you wear contact lenses, it is best to bring your own contact lens solution and a spare set. A friend of mine told me that she had a problem with her contacts because it is often very dusty in India and she would often have to wear her glasses instead. Earplugs can be useful, as India is a noisy country.
Mosquito repellent is a necessity. Spray cans are good because you can spray them over your body and clothing. Also some liquid repellent is useful to put on your face.

Sunscreen lotion or sunblock cream is useful, as the sun in India is like nowhere else in the world. You can get it in India at beach resorts, but it is expensive and usually an inferior quality.
The towels in India are not usually very good, so it is a good idea to bring your own.

NOTICE FOR WOMEN! Bring your own tampons, as the ones in India are usually not as good. If you plan to travel to a remote area you should bring tampons either from your home country or a big city with you, as they may be impossible to find. Tampons are available in most big cities and major tourist places. Women have told me that it is a good idea to take this warning seriously.

Water Purification Devices
A water purifier pump can be a useful item to have. The Pur water purifier is excellent because it also contains an iodine filter that is supposed to kill anything. Then it has another filter that filters out the iodine. The Trekker Travel Well also works the same way with an iodine resin complex. The problem with a water purifier is it is one more thing to carry around.

Water purification tablets are useful both to purify drinking water and also to purify water to wash salads and fruit. Good water purification pills cannot be found in India.

Bring a canteen or water bottle, as it is difficult to find a water container in India that does not leak.

Others
I’ve found a pocketknife (preferably Swiss Army) to be totally essential in India. It is difficult to find a pocketknife in India that can cut properly and does not rust.

A flashlight (torch) is needed in India. The lights go out often in India, even in the big cities. A decent flashlight can be purchased in India very cheaply, but not an excellent one.

A money belt is an absolute necessity. It is best to always carry your money with you, but never in your outer pockets. There are no shortage of pickpockets in India. You may consider having two money belts. You can carry your main supply of money underneath your clothing in one money belt, and in the other money belt, you carry a small amount of money for immediately use.

Four passport photos are a good thing to bring with you when you travel. A sewing kit and sunglasses can also be useful. Sunglasses are essential for trekking.

A good combination lock is useful. Locks in India are of very poor quality. Also many times the key from one lock can open up other locks made by the same company. This is especially true with small locks. I consider a good lock essential. A bicycle chain to chain your luggage to something on a train or bus can be useful.

Plastic zip-lock bags to carry food and other items may come in handy. Ants love raisins and sweets. Clothespins can be useful if you plan to wash your own clothes.

If you are going during the monsoon season (July/Aug), an umbrella may be necessary. A good universal sink plug can be handy, as most sinks in India do not have plugs.

You should try to bring whatever film you need with you. Bring more than you plan on using, as India is a very interesting country.

Sleeping Gear
You may or may not want to bring a sleeping bag. If you are going to be in North India during the winter months, November to March, it is a good idea to have a good sleeping bag. A sleeping bag can also be useful to avoid dirty sheets in cheap hotels and to sit on while riding on a train.

If you are going to be sleeping on the floor in cold weather, it could be a good idea to bring an insulation mat, as the floors in India are usually made of stone. Therm-a-Rest self-inflating ones are recommended.

A sleeping bag liner can be useful to insulate you while sleeping on trains or on dirty beds in lower-end hotels and guest houses. It is a good idea to try to get one made of the finest cotton possible, so you carry less bulk around.

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