Travel Tips
Pre Tour
Make a checklist of what you want to take with you about a week before your vacation to avoid packing in a panic.Keeping a list in your hand luggage, will prove handy. If anything go missing, you can claim insurance.
Medication
Please carry your medication & all medical details along with a prescription with you, making sure they include:
1. Your Health Insurer’s contact details and your policy number
2. Name and address of contacts in the event of an emergency
3. Your blood type, general medical history, list of any medications you are taking, known allergies, glasses/ contact lens prescription, etc.
Need to carry:
1. At least one set of clothes in your hand luggage in case of baggage delay or loss
2. Your sun glasses, scarf, hat/cap, cardigan, camera in your hand luggage if your tour starts on arrival itself
3. A comfortable pair of walking shoes; you may be on your feet for a long time en tour
4. Appropriate swimwear / beachwear for swimming activities. You will not be allowed to enter the pool (at hotels and on cruise) without suitable clothing
5.Your camera, if you are planning on taking photographs on your holiday. Check the batteries and carry spares, since it is often difficult to buy replacements.
Pre Departure
Keep your Passport/Aadhar/ DL(PAN Cards are not accepted at Hotels as ID Card), Air tickets ready
Airport & Railway Station Reporting
Report at least 2 hours prior to domestic departure & 30 Minutes before rail departure.
Airport Check in
1. All check in baggage must be X – rayed
2. Check in baggage must not exceed 15 Kgs(Economy) and handbags must not exceed 1 piece (7 kgs)
3. All check in baggage must be locked
4. Do not put any cash/jewelry/expensive items inside the check in baggage
5. Use some form of permanent identification on your check in luggage and also note its make/brand. This is useful at the time of baggage claim and to trace the same in case of any delay/ loss en route
6. Proceed to check in at the airlines counter and hand over your passports and air tickets
7. A baggage identification slip showing the destination of baggage, your boarding card, passport & air ticket will be handed over to you
Hotel
Check-in and check-out times are usually 1400hrs and 1200hrs & at Puri it is 1000hrs and 0800hrs respectively. However, this may be different for some properties.
Rooming
Room/s will be assigned to you at the time of check-in and can vary in specifications according to the availability at the time of check-in and at the discretion of the hotel.
Room key
Each time you leave the room, please ensure you deposit your room keys at the front desk making it easy for your room mate to access the same
It is not advisable to carry the room key outside the hotel; you may be charged (often, a huge sum) if it is misplaced
Security of documents
Always keep copies of your passport and air ticket safely in your locked bags or you can use a locker at the hotel. Locker facilities are available on request (You may have to pay a deposit to use the facility, the same is refunded on checkout)
It is advisable to carry a hotel card/ brochure with you; the address mentioned will be helpful to guide you back or if you lose your way.
Room Facilities
Some hotels may have in room coffee/ tea making facility (please check with the hotel staff if this service is complimentary)
Some rooms may have a mini refrigerator or a mini bar stocked with soft and hard beverages or a basket of eatables. Please note that these are chargeable of utilized and not included in your tour itinerary package
Rooms may also provide subscribed pay channels, the use of which will be charged when you check out
Other Services
If you order anything extra like Tea/ coffee, laundry services, liquor, make telephone calls, breakfast in the room, or cause any damages to the room you are staying in, it will be charged to you directly.
Breakfast timings at the hotel are generally 7:00am onwards (unless specified otherwise in itinerary) and generally served at the hotel restaurant.
Food General Tips
Vegetarians can safely try the wide variety of Indian & continental food available in all most all corners of the country. For others, varieties of non vegetarian dishes and local cuisine are also recommended.
Tap water is generally unsafe to drink. Suggested a bottle of mineral water which costs you Rs.20/- per litre. You will often find drinking water refilling unit at major Airport & Railway Stations.
Check out from Hotel
After checking out, please clear all personal/ extra bills, if any, at the Front Office.
Clothing:
Casual attire is the best option during the day.
Cotton clothes are recommended in Beach destination and warm clothes at Hill stations.
Shopping:
You are advised not to be lured or encouraged by anybody to shop at a particular place
Please use your own judgement about price or quality before you buy anything
Punctuality:
Passengers will be responsible for any services missed out by them due to not following the stated time; this includes meals, transfers, sightseeing, flight, etc.
Tips from Experience
Have patience
Don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. Life is much too short to be angry & annoyed all the time. Just take a deep breath and remind yourself that it could be worse.
Wake up early
Rise at sunrise to have the best attractions all to yourself while avoiding crowds. It’s also a magical time for photos due to soft diffused light, and usually easier to interact with locals. Honest hardworking people wake up early; touts, scammers, and criminals sleep in.
Laugh at yourself
You will definitely look like a fool many times when travelling to new places. Rather than get embarrassed, laugh at yourself. Don’t be afraid to screw up, and don’t take life so seriously.
Keep extra cash
Cash is king around the world. To cover your need in an emergency, make sure to keep some in a few different places. If you lose your wallet, your card stops working, or the ATMs run out of money, you’ll be glad you did.
Meet local people
Make it a point to avoid other travelers from time to time and start conversations with local people. Basic English is spoken widely all over the world, so it’s easier to communicate with them than you might think. Learn from those who live in the country you’re visiting. People enrich your travels more than sights do.
Observe daily life
If you really want to get a feel for the pulse of a place, I recommend spending a few hours sitting in a park or on a busy street corner by yourself just watching day to day life happen in front of you. Slow down your thoughts and pay close attention to the details around you: the smells, the colours, human interactions, and sounds. It’s a kind of meditation and you’ll see stuff you never noticed before.
Back-up everything
Keep both digital and physical copies of your passport, visas, health insurance card and important phone numbers ready to go in case of an emergency. Backup your files & photos on an external hard drive as well as online if possible
Take lots of photos
You may only see these places & meet these people once in your lifetime. Remember them forever with plenty of photos. Don’t worry about looking like a “tourist”. Great photos are the ultimate souvenir.
Don’t be afraid
The world is not nearly as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. Keep an eye out for sketchy situations but don’t let that be the focus of your whole trip. Use common sense and you’ll be ok. Most people are friendly, trustworthy, generous, and willing to help you out.
Get lost on purpose
If you want to see the parts of town where real people live & work, you need to go visit them. The best way to do this is on foot — without knowing where you’re going. Write down the name of your hotel so you can catch a taxi back if needed, then just pick a direction and start walking. Don’t worry too much about stumbling into dangerous neighborhoods either, as locals will generally warn you before you get that far.
Eat local food
Taste a bit of everything when you travel, especially if you don’t know what it is. Ask local people for recommendations. Eat street food from vendors with big lines out front. Don’t be scared of the food.
Slow down
Please don’t try to explore 5 countries in just 10 days. You’ll miss a lot if you only spend a day in a city or town. All the good stuff happens when you really take the time to explore an area. I can honestly say that NONE of your best travel experience happen within the first few days of arriving somewhere. Spend more time in fewer places for maximum enjoyment.
Treat your body well
When you’re travelling from place to place it’s difficult to maintain a workout routine, and many of us slow up. Remember to be nice to your body. Get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthy, use sunscreen, and exercise often
Stay in touch
Remember to call your family & friends from time to time. Travel isn’t lonely, far from it. You constantly meet other people. But many of those relationships are fleeting. So maintaining a strong connection with the people who know you best is important.
Travel more
Most people who wait to travel the world never do.
It’s a big, beautiful, exciting, and fascinating world out there. Explore some of it now, rather than later.