Top Tips

Number One

It always takes longer than you expect!

You’ve decided to visit India, maybe for the first time. Although regular travellers, including myself,  make exactly the same mistake, of not accounting for the fact that everything takes longer. Its all part of the challenge.

To have decided to come here you’ve already been on a sort of journey. You’ve had to reject some of the lurid tales, the negative publicity, the lack of decent information coming from the authorities.

We know its going to be challenging in one way or another but we also know its going to be immensely rewarding.

Its going to cost a fair amount just to get to India. If we’re lucky we’ve managed to get plenty of time to be here but its such a big, varied, fascinating place, there is the tendency to try and fit in too much, however much time you have!

The one thing we sometimes forget in our enthusiasm is it always takes longer to do ANYTHING in India! Whether its travelling from A to B, getting a SIM card, ordering a meal (sorry sir we don’t have that), booking things when they don’t accept a foreign debit card, reserving a train journey (online) when you have to register with your passport details and sometimes a local phone number. It can all seem both complex and transient.

You’re now on shifting sand.

Its always useful to remember that these things are part of your experience, but it must be said, that it mostly takes longer than you expect because there is just so much to do, to take in and to absorb as it’s such a wonderfully diverse, idiosyncratic, bonkers place.

So please remember, our number one tip is that when you’re planning your India itinerary:

allow plenty of flexibility as you’ll wish to stay longer in some places,

assume it takes a day to travel between places

you might get tired travelling and it can feel FULL ON, so build in relaxing places where you can get a bit of respite and find the switch off button

its a fascinating place and most people love to get ‘under its skin’ and that means allowing for depth and not just breadth

Because EVERYTHING Takes LONGER than you EXPECT..

Bio note

Stephen is from the UK and has now lived in Mysore for seven years. He continues to visit London to deliver training workshops for business. He knows very very little about lots of things.

Manjula tolerates Stephen

Lucy is sweet.

More details of our life here in Mysore can be found here.