11 India solo travel mistakes and how to avoid them!

Before we begin, preparing for a trip to India is not complete without understanding the common travel mistakes and how to avoid them!

After all, solo travelling in India can be a daunting prospect if you’ve never been to India before!

I found that anyway!

It’s tricky to know what to expect when setting off into the wide world of India.

When I first arrived in New Delhi, it was safe to say that I was culture-SHOCKED!

Everything was completely different: the culture, cuisine, climate, rules, social norms…

There’s a lot to think about!

As a solo traveller, being aware of those common travel mistakes and how to avoid them is key to a safe trip that you can actually enjoy and not have to worry about!

Trust me, you’re going to want all the advice you can get before you go!

When I went to India, I was on a trip from New Delhi to Kathmandu.

You may also be interested in reading about 24 hours in Kathmandu, if you’re doing a similar travel route to what I did- here!

On the way I stopped off at Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi and Pokhara.

Each stop was vastly different from the next and there were lessons to be learned along the way, that’s for sure!

I quickly understood that life in India is different to that in the UK.

I had to adjust my way of thinking to fit in with this new culture.

Before I went to India, I had advice from friends and family about what to do/ not to do, so I already had a good idea of things to avoid along the way.

Anyway, take note of these travel mistakes and how to avoid them and you’ll be on to a winner!

1. For goodness sake…Don’t drink the tap water!

This probably the most important mistake to avoid!

The worst possible thing you could do in India is to drink the tap water.

It must be said…

You have to be really careful in India because the water ISN’T clean and you don’t want to ruin your trip by drinking the wrong thing!

Especially as a solo traveller in India, you don’t want to be carted off to the hospital or have to trek around India for a pharmacy when you have serious stomach cramps.

As a lone ranger, you want to keep yourself safe and healthy so that you can make the most of your visit.

A simple way of doing this is by avoiding tap water at all costs!

Get a load of this…

I met this guy on my trip to India who went to a canteen-type place to eat one evening. There was a communal tap there where you could help yourself to water.

 This guy thought it would be fine and drank a small glass of water from this tap.

He ended up having really serious stomach cramps which lasted a few days!

How crazy is that!?

In the end, he was fine, but it just shows how easily you can become ill from drinking the wrong thing!

If it’s not from a sealed water bottle in a shop/restaurant- don’t drink it!

This also includes when you’re brushing your teeth.

TOP TIP: Make sure you don’t wash your toothbrush with the tap water, use bottled water!

You may also be interested in reading about: 24 hours in Kathmandu

2. Be careful buying bottled water off the street

Along with the tap water, you also have to be careful buying bottled water off the street.

You’re probably thinking…What exactly CAN I DRINK THEN?

Seems odd, but people selling on the streets can refill water bottles with tap water.

The best place to buy bottles of water is in supermarkets or shops.

Stick to this and you’ll be fine.

Check that the lid is sealed, and you’re good to go!

3. Don’t forget dehydration sachets

You have to be really careful with your body when you’re travelling in India, especially when you’re travelling alone, to reiterate what I mentioned previously.

If you’re used to western food, eating Indian food every day, will probably be a bit of a SHOCK to the system.

It certainly was for me!

I took some dehydration sachets a few times throughout the trip to prevent me from getting dehydrated and ill.

Taking the dehydration powder along with drinking water helped because you lose salts when you’re sweating and sometimes the water just isn’t enough to reinstate those salts.

Also, if you end up getting diarrhoea in India (which is common by the way), you lose a lot of liquids and would be advised to take the dehydration sachets anyway!

If you pre-empt this, you are only helping yourself.

This was what I was told anyway, and it makes some sense!

Although I’m not a doctor, it’s just tried and tested!

You also don’t want to get ill from dehydration FULL STOP!

Remember to save some sachets for if you do actually get ill.

4. Take mosquito spray!

If you’re like me and get bitten easily, you’ll take mosquito spray everywhere with you anyway.

Normally you would only take mosquito spray if you’re going to the jungle or to rural places. But, I found that even in the cities like Jaipur, there are areas where you need to wear mosquito spray too!

Saying that…

To be honest, I don’t even know that what was biting me was actually a mosquito, but the spray certainly helped!

In India, there are random drains and areas of stagnant water along with piles of rubbish that mosquitos and other insects like to swarm around.

Just make sure that you keep your spray handy and wear long trousers.

5. Don’t eat the street food

The street food I’m talking about here are the big open bags of crisps and nuts and other foodstuffs that are placed outside of markets and shops.

