Travel Tips for India + Southeast Asia

While I certainly don't consider myself an "authority" on the subject, eleven months of travel in India, three in Nepal, and thirteen months in Southeast Asia have certainly given me some valuable tips worth passing along...


BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
Go electronic! This means automatic bill-pay, Skype for phone calls, open a Paypal or Paytrust account for all other transactions. Use these accounts before you leave to ensure that they work effectively for you. Notify all credit cards + your bank that you will be traveling, for how long + to what countries. Failure to do this may result in "suspect" transactions and having your account frozen at inopportune times. Ask a VERY close + reliable friend or family member to go through your mail for you. There are BOUND to be items coming through that demand immediate attention - tax notices, jury duty, license renewals, etc. Depending on how long you'll be gone, it may be worth it to have your mail forwarded to a P.O. Box for a reasonable rate. Also, visit the CDC to determine what vaccinations + meds you'll need for where you're going. This is NOT something to screw around with as many things you can catch on the road are grim to life-threatening. Visit your local travelers clinic for the most accurate and up-to-date coverage. And another thing, if you ARE leaving for awhile, either discontinue services or request minimal options for your utilities, cell plan + gym membership.

COSTS
About the absolute minimum you can get away with (excluding airfare and at-home costs for storage space, P.O. Box, monthly bills, etc.) is around $10-15 per person/per day. This allows for very basic accommodations, meals, bus/train travel only and a do-it-yourself approach to tours and just about everything. The mid-upper end of this would look more like $50 per person / per day and allow for tours, travel insurance, internal flights and a fair amount more pampering.

HEALTH + TRAVEL INSURANCE
We originally started out the trip with basic coverage for emergency only use with a $2,500 deductible and coverage anywhere in the world, excluding the U.S. Per person costs on this range from $800-1,200 per person depending on your age and the carrier. To include coverage in the U.S. prices double. Some of the decision to cover or not depends on where you go. If you'll be in the Himalayas and might need air medivac, then get it. If you'll be in countries like India + Thailand with above-average to very-good care at low prices, you may want to roll the dice and pay out-of-pocket. On this trip, I decided to take the plunge and get Lasik vision correction. Prices quoted to me at home totalled approx. $5,000. Instead, a did some homework online and went to a fantastic western-trained doctor in New Delhi, India who's performed over 10,000 sugeries and did mine for only $600! Also, do your homework whenever you're given a prescription abroad as I've been given meds that were totally inappropriate for my condition.

VISAS
You can research all you like, visit consulates directly, check Lonely Planet's " Thorntree" site, but only what happens AT the border really counts. India visas must be obtained in advance. U.S. citizens can get a single or multiple-entry 6-months (specify on application) or 10-year multiple-entry visa. Nepal visas of 60-days are easily obtained at the border. Thailand is easy - Visa on arrival in most cases and no B.S. Vietnam you MUST get beforehand and it's the same price to request a 3-month business visa as to get the standard 30-day + a 2-week extension. Laos now issues a visa on arrival, but some border crossings will charge an extra fee depending on the day of the week and there's really no getting around it. Cambodia also gives visa on arrival but you'd really be best to get it in advance as border guards are corrupt and will adjust the laws to their benefit to extract as much extra as they think they can out of you. China visas MUST be acquired beforehand and you should fight your case at the time for longer periods of 60-90 days for the same cost if you think you might want it. If you're getting visas while in Southeast Asia you may want to consider going through a travel agent, specifically in Bangkok, as travel to + from the consulate can eat up alot of time and cost as much as the small fee they tack on for processing. At the border, you should be prepared to pay with U.S. dollars only in most cases, and with passport-sized photos.

