Ivermectin and Azithromycin and Cipro: Speak to your doctor prior to travel. These are what we brought. You will need a prescription for these and have them filled prior to travel. If you get a case of “Dehli Belly” you will want to start taking the Ivermectin, perhaps combined with some over the counter remedies.
Over the Counter Medications: Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Anti-diarrheal medicine, tums, Cough drops, probiotics (most recommend starting to take these a few weeks prior to travel and continuing through the trip). If you think you will need a little help resting, some melatonin would not be amiss. You can probably purchase many of these there if you need them, but getting around is very cumbersome. A few miles drive can take an hour or more based on traffic and you may not be feeling the best. Also, some items on the shelves will be expired, so check the dates prior to purchasing.
Cash: When you arrive at the airport you will be able to convert your money to rupees. This is the best option as most places won’t take US dollars or won’t make change. You can also use ATMs to get cash if your bank is compatible. We found this was easy to do at the airport. I highly recommend talking to your bank and seeing if your card will charge international transaction fees. We use Charles Schwab for travel for this exact reason. No ATM fees anywhere in the world (they will be refunded) and no currency adjustment fees.
Cell Phone: When you go to get a cell phone SD card, you will be asked for the phone number of someone local you are visiting and they will use this number to verify you. If you are not there to visit friends, check with your hotel or a travel agent for advice. You can get an SD card for very cheap and you will want that to be able to use Uber or payment apps, and also to use for directions.
Toilet Paper and Antibacterial Wipes : Coming from the U.S. the restroom facilities were quite different than those we use here. All of the washrooms were equipped with the spray handle bidets, and some had toilet paper (most did not). There were western style toilets, but there, most women would hover over the toilet, then use the spray bidets so most bathrooms needed a good wiping down if you wanted to sit down. To that end, we took small travel packs of antibacterial wipes that I would use to wipe down the areas before using. We also brought a roll of toilet paper (cardboard removed and pressed flat) in a quart sized ziplock bag to keep it dry. These items were also very helpful on our flight via Air India. Throughout the 14 hour flights, the washrooms got pretty nasty and even though toilet paper was supplied, that ran out during the flight. Also hotels and private homes may or may not supply this.
Hand sanitizer: Some restrooms were equipped with sinks for hand washing, but many were not. We also found that at times a facility would simply cut off the water at a certain time of the evening so that even if facilities existed, they did not work.
Water Purifier: We were able to purchase bottles of water fairly easily and water bottles were supplied by the hotels. If you plan to travel away from the major cities you may still want to bring a way to purify water. Do not drink the tap water. Do not consume beverages with ice. Do not eat ice cream. Plan to enjoy lots of hot tea and coffee.
Light jacket: Depending on the time of year having a very light rain jacket was just enough extra cover for the slightly chilly nights but was light enough to stuff into a small bag to keep hands free.
If you are accustomed to using a wash cloth, you will not find these in hotels or perhaps even private homes, so bring a quick drying one and perhaps a ziploc bag to store it.
Bring a shopping bag that folds very small and will fit on a purse or small crossbody bag. Shopping bags are available at an additional cost but they are not the disposable kind and you will probably not want to bring home a bunch of shopping bags in your luggage.
You may want to bring an extra bag with you for bringing home gifts. Things in India were a great price, so people will often bring home clothes, fabric, tea, and artisan goods from there.
Bring gifts with you for anyone you plan to meet. Our experience is that the Indian people are very generous and love to give gifts to visitors so we were glad we had brought gifts with us to give as well. We brought chocolates and local treats made from our home town along with some other Kentucky related gifts. If you do give gifts of money (perhaps for a wedding, for example) it is best to have it end in an odd number, like $201 rather than round numbers as we would typically do in the US.
We absolutely loved our time in India and are already dreaming of going back one day!
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