Travel Tips to Rural India

Traveling to rural India is an experience in a great number of ways. To ensure sweet memories, it is a good idea to eliminate some aspects of the overwhelming experience by remembering a number of small but important details. My experiences come mainly from travels in North India and Bengal, but ought to apply all across the great land of India. The following travel tips are by no means a comprehensive outline of all things you need to consider, but are nonetheless a good deal more than you'd find in your average travel guide.

Always wash your hands. Wash them carefully before eating to avoid ingesting all the bacteria stuck on your hands from the change you received from the shopkeeper, from the fruits you purchased, from the railing you leaned on, and so forth. A common source of diarrhea is, uh, touching items that were touched by someone other who had diarrhea and who didn't wash his hands... Wash your hands after eating, too - many locals, especially cultured and religious Indians, will love you for that.

One of the most common reasons for diarrhea and a horde of other diseases is bad water. Don't drink from taps or wells - purchase bottled water to stay in good health. If you live at a fixed location, 25 liter containers of reverse osmosis treated water are often available. Purchasing a bigger container saves you over 50% in expenses, and avoids producing a pile of plastic garbage - that mighty curse of the Indian environment. Remember to drink enough, drink a minimum of two liters per day. Sufficient water is very important to keep you in health, particularly during the warm season.