Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Virtually everybody needs a visa to visit India. They come in a
variety of flavours ranging from 15 days to 6 months and include single
and multiple-entry versions. Only 6-month tourist visas are extendable.
Be careful to check whether your visa is valid from the date of entry
or the date of issue.

Health risks: Cholera, dengue fever, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria,
meningitis (trekking areas only) and typhoid. Many of India's larger
cities are highly polluted and travellers with respiratory ailments may
wish to take precautionary measures.

Time: GMT/UTC plus 5 hours 30 minutes

Electricity: 230-240V, 50 HZ

Weights & measures: Metric

Tourism: 2 million visitors per year


Money & Costs
Currency: Indian rupee

Relative costs:
(a) Budget meal: US$1
(b) Restaurant meal: US$2-5
(c) Budget room: US$3-10 (double)
(d) Mid-range hotel room: US$15-25 (double)
If you stay in cheap hotels, always travel 2nd class on trains and
learn to subsist on dhal and rice, you could see India on just US$10 a
day. If you prefer a few more creature comforts, like a simple private
room with a bathroom, a varied diet, and occasional 1st class rail
travel on long journeys, count on around US$20-25 a day. Staying in
mid-range hotels, eating in decent restaurants, and occasionally hiring
a car and driver will cost around US$30-35 a day. If you don't want to
trespass beyond converted maharaja's palaces, and five-star
international hotels, budget as if you were travelling comfortably in
the West.You are not allowed to bring Indian currency into the country,
or take it with you when you leave. The rupee is fully convertible so
there's not much of a black market, even though you'll constantly be
haunted by offers to `change money'. In cities you can change most
major foreign currencies and brands of travellers' cheques - but you'll
widen your options and save yourself hassles if you stick to US dollars
or pounds Sterling and either Thomas Cook or American Express
travellers cheques. In fact it's wise to bring a couple of different
brands of cheques in different currencies since some branches of some
banks have particular idiosyncrasies, such as refusing to handle
X-brand of travellers' cheques in pounds Sterling denomination or
Y-brand in US dollars.
When changing money at a bank you'll need the patience of a saint and
the paperwork skills of a ledger clerk, especially in smaller towns.
The secret is to change money in large amounts as infrequently as
possible and preferably in big banks in big cities. You are supposed to
be given an encashment certificate when you change money at a bank or
an official moneychanger. Some hotels insist you show an encashment
certificate before accepting payment in Indian rupees. If you stay in
India more than four months, you'll need to keep a handful of these
certificates to get income tax clearance.
Credit cards are widely accepted in Indian cities and larger towns,
particularly American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa. Credit
cards can also be used to get cash advances in rupees. The Bank of
Baroda seems to be the most efficient bank at handling such
transactions.
Indian currency notes circulate far longer than in the West and the
small notes in particular become very tatty - some should carry a
government health warning. You may occasionally find that when you try
to pay for something with a ripped or grubby note that your money is
refused. You can change old notes for new ones at most banks or save
them and use them creatively as tips. Don't let shopowners palm grubby
notes off on you as change - simply hand them back and you'll usually
be given a note slightly higher up the acceptability scale.
Tipping is virtually unknown in India, except in swanky establishments
in the major cities. Baksheesh, on the other hand, a term which
encompasses tipping and a lot more besides, is widespread. You 'tip' in
India not so much for good service but in order to get things done.
Judicious baksheesh will open closed doors, find missing letters and
perform other small miracles. In tourist restaurants or hotels a 10%
service charge is often added to bills. In smaller places, where
tipping is optional, you need only tip a few rupees, not a percentage
of your bill.