TRANSPORT
Typical fares for regular buses are $1/hr., though China is more, and India is less. Overnight buses are also available in many countries for a slight premium. Where trains are available they offer a more memorable ride, though usually slower. The overnight trains in China, even second class, are a sweet deal. In city or short-distance travel by tuk-tuk, moto, rickshaw or songthaew is usually highly negotiable. It's usually best to ask a local what they pay before negotiating and act like you know what you're doing. Always allow the entire day to get from one city to another if it's a 5 hour or longer trip as delays are not uncommon, buses break down, there are more eating/bathroom stops than you would ever imagine, finding rooms in the next town is never as simple as you would hope, etc. If you try to fit in a few sights that day on top of it all you're likely to be more stressed-out on your vacation than you'd like. The pace of life is s-l-o-w here, so go with the flow. Bring a book or I-pod (sometimes essential for drowning out the horrible music on buses) for those long journeys and relax. Also, I really don't recommend flying once you're here unless you HAVE to, because you miss so much. But if you do, check out Air Asia for super-cheap flights between a few major cities in Southeast Asia.

ACCOMMODATIONS
We NEVER book anything in advance and have NEVER had a problem. (Well, only once during a MAJOR festival, and even THAT worked out great!) You usually pay less when you just show up too. Never be shy about asking if they've got anything cheaper either as many places will give you an discount just for asking. We most always look around at 2 or 3 just for comparison as what you get for your money varies dramatically. All the recommendations we've bothered to mention are on the rock-bottom end of the budget, but are are clean, give you more for your money than others in the range and usually have character.

FOOD
Trying local cuisine is part of the great traveling adventure. Sure, you can play it safe and probably never get sick by eating in establishments that cater solely to foreigners, but what's the fun in that! We almost solely eat at food carts, sidewalk eateries and places catering to locals. There is rarely a menu, and if there is it's usually not in English (India is the exception), but never fear - Arm yourself with a phrase book and point at what you want. We're even picky vegetarians and we've made it work for us. Yes, we've gotten meat on a couple occasions, but it's cheap and you can just order something else if they don't immediately take it back and do it right. Usually THEY'RE the one that's embarrassed at the mistake. Eating with the locals is invariably a fun and interesting experience. By the way, we've hardly EVER gotten sick either, so put your fears behind you and dive in!

WATER
This is most likely the main culprit of G.I. problems. Buy bottled water, or even better, buy a Steripen and treat your own (saving LOTS of plastic!) For whatever reason, ice hasn't seemed to be a problem anywhere (except in India) and even locals that drink bottled water seem to have no qualms about drinking other beverages over ice. Another plastic-free and refreshing drink easily available in Southeast Asia is iced tea (sometimes listed as weak Chinese tea). Keep your eyes open for it.

TIME
Remember that you're out here to check out other cultures and have a good time. The best way to do this is to TAKE YOUR TIME. Hoping on a plane gets you there quickly, but if at ALL possible, we've found it so much more memorable to travel overland. Locals travel this way and you'll meet many of them doing it local-style. This means no "tourist" buses either (although I WOULD splurge if you're doing an overnighter). Also, stay a few days in each place, even if you don't think there are so many "sights", to get a feel for it. Moving around to a ton of different places in a short period will only give you the briefest glimpse of what a place is about, and much of the real meat of a given place is simply in being present and observing. Walk, a lot.

INTERNET + PHONE
Available EVERYWHERE and cheap at approx. .50 cents/hour. Connection speeds vary, cafe opening + closing hours vary, access to Acrobat Reader + Skype web-phone, whether you can upload photos and/or view certain sites like Blogger (the later not in Vietnam) varies, but overall it's no problem and rest assured you'll be in touch with the outside world. Security can be the biggest concern here as you're always using a different computer and some have viruses and key-logging software that can steal your passwords. Look into this beforehand if you're concerned. There are free + paid options for backing-up Blogger too. You can use any cell phone with removeable sim card in most countries. Local sim cards bought in each country give you a convenient way to make local calls + connect with other travelers you've met. We didn't do this, but met many people who did.

