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Shalu Sharma
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Essential India Travel Guide: Travel Tips And Practical Information Paperback – March 19, 2014

by Shalu Sharma (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 125 ratings
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Are you visiting India? Do you want to know more about India before you travel? Are you looking for travel tips and unbiased information on India? Are you looking for an India travel guide but don’t know which one to get? Then here’s a travel guide on India that covers everything you need from places to visit to dealing with beggars and how to protect yourself while in India. The “Essential India Travel Guide: Travel Tips And Practical Information” covers everything you need to know about India.

India is a great country for holiday but it can be rough at times. Sadly, many incidences and crimes do happen and many of them are directed at foreign travelers. Many foreigners end up being ripped off their hard earned money. Most people in India working in the tourism industry do not realize that even in the West, one has to work hard for their money and do not have surplus to squander around. This India travel guide shows you how to be careful with your money, how to bargain like the locals and how to deal with beggars and have a safe and pleasurable trip to India.

Here’s a complete list of things you will learn about your travels in India:

1. Introduction to India
2. Best time to visit India
3. Geography of India
4. Places to visit in Eastern India
5. Places to visit in Northern India
6. Places to visit in Southern India
7. Places to visit in Western India
8. Culture of India
9. Things you should bring to India
10. Vaccinations for India
11. How to deal with the heat?
12. Guide to drinking water
13. Avoiding water borne diseases
14. How to keep off mosquitoes?
15. Foods to avoid
16. Is meat and fish safe in India?
17. Guide to Indian street food
18. Travelling in India during the monsoons
19. Types of transport in India
20. How to book train tickets in India?
21. How to hire a taxi and auto-rickshaw?
22. Guide to prepaid taxis
23. Safety on Indian trains
24. Dealing with beggars
25. How to deal with touts?
26. How to be safe at the hotel?
27. How to be safe in Indian crowds?
28. How to keep your money and passport safe?
29. Safety tips for women
30. Travelling with kids in India
31. Types of places to shop
32. How to bargain?
33. What should women wear?
34. What should men wear?
35. Say no to bhang and other drugs
36. Common Hindi words and phrases
37. Message from the author
Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 19, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1497391679
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1497391673
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 19, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1497391679
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1497391673
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 125 ratings

About the author

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Shalu Sharma

Shalu Sharma

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Shalu Sharma is an author and blogger who has lived in India and the UK and travelled extensively around the world with her husband. She has worked as a sales woman, worked for a law firm and nearly ended up as a lecturer in Indian history. Now she spends her time travelling and authoring books.

Apart from the usual Indian duties of family life, frantic blogging, tweeting and 'Facebooking'; she finds time to watch Bollywood movies, listen to music (Indian, Western and Country) and catch up on the political affairs of India. When no one's listening, she sings too (usually in the bathroom).

Her blog ShaluSharma.com highlights the various places, issues and culture of India to the world in her own unusual way.

She can be found commenting and tweeting on her twitter account @Bihar. You can find her on her blog ShaluSharma.com. You can get in touch with her on pyt@shalusharma.com.

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
125 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've been considering a trip to India and started looking around for travel guides to the country. This was one of the first I noticed, so I got it and started thumbing through it.

I'll say this much: the author is thorough. And I mean THOROUGH! The heat is mentioned, as expected, but the reader is warned against drinking water from roadside taps (I will say that it's nice that the country even has roadside taps!) or eating food that has been prepared a certain way. I knew I should avoid the taps, but food prepared in it, even if boiled? See, this is why I do tons of research before going anywhere.

There's also information on cheats and cons who will try to swindle you or steal from you, and info on how to avoid being cheated by taxi drivers. The advice on trains and buying the tickets ahead of time was really helpful, too. I knew the country was crowded, but to that point?

There's a lot more in here, too--what seasons are best to visit the country in, some basic phrases, how to avoid mosquitoes--I feel like the book is bigger than it looks.
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Titetown
4.0 out of 5 stars Good information - Offering tips for how to travel well in India. Great for women!
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
I ordered this book and another Ms. Sharma wrote, the Survival Guide for women. They are both a bit dated, given their publish dates but I decided to order them anyway. I'm glad I did--I feel they are still relevant since cultural practices regarding women seem deep-rooted in India--some good, and some not so good.
I am an older woman, and traveling as a tourist to India next year with my spouse. I like to gather as much information about the host country as I can. India is more of a challenging environment, given its cultural practices regarding women than many other countries I have visited. So it is important to understand what I am stepping into.
Ms. Sharma's books help tourist women understand the challenges they may face in India. Sadly, some Indian men do not treat women very well at all and that extends to tourists. I am somewhat put off by what I've read, yet am grateful the author has undertaken to warn me and to suggest how to circumvent potential problems. I am still going, but I am traveling with a more educated eye as to the culture and practices as it applies to women.
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brilliantdream
3.0 out of 5 stars A book for worrycats
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017
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OK for first time travelers to India, you can find similar tips on the Internet but you get them all in one book. Some of it are just common sense for backpackers in general, others are useful. The book tries to be short and easy to read, only contains "essentals" thus lacks depths somewhat.
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duguy
1.0 out of 5 stars This book is so pathetic that I can hardly believe that it was ever ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

While I make numerous online purchases I have never written a review. However, based on the positive reviews, I recently purchased this book, ( the 2 star review by Lotus Lady wasn't there at time I ordered), and I am so disappointing with it that I need to warn others against making the same mistake. This book is so pathetic that I can hardly believe that it was ever published. I completely concur with the review by LL in which she asserts that the positive reviews for this book must have been bought. Either that or written by the author herself. LL was very generous in granting this book a 2 star rating. If possible I would give it a zero.

