India: Your Complete Packing Guide

India: Your Complete Packing Guide

Heading to India soon? You’re in for the trip of a lifetime. One of my favorite countries in the world, India is sure to astound and inspire you around every corner. But the weather, travel requirements, modest clothing, “delhi belly” and the occasional lack of access to Western style toilets can catch first time travelers by surprise.

So I’ve compiled a list of the essentials into one easy to use packing guide for India. Make sure you have the following items in your suitcase before you take off.

Printed off copy of your entry visa

When checking into your flight, the airport will ask to see your approved tourist visa. Have it printed out to show them. And you’ll need to show it again when you go through immigration at the airport in India.

Passport

As always, make sure your passport doesn’t expire within 6 months of you traveling to India. Otherwise you will be turned away at the airport!

Imodium

Dehli belly is real thing that happens to a lot of people! I was fortunate enough to avoid it but don’t drink the water and don’t be caught without Imodium. If you think you’ve gotten sick, you’ll want to take a pill immediately so your travel plans aren’t interrupted!

Pepto Bismol

Queasy stomach after all that spicy Indian curry and paneer masala? Better have some Pepto Bismal in your day bag ready to go!

Toilet Paper

This depends where exactly in India you travel but many bathrooms do not provide toilet paper. Westerners may find it to be a little shocking when they walk in a bathroom stall and there is just a hole in the ground. Not all of India has toilets like this but you will definitely encounter some. It’s best to have a small roll in your day bag or carry some wipes with you. We only needed our backup stash a couple times but when we did, we were happy we had it!

Hand Sanitizer

To help avoid getting sick while you travel, always have a little hand sanitizer. Delhi is wonderful but very dusty! Your clothes might need an extra wash after your trip and your hands will definitely benefit from some hand sanitizer on the go!

Light weight scarves

Ladies, don’t leave home without a light weight scarf! It will be hot in India. You’ll want to be covered but cool. They photograph well and can easily be tossed on when you are needing more modesty!

Maxi dresses

Comfortable, lightweight maxi dresses will have you feeling appropriately modest yet looking great! If you plan to visit mosques and temples, you’ll need to have your legs covered. Pair with different scarves to give your look variety!

Comfortable walking shoes

With all the traffic (especially in Dehli!) there are times where walking is faster than driving. We hopped out of rickshaws and Ubers to just get ahead of traffic that had come to a complete and total standstill.

Birkenstocks

My favorite travel shoe!

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Day bag

A comfortable, lightweight day bag will keep your hands free and let you carry around your sunscreen, water bottle etc. Purses are available everywhere in the market place so you might want to purchase one when you arrive. But it’s best to have a bag with a zipper!

Makeup Setting Spray

If you plan on wearing make up in India, you might want to pack a setting spray. It is HOT. And you will get sweaty. Maybe bring waterproof/sweat resistant makeup as well.

Dry Shampoo

Again, the weather is hot. And you might be dressing with more coverage than you’re used to so plan on being sweaty during the day. Some places will be hot and crowded- it’s an unavoidable part of traveling in India. A major game changer for your hair: pack a travel size dry shampoo and bring it with you! If your hair starts getting greasy during the day, just give it a spritz to freshen up again.

Sunscreen

I managed to use very little sunscreen while in India because I typically was very covered. But if you burn easy, be sure to pack some because you’ll be likely to spend a lot of time outside!

Portable Charger

You realize you suddenly don’t recognize where you are and your phone in on 2%. Familiar with this scenario? Letting your phone die while traveling is not only inconvenient, it can be unsafe. Keep a portable charger with you so don’t find yourself lost without data- unable to to call an Uber or map your way back.

Universal Adapter

Depending where you are from, you will most likely need an adapter or India. I recommend getting one block adapter for many different countries.

A Fan To Keep You Cool

It might sound silly but we bought fans in Delhi and used them constantly. Every time we were waiting in line in the hot sun, we were digging in our bags to pull our fans out!

Indian Currency

We had a surprisingly difficult time finding any working ATM’s for the duration of the trip. We were frequently running out of cash and it was very inconvenient. Some places take card but not all. And we encountered more “out of order” ATM’s in Dehli than I would have thought possible. Either arrive with money converted or just exchange some at the airport right when you arrive. It’s much simpler to be prepared from day one than to try and hunt down a working ATM.

Camera & Lens Pen

India is a beautiful explosion of colors and unlike anywhere else in the world. If you want to get serious about photography, you might want to invest in a high quality camera to capture your trip. I shoot with a Canon 80D. But even more importantly- you’ll want the Lens Pen to remove the soot, sand, dust and dirt that will cover you camera lens when shooting in a dusty and occasionally dirty location like India.