Bargain Travel in India Takes Some Preparation

The authors of “Asia Overland” nicely sum up independent travel in India, calling it the “high point and the low point of a trip to Asia.” The country is exotic and inexpensive (once you get there), but it’s also a place where independent budget travelers will find their patience challenged over and over again. It’s worth the effort, but you’ll have a happier trip if you are well prepared with information, are set to “go with the flow” and are ready to splurge when you really need a break from penny-pinching.

The most popular time to visit is late October to early March, to beat the high heat and summer monsoons.

Due out this month is Lonely Planet’s eighth edition of “India: A Travel Survival Kit,” $25.95. At 1,216 pages with 200 maps, it’s an invaluable source for budget travelers going to India. The Lonely Planet Web site also has a very active Asia travel message board at https://www.lonelyplanet.com.

For those visiting India and Nepal who don’t want to purchase separate guidebooks, the 2000 edition of “Let’s Go: India and Nepal” (St. Martin’s Press, $22.99) is scheduled to be in bookstores by Christmas. It’s researched by students and includes helpful lists of highlights at the beginning of each chapter.

For extensive independent travel in Asia in one guide, consult “Asia Overland,” by Mark Elliott and Wil Klass (Trailblazer, $19.95), which includes a good overview of India along with information on 33 other countries and 452 maps and town plans.

Use your guidebook and recommendations by other travelers for accommodations because there’s usually an army of touts (hotel representatives) and taxi and rickshaw drivers who will do their best to persuade you to follow them to the hotel that will pay them the highest commissions.

Don’t judge a hotel by its lobby; always see a room before you pay. Take a bed net to help protect you from mosquitoes that can carry malaria and dengue fever.

During your travels in India, think carefully before hopping into that street-side barber’s chair for a shave. A quick nick with a poorly sanitized and maintained instrument can transmit serious diseases.

Get pre-trip advice from a travel medicine specialist. Good background information is available on the Internet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta at https://www.cdc.gov.

The Taj Mahal is the top stop on most travelers’ lists, and justifiably so. Prices, though, are set to hit tour groups the hardest. If you enter before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. it costs just pennies; during the busy part of the day it costs dollars. It’s worth going back in the shoulder hours because the building’s beauty changes with the reflection of different light. On Fridays, admission is free.

At the Taj Mahal you are sure to encounter the “spirit of entrepreneurship” that can be so exhausting and irritating in India. Don’t be surprised if someone pulls your sleeve, suggests he take your photo from a different angle, and then wants to be paid for the service. Admire the ingenuity and keep a sense of humor. If you let such experiences frustrate or anger you, they will ruin your trip.

Begging is another annoyance that can overwhelm first-time visitors. It doesn’t matter that you’re a budget traveler; to many you’re very wealthy. Keep a lot of small change to distribute, and know that at some point you are going to have to say no. If you feel harassed, wear sunglasses and keep walking. Learn to ignore the person harassing you. It may seem impolite, but there aren’t many other ways to discourage them.

Travelers are drawn to India for many reasons: trekking trips, spiritual quests or budget beach breaks. One stop you should include is Varanasi, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It sits on the Ganges River, and Hindus believe it is auspicious to die there. At dawn each morning, hundreds of pilgrims are drawn to the river steps to bathe, meditate and float offerings of candles on leaves in the river. Less than six miles from Varanasi’s sand-colored buildings and maze of tightly tangled streets is Saranath, the site where Buddha preached his first sermon. Today it’s a major pilgrimage point for Buddhists.

Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.