PHOTOS
Many internet cafe's also burn photos from memory card onto CD or DVD. Most have readers too, but bringing your own doesn't hurt. This is a nice, compact one. I wouldn't recommend traveling with a laptop merely for photos as it's heavy and more tempting to steal than CD's. We mail ours home every several months after we've burned a couple dozen. Also, there are lots of compact, portable hard drives on the market now, and though it's stealable, it might be a good solution for you. For film, color processing is available in most larger cities, but black + white is much harder to find.

MONEY
ATM's are most everywhere and disperse money in local currency - Super convenient + easy. Travelers checks are a thing of the past. Credit cards are widely accepted for fancy hotels + shops, but typically charge 5% for purchases. And speaking of money, theft is not such a problem in this region, but you should always keep your money in a safe place (preferably in a few different safe places among your body and bags), especially in a crowded market scene.

CLOTHING
Check the weather where you're going - Wunderground is a good one. It's toasty all year in many places (except China+ India vary dramatically) and you need only bring a lightweight jacket to be safe. All the young people in Southeast Asia wear jeans, but I personally find them a bit heavy and they take too long to drip dry. Most men wear long pants and collared shirts, but long shorts and T's are usually acceptable for guys. Clothing for women varies pretty dramatically. I personally feel it's better to err on the conservative side so you don't offend anyone. Tribal areas in particular, and Laos + India, are definitely conservative (meaning no skimpy tanks or short shorts). Otherwise, anything closer to knee-length or longer for pants or skirts is fine, and no midriff-baring tops. Tight is generally o.k. in Southeast Asia, but I wouldn't recommend it in India unless you don't mind gawking + groping. In India I find it very handy to drape a scarf/shawl across my chest + arms like the local women. In all the capital cities you can get away with more. At Thai or Goan beaches bikini's are cool, but be forewarned that in most other areas local women swim in shorts + T's, so you'll definitely get stares. All clothes are best in lightweight, breathable fabrics. And don't worry if what you've brought doesn't feel right once you arrive as you can buy lots of new stuff cheap here. With this in mind, also pack light.

BOOKS
An essential is your guide book. It's your starting point for deciding where to go + how to get there. Almost 90% of people these days seem to use the Lonely Planet, which is good and has better maps + logistics info than others. Other good ones are Foorprint + Rough Guide. Getting a non-LP book may lead you to less-touristed locales. If you plan to go to more than one country, wait until you're abroad and then trade your existing guidebook in for a new one to save on weight. Same with pleasure reading. Bring 1-2 and trade them in when you're finished. Lots of cheap, used bookstores can be found in all the major tourist cities.

WHAT TO PACK (Clothes)

2-3 short-sleeve shirts

1-2 long sleeve shirts

1 lightweight jacket

2-3 pairs pants

1-2 skirts

4-5 pairs socks + underwear

1 pair everyday shoes for walking/hiking

1 pair flip-flops

1 swimsuit

WHAT TO PACK (The Extra Essentials)

Digital camera + several gigs of memory

Leatherman knife/utility tool - comes in much more handy than you'd think

Umbrella - for rain or shine

Large Zip-lock bags - to compact your clothes + keep them dry

Sarong - makes an amazing all-purpose towel, sheet, skirt, and/or a

Sleep Sheet - to shield you from the gnarly, unwashed sheets that are oh-so-common in budget rooms

Pack Cover - to protect it from dirt + damage on those trains + buses

Good earplugs - the developing world seems to never sleep

Strong Padlock - extra security for locking your room door or rented bike/moto

Rope - good for making a laundry line, tying your pack on bus rooftop luggage rack

Steripen - to provide 5,000 liters of safe drinking water and minimize plastic waste

Rechargable batteries + charger - another save-the-planet tip

Watch with alarm - so you don't miss that bus or train

Headlamp - power outs are not uncommon

Small duct tape - fixes any hole

Small sewing kit for repairs

First-aid kit - Good to carry though you can buy most everything here for cheaper

DEET - for mosquitoes (hard to find abroad)

I-pod + travel speakers - great for a long bus/train ride + to drown out the honking

Journal - you will never remember all the glorious details otherwise