As LL stated much of the advice in this book is simply childish and foolish, or just plain erroneous . On pg 55 the author states that the voltage in India is 440V, which is wrong. The book is 174 pages but could be half of that if it hadn't been printed in an over-sized font. The pictures are black and white, of poor quality and have no captions. The text is obviously written by someone for whom English is not their first language and there has apparently been no attempt to have it proofread by someone more proficient at the language. The following nonsensical sentence from pg49 is a typical example: "The traditional Jeweler men and women wear are par excellence of craftsmanship which cannot be done with words."

Enough said!
12 people found this helpful
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Bill D
2.0 out of 5 stars Did we get a good deal? Are the prices really set by the ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
Although we were in India traveling for five weeks earlier this year, we are planning on going back and there are lots of tips and practical information that we clearly still need. However, I didn't find them Shalu's book. For instance, we traveled extensively in a private car with driver. One item we were never able to ascertain was how much to tip. Depending on who we asked we were told anywhere from $6 to $25 a day. Tipping guides was also an issue. There were several "official government approved" stores that we went to for rugs and fabrics. Did we get a good deal? Are the prices really set by the government? Now that info would have been useful. Last time we had arranged the cars ahead of time, this coming trip we are planning to use cars only sporadically - so how much should we pay for a whole day? And who woud you recommend we go to for these travel services? The section on how to book trains was a little useful, but nothing that I haven't read in other books.

Overall, almost all the recommendations of things to do, precautions to take, when to go, what to see, etc. are nicely covered in other books, such as Rough Guide, Nat Geo, DK, etc. It might have been better if she talked about what things she loved and the sights and sounds that she will have remembered.
2 people found this helpful
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Mark Healton
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential India Travel Guide
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014
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When considering purchasing this book, I only had to read the introduction to know that the author knew exactly what she was talking about - "No matter what you read or hear, the fact is that nothing can prepare you for India..." Though I never ventured into India, I did spend a lot of time in Nepal along the Indian border, and I must say that the quote I mentioned is one of the truest statements you will ever hear!

This Travel guide is absolutely packed with useful information, starting with popular travel destinations all over the county, but continuing on to cover a lot of information you will be glad you studied up on, such as how to manage the intense heat, and which types of food to avoid to prevent getting sick during your visit (a section I wish I had read before my adventures!). This book clearly goes beyond the typical travel guide, and gets you closer to that impossible task of being prepared for India than any other guide I've read. I highly recommend it!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mad Rat
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good Info, well worth getting.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
I bought this book inspire of some bad reviews. To be honest, don't listen to the bad reviews - they don't know what they're talking about.
This book has the basic essential information that I haven't found in any other book about travelling to India.
I know a fair bit about India now, but I probably wouldn't have found the Indian railway website on my own without this book and there are some very basic info, which, I would probably overlooked too. The author has included some basic phrases and greetings in Hindu, so I might be able to say "hello" by the time I get there next year.
And the author has included her website/email address, so if you need extra help, you can always email her for advice. I will be taking this book with me, as I won't remember all the info and it will give me something to read on the plane.
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Jc Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
Gave plenty of information but much of it I was already aware of. Quick read!
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Mopo1963
3.0 out of 5 stars Better travel books out there
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
I think the fact that India is so large and things are not as inexpensive as they were, this guide doesn't really cover this in detail. It was an okay book to have as reference but there are others out there that are more up to date.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS A WASTE OF MONEY
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
THIS BOOK IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY....DO NOT BUY IT unless you really do need an idiots guide and haven't travelled outside the uk in the last 30 years. This really is the worst travel guide I have ever purchased and I have quite a collection. The writing is big, not necessarily a bad thing, but bearing in mind only pages 21 to 47 (big writing and pictures) refers to places to go in India, it really is a waste of paper stating the obvious. An idiots guide is an under statement. I now know!!! To drink bottled water .....and drink it at intervals, take out travel insurance and ask hotel reception for location of a doctor, take sunglasses, wear a hat, wear light clothes, wear sun screen, places to shop.....malls and streets. The idiots guide just goes on and on but one classic I should mention......do wear antiperspirant! While this book really is an idiots guide, it would appear that I am in fact an idiot for buying it and am no wiser on India than I was before this purchase. Looks as if I'll have to revert back to the reliable Berlitz guide which will actually tell me things I can't guess.
One person found this helpful
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Susan Turner
2.0 out of 5 stars Update
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
Not very up to date having just been there
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