I saw people putting their hands in these bags and so I didn’t fancy eating the contents myself.

You have to be careful with hygiene in India, I guess because there are a lot of people in a small area, it’s pretty crowded and pretty dirty.

Don’t forget there’s a lot of animals around too, like cows, chickens, pigs, dogs and cats all walking down the street along with the people.

There’s bound to be a bit of good old cross-contamination.

What I’m saying is, some of the street food is not exactly hygienic so be careful with where you’re getting your food from.

6. Take western snacks

Now, I don’t have a weak stomach, I can “stomach” mostly anything.

But in India, with the different spices and the various strong flavours mixed together, eating this food daily can take its toll on your insides.  

Not to be unpleasant or anything!

I was so careful with what I ate and what I drank, but I still had a dodgy stomach for a day or so.

Sometimes you just need a break from the strong flavours.

I took a few western snacks (cereal bars & chocolate bars) and some non-perishable food (cooked pasta) that I could eat for lunch or when I needed a break.

I have to tell you, these western snacks saved me!

There were some days where I just needed to have some plain food.

Never thought I’d be saying that!

You may not know what I mean by this unless you’ve been in a similar situation, but I was so thankful for the cereal bars I had!

Having a day of plain food did my stomach the world of good and boosted my morale.

Eating something a bit more familiar to me was definitely essential.

I would recommend this!

In the middle of my trip, I got a night train from Agra to Varanasi.

I thought there might be food on the train, maybe a snacks carriage, or someone coming round with food.

Oh, was I wrong.

This 13-hour night train had no such thing.

However…I was prepared- I took some sealed unperishable John West, lunch on the go packs which basically saved me. 

Funnily enough, I now take these on most trips as an emergency meal, because they’re so handy and travel friendly.

7. Don’t compromise on accommodation

Accommodation is super important when solo travelling in India.

Ideally, look for accommodation where you can meet other people, perhaps where there is a restaurant so that if you didn’t want to go out to the streets of India you could eat in.

Location is vital!

You don’t want to be trapesing across cities to get to where you need.

In some places in India, it’s hard to walk around the streets due to the heavy traffic and the hot hot sun.

So it makes sense to choose your accommodation carefully based on which sites you will be seeing during your stay.

8. Exchanging money

Although there’s no problem exchanging money in hotels, you get better rates from shops on the street!

Also, if you’re taking Indian Rupees, remember, you can’t buy them in the UK!

9. Don’t get your e-visa from the wrong site!

When I first applied for my India e-visa I went on so many different sites to try and find the correct website to apply from.

Many fake sites are trying to sell e-visas which look VERY SIMILAR to the actual official site.

I initially applied for my e-visa on the WRONG website.

I put in all my details and even submitted a photo of myself.

When I got to the payment section, I somehow realized that it was the wrong website because the cost seemed too high.

I realized at the last minute that I was filling out the wrong form!

I then found the correct website through the gov.uk portal.

Here is the official Bureau of Immigration for India website for more information.

Who knows what would have happened, can you imagine getting to India and being told your visa is illegitimate!

Nightmare!

Don’t make the same mistake and make sure you are applying through the legitimate site!

10. Don’t compromise on travel insurance

When it comes to travel insurance, you don’t want to get the cheapest one.

Especially if you’re solo travelling in India, you don’t want to get into any sticky situations without this type of support.

Maybe have a shop around for the different options.

If you travel more than a few times in the year, it’s probably worth looking into annual travel insurance.

Check out a comparison site to get the best deal for you: here.

11. Don’t forget the toilet roll!

Some places simply don’t have loo roll in the toilets.

How crazy is that!?

Even some of the hostels/hotels that I stayed in didn’t have toilet roll provided, but most of them did.

Take note…You’ll especially need it on trains and in restaurants.

Make sure you carry this essential around with you when you’re out and about, or you’ll live to regret it!

To conclude…

If you keep these 11 travel mistakes and how to avoid them in mind when solo travelling in India, you’ll be well prepared for your trip!

The trick is to enjoy yourself but remember you’re not in a western country.

Things are different.

You have to be more mindful of what you’re eating and drinking.

After all, you don’t want to ruin your whole holiday because you didn’t realise you couldn’t drink tap water for instance.

Your next steps are to take note of these travel mistakes and how to avoid them, and prepare accordingly for your trip!

You may also be interested in reading about 24 hours in Kathmandu, if you’re doing a similar travel route to what I did- here!

Yours,

Holly