What to Pack for a Trip to India
This pertains primarily to women, as men will not be required to make significant alterations to their normal attire.
Remember
that it can get cold in the north of India – India is not always
extremely hot! In Delhi and the north, temperatures regularly drop into
the single digits, and a coat may be required at night or when the sun
sets. The south of India is consistently warm-to-hot and humid
throughout the year.
Due to the filthy nature of the streets in
India's urban areas, a majority of travellers prefer to wear closed-toe
shoes. However, after a while you may decide that constantly tying and
untying your shoes to enter houses and temples is a hassle and revert to
sandals or flip-flops. Unless you're going to be mingling with the
who's who in big cities, you should not wear high heels.
How Male Travelers Should Dress in India
The
vast majority of Indian men will be wearing t-shirts and jeans, shirts
and jeans, or work-shirts and dress pants. That concludes the variation.
Kurta Pyjama / Salwaar Kameez is almost exclusively reserved for formal
occasions or worn in rural societies; visitors do not require these
garments. Shorts are gaining popularity in India, but long pants remain
the norm. Avoid walking around without a shirt on and you won't offend
anyone!
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How Female Travelers Should Dress in India
As
a female traveller, covering up has a significant impact on how you may
be approached; you should always cover your shoulders and knees. You
are not required to wear Indian attire, but purchasing a few beautiful
Kurtas (tunic tops) may be difficult to resist!
A few dos and don'ts for what women should wear in India:
Take
along one or two lightweight cotton scarves; these are extremely useful
to drape across your chest/shoulders or head if you're the subject of
unwanted attention. I've used scarves to conceal myself on buses and
other places where I desired anonymity! However, there are many lovely
scarves for sale, so avoid taking too many.
Wear lightweight,
long pants – showing "leg" is generally frowned upon in India (except on
the beaches of Goa and in trendy Mumbai nightclubs).
As stated previously, ninety percent of women cover their shoulders. Cleavage or any indication of the chest is unacceptable.
In
general, you can dress more casually in the metropolitan areas of
Mumbai and Bangalore (but not in Delhi), while the more rural and remote
the location, the more conservative your attire must be. When venturing
off the beaten path, local attire is ideal for blending in.
The
preceding statement applies to all women, but the more obviously
"non-Indian" you appear (think blonde hair), the more effort you will
need to make, as eyes will be naturally curious.
Safe travel for
women in India is a topic in its own right, but I've found a couple of
things particularly helpful: obtaining a mobile phone with a local
number has been great for checking my location and avoiding "detours"
from enterprising rickshaw drivers. A book is an excellent distraction
for avoiding eye contact with potential romeos. Noting that meaningless
small talk with strange men is not the norm in Indian culture,
conversing with young strangers can be interpreted as a sign of
"interest."
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