How to Pack for India

Namaste. How do you pack for India? This is a huge question. Do you bring your whole closet or do you pack nothing? You'll talk to people who say don't bring anything and then you'll talk to people who tell you a list so long you're like how do I get all that?

You're here to support you getting the basics. What bag do you bring to India? Do you bring a backpack? Do you bring a suitcase? Do you bring a big suitcase?

Do you bring a small backpack? The bag you bring to India should be one that you are comfortable with. You should be comfortable rolling it. You should be comfortable carrying it. If you feel comfortable carrying a backpack on your back loaded with your stuff then that's great.

If you feel more comfortable packing a suitcase that you can roll then that's what you should do. But what you bring to India and what you put in your suitcase will be more than you expect because India is a wonderful place to find treasures and bring them home. It's hard to imagine what kind of bag you'll need for the circumstances that you'll be in because they're so vastly different than what you experience at home. You might not imagine that your suitcase will get shoved into the back of an auto rickshaw or that a cycle rickshaw rider will have you put your feet on your suitcase and ride you up a very steep hill. Your backpack might get thrown into a train with a bunch of other people's stuff and you have to go check it every few minutes to make sure that it's still there.

So the bag that you bring should be very durable and it should be one that is very well weathered or about to be well weathered. Your travel bag in India should be pliable. A lot of people think when they think oh I got to bring something really durable to India that they'll bring one of those metal cases or one of those plastic rolling cases. Just know that that kind of case is very difficult to fit into the different circumstances like the top of a bus or into the back of an auto rickshaw especially if it's larger. So bring something that is slightly flexible.

The more flexible it is the better because in India everybody is great at working with what they've got and the more flexible it is the easier it will fit into all of those small places. What shoes do I walk the earth with in India? Am I walking through a swamp? Am I walking on the beach? Am I walking along a river?

Am I climbing up a mountain? You might be thinking I need to bring four pairs of shoes or you might be thinking if the sherpas do it in flip flops so can I. The most important thing about your shoes in India is that they should be comfortable. Don't bring a pair of shoes that are new that you've never worn before. Bring shoes that you can walk in, that you can run in, that you can climb in, that can get wet, that can be dried, that can wash off.

I like to suggest to people to bring those amphibious sandals because those are great because you can wash them off. They are all-terrain shoes so you've got a good grip if you're climbing up a mountain or scaling a hill or maybe even a tree that you want to climb. You may want to bring two pairs of shoes with you. If you bring two pairs of shoes and you decide that you don't want to carry one, you can gift them to someone while you're in India or before you leave. There will be many people along the way that you could gift a pair of shoes to and they will pass them on to a family member or a friend or maybe even they will wear them.

You could also just buy a pair of shoes in India. I suggest you do wear a comfortable pair of shoes for the plane but when you're in New Delhi or in Chennai or Mumbai, there are incredible markets and you might find something there that you will love to wear for your journey. So shopping in India, wow, India is such a fun place to shop. You've got beautiful textiles, beautiful handmade leather items, toys, wood. It is a shopper's paradise, India.

You may find things in India that you can wear on your pilgrimage but it is good to pack some essentials with you so that you've got enough things to wear for your first week of your stay. In packing your suitcase for a week, you should have enough bottoms and enough tops to get you through. Most of the places that visitors stay in India will have a laundering service so if you bring three or four bottoms and three or four tops, you can have them laundered and they usually will come back to you within a day. In your packing, it's really important to remember that the items that you bring with you will be hand washed. There are no tumble dryers in India and all of your items will be washed by hand, usually very briskly so don't bring anything that's delicate because it will probably not make it through its first wash.

As you're packing for India, you might also wonder what is the weather going to be like? It's best to pack layers. Most people generally come to India sometime between October and March when the weather is really, really nice. If you're in the south, you won't need more than a light sweater. If you're traveling in the north, you might want to bring something much warmer because it does get very, very chilly in January especially.

You'll need to wrap yourself up in shawls if you have a cozy vest or a jacket to bring with you, you should bring that with you for sure. Some essentials to pack in your suitcase or your backpack is a day bag. This is very, very important. You'll want a bag that you can take with you on your daily outings that can fit a bottle of water, some hand sanitizer and maybe some wipes, a roll of toilet paper, and your money and your camera. I suggest that you bring a bag that you can wear sideways in front of you because you'll be seeing it at all times and you don't ever have to be concerned that it's on your back and you don't know what's going on back there, especially when you're in a crowd or visiting a temple.

So just make sure that your bag is in your sights. Should I pack a yoga mat for going to India? This really depends on you. Most people who come to India, they fold up a mat and they put it in their suitcase. That way they have a comfortable surface to practice on wherever they are.

But just know that mats are available really quite easily in places like Rishi Kesh and in Delhi. You can easily buy one of those PVC mats there. They're not the best for the environment though. So if you're concerned about limiting waste, then I suggest you bring the mat that you love with you. Snacks, don't underestimate the power of snacks.

You will be so grateful that you brought your goldfish crackers or your dried ginger slices with you at some moment on your trip. And if you're not, then you can gift it to someone and they will be so happy. So make sure that you pack some snacks with you and allow them to take up the space for things that you'll purchase and pack into that space for when you leave. Anything high protein, nuts or dried fruits or crackers, anything that makes you feel comfortable and it reminds you of home. Pack a travel altar.

Bring a few things from home that you love so that wherever you are in whatever conditions, you can put out that little stone or that postcard just to set your space and remind you of home and remind you of your intention and why you're taking this trip. Chai madam or coffee. If you love coffee, bring it with you. In North India, it's quite difficult to find good coffee. There are a lot of really great coffee shops in the big cities like Mumbai or New Delhi.

But if you want a really good espresso or just a really strong cup of dark roast, bring those Starbucks via packets with you. They are really, really good and all you need to do is ask for hot water and milk. And there you are. What electronic devices do I bring with me to India? Do I bring my hair straightener or my hair dryer?

Can I bring my charger for my iPad or my computer or my iPhone? How do I manage this in India? I'm often asked what people can bring. And one of the main concerns with bringing like a hair dryer or a straightening iron is that the voltage is different. And because of this, you need what actually converts the voltage and you do not want sparks blowing out of a hair dryer towards your hair.

So I suggest that if you are attached to blow-drying your hair that you buy this item in India. How do I charge my iPhone? How do I charge my camera? If you have a simple travel adapter with the setting for India's voltage, you can easily plug it into the wall and charge those items. There is no concern.

There are often power surges in India because the power is allotted to each state at a different time of day. So we have blackouts throughout the day in India and then the power will come back. If you do have a voltage adapter, I suggest you have a good quality one. That way when the surge happens and the power comes back, your item won't be damaged. So now that we've covered what you should bring with you in your suitcase or your backpack, we'll go over medicines and health and wellness in India as well as your passport and how to approach the visa process in another segment.

The main, most important thing to remember as you pack your suitcase for India is that whatever you forget was meant to stay home.