How to Prepare for an India Trip: Health, Money, Apps and Data

A few things are worth locking down before traveling to India. Vaccines. A small medicine kit. How you'll pay, which apps you'll want for taxis and trains, and a phone that works the second you leave the airport instead of a day later.

India is the kind of place where the people who prepped a little end up relaxed.The ones who didn't spend their first two days catching up. So here's what first-timers keep saying they wish they'd known.

Time it to your region, not just "the season"

October through March is the popular window. The weather eases off, most of the country becomes comfortable, and that's the easiest time for a lot of people.But India is enormous, and the "best month" for an India trip​ shifts depending on where you're actually headed.

North India, so Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, is at its best in those winter months because the summers up there are punishing.

Goa and the beaches peak November to February. The Himalayas run backwards from all this: go too high in December through February and you'll hit snow, plus some roads just shut for the season.

Late September into October works better up there, or March and April once things thaw.

South India is its own thing again, warm and humid most of the year, so how you feel about humidity basically decides it.If you want one all-purpose pick for India trips​, late September to early October.

Monsoon's mostly done. The waterfalls are still full, everything is green, and the peak crowds haven't landed yet.Less about the perfect date, more about lining your timing up with wherever you're going.

Sort the health stuff early

This is the part first-timers stress over, and the fix is dull: see a travel clinic a few weeks before traveling to India.

Hepatitis A and typhoid are the two that come up over and over for India. Malaria depends heavily on where you're going, some regions barely register any risk, so ask about your specific destination instead of taking meds by default.

A malaria tablet like Malarone gets mentioned, but you should talk with your doctor first.

Stomach trouble is what gets most travelers, and it's usually annoying rather than serious.

Loads of people carry azithromycin, grabbed before the trip, because the older antibiotics like ciprofloxacin don't work as well there anymore.

A daily probiotic and some yogurt help. And if you do run out of something once you're abroad, medicine is cheap and easy to find, so no need to haul a whole pharmacy with you.

Honestly, on an India trip​ your water and food habits carry more than any pill. Bottled or boiled water only, and yes, that means brushing your teeth too.No ice.

Skip raw veg and any fruit you can't peel yourself, stick to things served hot and freshly cooked.

The street food is as good as it looks and plenty of people rave about it, just don't go all in on night one before your stomach's had a chance to settle.

Staying with a local family? That's the easy version, home cooking, water already boiled for you, and people who know which clinic is worth going to if it comes to it.

Get your phone working before you leave home

Your phone does a lot of work on a trip to India​. Booking a place to stay, sorting a cab, reading a menu that's only in Hindi, paying for stuff, messaging home to say you landed fine.

Public Wi-Fi, though, you can't lean on. Sometimes it's there, often it isn't. And the two usual fixes both come with a catch.

A local SIM can sit inactive a day or two before it kicks in. Roaming from your own carrier tends to bill you per day whether you use it much or not.An eSIM gets around both. Nothing to pick up, no counter to hunt down, no daily roaming charge ticking away.

GigSky is worth a look for one reason above the rest: you can try it free before paying anything.

GigSky gives you free data for your India trip, so you install the eSIM, land, and check it actually connects on your phone before you decide to top up.

Never used an eSIM and not sure it'll even work on your handset? That's exactly what the trial is for.

A couple of things set GigSky apart from most eSIM apps. It's a mobile operator, not a reseller, so your phone automatically connects to the strongest local network when you arrive, with no settings to poke at the moment you get off the plane.

You install it once in the app rather than chasing a QR code through your email. For somewhere you want data live from the first minute, showing up already connected is a small thing that lands bigger than you'd expect.

Want to see what's on offer for your trip? Download the GigSky app and type India in the search bar.

It'll show the free data you can try without adding a card.If you have an eligible Visa card, tap the Visa banner in the app to check whether you qualify for up to 10 GB free before you go.

Set up payments and apps before you need them

Paying for things Cash works everywhere, but the country runs on UPI, a scan-the-QR-code setup accepted at pretty much every shop, stall and cab.Locals barely touch cash for small stuff now.

As a foreigner it takes a bit of setup, some apps let you link a foreign number with passport and visa verification.Get it sorted before you're stood at a counter with a line building behind you.

Getting around Taxis, use Uber, Ola or Rapido. Haggle a fare on the street and you'll usually land at the tourist price.Buses you can book through Redbus and filter by rating, worth staying with the higher-rated operators.

Trains are underrated on India trips​, especially for the longer hops. First class is cheap and roomy, and if you're not Indian you can still book straight off the official IRCTC site with your passport.

They run late sometimes, so leave yourself slack and don't book anything tight for right after you step off one.

Learn the usual scams so they slide right past

Most of the tourist scams you'll run into traveling to India are versions of ones you'd meet in Rome or Paris. If a stranger's very keen to walk you to an "official" tourism office, don't, check the real government listings yourself.

Around temples and the river ghats someone might tie a thread on your wrist or start a blessing you didn't ask for, then want a big donation for it. Namaste, keep walking.

And anything pricey, gemstones being the classic trap, go through government-run emporiums only.

How safe you feel comes down to the region and to how you travel, and you're allowed to change your mind once you're there.

Some people love winging it, turning up somewhere and figuring it out. Others would far rather have the hotel booked and a cab they trust, and that's especially true for women on their own.

Neither is more legitimate. Go with what keeps you comfortable.

Come ready for the intensity, and the welcome

India is one of the most rewarding trips going, and intense in a way words don't quite catch until you're standing in it.

The noise, the color, how much is happening at once, it comes at you fast, and setting your expectations for that ahead of time takes the edge off.

People who've been ten times still describe it the same way, somewhere that stays with you.

The food. A level of welcome that catches first-timers completely off guard. Visiting someone local, you'll be looked after more than you'd think possible, so pack a few small gifts to say thanks.

Recap: Your India prep checklist

Quick version, the stuff to handle before your India trip​:

• Match your timing to your region. October to March covers most of the country, but hills, deserts and beaches each peak at different times.
• Get to a travel clinic early. Hepatitis A and typhoid come up most, ask about malaria for your specific area, and carry azithromycin in case your stomach turns.
• Bottled or boiled water only, food served hot and fresh, and ease into street food over the first day or two.
• Sort your connection before you leave. An eSIM skips roaming fees and the SIM activation wait, and with GigSky you can try free data first, so you know it works before you've paid a thing. See what's the best eSIM for travel.
• Get payments and transport apps set up ahead of time: UPI or a loaded wallet for spending, and Uber, Ola, Rapido, Redbus or IRCTC to get around.
• Read up on the usual scams, and travel however keeps you comfortable.
• For more tips on preparing for your journey, check out this international travel made easy checklist.

Do the prep once and the rest of the trip is yours. Grab the GigSky app before you fly, search India, and try the free data so your phone's ready before you even land.