Read our holiday guide or some other background reading before visiting India, so that your holiday becomes a treasured experience, one that will linger in your memory forever.

Make your travel arrangements well in advance, especially if you are traveling between October-March (high tourist season). The Christmas-New Year period from 15 December to 15 January are popular months. Beach resorts especially at Goa and Kovalam get sold out early. Flights, trains and hotels are limited in relation to demand so prior bookings are a must.

Do not cram too many places into your itinerary. It is better to visit a few places in depth than to skim through several destinations and at the end of the day, everything is a blur. Nothing like an occasional free half-day for leisure, to use the swimming pool, explore the bazaars on your own or enjoy a cup of chai (tea) in the local restaurants.

If you wish to visit any prohibited or restricted areas, as in the north- eastern region, check with the nearest India Tourist Office as to the permits needed and to ascertain details of the formalities required.

While it makes sense to cover long distances by flight, especially if you have a limited number of days to visit, you should include a few trips by road and one or more journeys by rail so that you can see the countryside. When planning your trip, if an Indian fair or festival can be included in your itinerary, there is nothing like it. To witness or better still, participate in the color and gaiety of these events is a fabulous experiences.

During your visits, do try and attend a folkloric or classical music, dance or drama program. Information and tickets to the programs can be obtained from our local representatives while on the tour or from the hotel front desk.

English is spoken at almost all cities, but you can also request us to book Government-trained and approved guides who also speak German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian or Russian. Tour guides will help you not only in your sightseeing, but also acquaint you with the myths, folklore and cultural complexities of the Indian way of life.

Carry your passport, tickets and your money separately. Place a photocopy of your passport in each and every checked-in bag that you hand in at the airport. This is of help in case of lost baggage.

It's not a good idea to travel with too much cash. Travellers' cheques are more secure. Do not change your money in the hotel or shops as far as possible. They usually offer to change money at rates that are slightly less attractive than those offered by airport exchange counters / banks and authorized dealers. Insist on a receipt when exchanging money. Retain all receipts to facilitate reconversion of unspent money on departure from India.

Reconfirm your onward return tickets at least 72 hours prior to departure. You could hand over the tickets details to our representative for reconfirmation, immediately upon arrival into the country.

Reconfirm your onward return tickets at least 72 hours prior to departure. You could hand over the tickets details to our representative for reconfirmation, immediately upon arrival into the country.

For a visit to India during the monsoons (June-September), carry a raincoat and umbrella.

For a visit to the snowcapped mountains, bring sunglasses & sun block to protect your skin from harmful rays of the run reflected from the snow.

All foreign tourists must pay hotel bills in foreign currency (cash or travelers' cheques). This can be paid in Rupees if the visitor has a bank receipt as proof of currency exchange.

Export of most wildlife and their products is either banned or strictly regulated. Export of the few permissible items even as passengers' personal luggage is allowed only under an export permit. Insists on getting a certificate for the legitimate sale of a particular animal product and permission for its export to avoid inconvenience on departure.

Taxis and auto-rickshaws in cities do not all have meters, but where they do insist on the meter being flagged in your presence. If the driver refuses to co-operate, seek the assistance of a policeman. Always use a pre-paid taxi while travelling from airport to city. In addition, the above fares change from time to time and so will not always conform to readings on the metres. To avoid confusion, insist on seeing the latest fare chart and pay accordingly.

Most cities have Homes for beggars to look after the incapacitated and to teach them a trade. However, there exists syndicated organisations who put out a network of professional beggars on the streets as begging is a very lucrative occupation. If you wish to help the poor, do so by making a contribution to a recognized charitable organization, not by giving beggars alms. Instead of money, you many give them cookies or foodstuff.

Most museums in India are closed on Mondays and Site Museums, those near archaeological monuments, on Fridays. However, please check with us for timings.

Do not forget to remove your footwear when visiting a place of worship or mausoleum. Also some temples do not permit any leather articles at all on their premises. Certain areas of temples are not open to Non-Hindus. Temples in South India usually remain closed in the afternoons as this is when the priest performs the rituals. It is obligatory to cover your head before entering Sikh shrines.

Don't wear shorts, sleeveless tops or transparent revealing clothes in places of public worship.