Roaming around in India is often a slow and strenuous process. The climate is hot and on top of that you typically have to deal with slow moving traffic, frantic driving conditions, pushing and shoving when joining queues and claustrophobic crowds. With that said, going downtown can also be a fun experience, particularly if you make a conscious effort beforehand to remain calm and overlook any irritations that will inevitably come your way. India is undoubtedly a hectic place, but watching the world go by as you sit in a rickshaw or stroll down the street is guaranteed to make your eyebrows rise and your jaw drop; providing a good dose of entertainment and some of the most memorable moments in your travels. Read on for more advice about getting around when traveling in India…

Befriending a local or paying a guide to go around with you could prove to be one of the wisest decisions you make when travelling in India. A local person will not only speak the native language, but will be far more accustomed to dealing with situations that would probably cause you a lot of hassle and bother. Joining queues on your behalf, deflecting beggars and touts and haggling for purchased goods are just a few of the services a good local guide could provide. However, be careful when choosing a guide in public, as you will often be approached by touts, whom guise themselves as “tourist guides”, particularly when you visit the more popular tourist spots. These people will typically offer their services for one price and then demand more money at the end, or take you to out-of-the-way tourist shops, which pay them a commission! Always tread carefully and use your own instincts to scope a person out, before agreeing to use their services. Often the best way to find a guide is to ask at your hotel or if you find a good taxi/rickshaw driver who speaks English, then keep hold of their details and negotiate a price to use them for future outings.

If you intend to cover big distances then it might be worth considering taking a flight. India’s domestic airline network is extensive, covering most major cities and tourist spots throughout the land. There’s also a large number of companies operating flights in India, meaning it’s a competitive market, so you can usually get good prices if you book ahead and shop around. By far the best way to book flights these days is directly online. There are three major travel search engines I tend to use for finding flights in India, namely Clear Trips, Yatra and Ixigo. Most hotels and towns will have travel agents who can also provide booking services, although they will typically charge a small booking fee. Each airline company also has ticketing offices based outside the terminal of most major airports where you can collect, amend or book tickets directly.

The Great Indian Rail Network is an impressive system, which might appear chaotic at first sight, but is in actual fact a reliable and safe mode of transport. The lack of quality highways in India makes travelling by road a sluggish choice for long distances and if you can’t afford the convenience of air travel then the Indian railways are definitely the best way to go. Almost all of India is well connected by trains, with the exception of the Himalayan region, which only runs a few narrow gauge toy trains into a handful of hill stations. If you’re fortunate enough to visit any of these areas then I highly recommend taking one of the classic toy trains, which are notoriously slow but provide spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Check out this guide I have written for more information about train travel in India.

Traveling by bus in India is cheap, fun and ever so occasionally comfortable 🙂 . There are two types of buses to choose from – namely the large, bumpy and slow local buses and the slightly more luxury sleeper buses (usually Volvo models), which come with air conditioning, recliner seats and tend to travel for longer distances. There’s no hard and fast rule for booking tickets on local buses. Rules and procedures vary from state to state. The usual procedure however is that you just hop on and pay the conductor on board. Starting a journey from a bus station (opposed to a bus stop) has the advantage that you can usually be one of the first on board to choose yourself a good seat. Always try to make it clear to the conductor where you’re traveling to and if possible get him (it’s always a man) to acknowledge your destination, so he can let you know when to get off. This is quite important as it’s common for buses to become overcrowded at the drop of a hat, meaning you’ll then get stuck amongst a crowd with no view out the window! Another tip, particularly if you’re not familiar with the area, is to try and sit at the front of the bus next to the driver. Usually the driver’s cabin has a small bench beside it, this way you can always be close to the door should the bus get crowded and enjoy the best views out the front window. For women travellers it can also mean you’re a bit safer as there have been some cases reported of attacks against women on Indian buses in recent years.

Taxis and rickshaws are a good, fun and flexible way of getting around town. It’s important that you have some idea of the going rate for traveling between two locations, as often tourists can be overcharged, so always check with a local before hailing a ride. There are several different circumstances under which you might take a taxi or auto rickshaw ride in India, which are as follows…

Pre-paid taxis from the airport

One of the most common irritations for tourists in India is arguing and haggling with rickshaw and taxi drivers over the fare. This problem immediately disappears when you use a government run pre-paid taxi counter at the airport. The fee is fixed and you pay at the counter upfront before you travel, meaning no cash is handed directly over to the driver. I always use these counters when landing at any airport.

Auto rickshaws.

For many, the iconic auto rickshaw is an emblem of India and taking a ride in the back of one of these noisy three-wheelers is the most fun way to travel around town. The general hustle and bustle in India’s busy urban areas means traveling by an auto rickshaw is usually a lot easier and safer than walking around town. It might seem ludicrous but there have been times when I’ve used an auto rickshaw to transport me from one side of a busy road to the other! The constant flow of traffic in India (especially at peak times) often makes it too difficult and dangerous to cross a busy road on foot.

In most towns and cities rickshaws can be seen all over the place and the traditional process for getting on board is to hail one down, jump on and tell the driver where you’re heading to. The rickshaw drivers are “officially” supposed to use fare meters but I think this rarely happens, so make sure you agree on a price before you set off. In some places the rickshaws run on fixed routes as a kind of ride share service, where you pay for a seat on board.

Be warned of a common trick used by rickshaw drivers in the big cities is to take foreigners to tourist shops where the drivers are secretly paid a commission for bringing you in the door. The way to deal with this situation is simple…don’t get out of your seat and demand that you go directly to the agreed destination. If the driver becomes persistent, then seek the help of local passers by and explain the situation requesting their help.

Taxis

Taxis in India are a great option if…

• You’re traveling in a group
• You intend to visit several different places in one trip
• You’re lucky enough to get a driver who speaks your language and can multitask as a bit of a local guide.

In this way always ask to meet your driver before signing up for a long journey. Taxis in India are usually priced per mile, with different fares for different car categories. It’s also standard practice to be charged what they call an up-and-down-fare, meaning you’ll pay the price to cover the driver’s return journey. It makes particular sense therefore to use taxis if you’re planning a round trip.

If you’re tech savvy then you can thank the Lord India now has Uber in many cities and better still it’s own domestic version called Ola Cabs. The increased use of these apps must be having an effect on the livelihoods of rickshaw drivers, but the best thing about them is the transparency of pricing! I was amazed at just how cheap it was to travel around Delhi on a recent trip using Ola Cabs compared to the typical auto rickshaw rates I previously paid. It just goes to show how much these Delhi rickshaw drivers have been swindling me as a foreigner for all these years!

Depending on where you’re traveling (and your own level of experience) it can be a great option to rent a bicycle or motorcycle for roaming around. If you’re taking a scooter or motorcycle then please rent from someone who can provide you with a safety helmet. There are many states and places (Goa for example) where riders are not required to wear a helmet on local roads, but that shouldn’t be a reason for you to not wear one! Furthermore if a police officer sees a foreigner riding around without a helmet, then it could be a good reason for them to stop you and demand you pay a fine. This has happened to me on more than one occasion, so be warned from my experience. If you have some experience with riding a motorbike then why not consider renting one of the famous Royal Enfield Bullets!