Presenting my top 10 hacks in general, that I swear by to use while packing for India or not:

Ditch thy trolley-bag go with Backpacker gear: Indian roads aren’t made for your fancy trolley bags. People carry it but they aren’t always an intelligent choice.

Roll it and Zip it baby: I let go the concept of folding clothes ever since I bumped into a random travel talk video. I have never again folded, but rolled almost every piece of clothing and zip them to reduce the air they take. Well except blazers! ( but that’s a different trick altogether). This thumb-rule is a savior for men and women who love to carry their wardrobes on the shoulder.

• Save

Image Source: Pinterest

Waterproofing : Whether it’s cherrapunji or jodhpur it can rain anytime from dust to random leakage anything can happen to protect your stuff by making your bag waterproof. In fact you can make your canvas shoes water resistant too by rubbing white wax on it and then blow drying it with a hair dryer.

50–50: Always, and I repeat always pack your clothes in two different bags in case you are carrying two. This should be with equal distribution of jeans, t-shirts, and most importantly inner wears.

Get your stuff wrinkle free: You might not get a steam iron or anything of that sort. A quick trick is to place several T-shirts on top of one another and then roll them together to reduce wrinkles or if you still get any wrinkles, as you reach your destination, ask your hotel or hostel staff for hangers, hang your clothes in the bathroom and run a hot shower. The steam will smooth out the wrinkles. (Just trust me on that) If it sounds too much work, try bouncer dryer sheets.

Proportionate packing: Always put the heaviest items in the bottom in case you have a baggage with wheels, it should be in close proximity of wheels to maintain the balance. Wear your heaviest clothes and shoes so that the bag is light. Like wear those boots/ sports shoes and slip that light-weighted slipper or sandal in your baggage. Unless you are a pro-photographer don’t carry expensive gadgets like tripod etc. go minimal in India.

Shower-cap shoes: I always keep a shower cap handy to cover the shoes and use socks to keep my mobile charger etc. Usually, Airports do not allow electronic device anymore on the check-in baggage. So use the same trick but store your additional cosmetics and stuff.

Power dressing: Make secret pocket of stash for the t-shirts in which you are going to make most of your travel, this help you to have an access to a bigger denomination rupee note and might come handy in crazy situations. Go for strapless shoes, many vendors have now started facilitating changeable shoes with straps, this will solve your issue of carrying multiple shoes to match for once and all. Avoid jackets instead go for a thermal cot as the leather might look fancy but not the best thing you can maintain in the majority dusty roads of India.

Storage: This is going to make your life so easy. I prefer to have a circular storage than the ruler size. I carry 3 of them this includes my moisturizer/sunscreen/instead of entire bottles and best for 7-day trip. One can always carry bath gel and face wash travel pack they are readily available especially from small shopkeeper-vendors in India. It also keeps my jewelry intact and I decide on items day-wise to avoid hassle and over-packing

• Save

Image Courtesy: Ebay

Zip-Lock bags and Travel Kit: Zip Locks can be an instant savior for those smelly used inner wears and they work way better than laundry bags. they cover less space and are just next to nothing in volume that they cover. I never travel without Travel kit, it always has below items to my disposal:

a) Medicine: I carry my anti-allergy drug with prescription, aspirin, Eno/ORS, gelusil/pudin hara, Glucon-D/Tang, and a pocket size instant pain relief spray or gel which comes in travel tube. Band-aids, even if you aren’t getting injured, this comes handy you can proactively cover the areas across your foot line to avoid any shoe-bites.

b) Essentials:Sachets of shampoo-conditioner, pocket size toothpaste, toothpick, safety-pins, hand-sanitizer/ hand-wash sachets, a sample size of perfume, cotton balls, pocket size oil sachet, chapsticks, Q-tips for eye-shadow, eye-kohl, compact, headphones, toothbrush, sunglasses, and of course a cap.

c) Emergency: Another stash for money, protein bars/dry fruits/ biscuits, sanitary pads, wet wipes, tissues, clips, and detergent sachets.

d) Safety: I carry pepper spray for my train and bus travel within India. For air travel, I switch it up with black pepper powder. I also do carry scarves and umbrellas as they come handy in form of weapons in case of any unfortunate incidence of robbery and assault. A copy of travel tickets, pen, a pocket diary is a must. Traveling by Indian Railways, please do chain your heavy luggage opposite your berth so that you can keep an eye on it. Carry you purse and shoes to your berth while you are planning to take a nap. It is sad situation but that’s how it is.

Any kind of travel packing irrespective of the country depends on 5 key factors:

Let me serve you some tips to select those ‘Must-Have’. These help you to accommodate as per your travel factors.

1. Nature of your destination: India has diversity and what contribute as the reason for this diversity is the varied climatic conditions. There are difficult geographical locations. You will find deserts, beaches, march, plateaus, hills, raining forests,

• Hills: Windcheater is your new best friend. Don’t underestimate the highly unpredictable climate on hills. It can be rainy, extremely sunny or ferociously cold. You know the shoes.
• Beeches: No one walks with those leather lovelies on. Please do yourself a favor carry crocs ( Too expensive??) slip into that comfy slipper.
• City: India is a symbol of diversity. When you’re uncertain, Pack clothes which are body covering. Always carry a scarf and glasses to avoid those random stares in public.
• Rural: Uhm! loose those flashy fashion jewelry. Expensive or not doesn’t matter. Please be respectful towards local and pack as per the rural lifestyle if not matching them.

Carry some edible items, you might find that getting access to food in some geography especially up hills could be challenging, because of the lack of transport mode. Your friendly behavior, however, might surprise you with dinner treats. If you are a single woman or a couple and you feel alone, stick to your plan, trust your gut, and politely deny such dinner offers. Always prefer natural food and drink sources in rural land taken out right in front of you like coconut water, tube well water, and the food that everyone is eating comfortably. Take good care of your hydration needs, land in India can do magical things to your tummy if it’s too sensitive. Whatever you do, don’t get sick. And do make a travel insurance if you aren’t a seasoned traveler and traveling towards an unknown part.

2.Itinerary:

It plays a pivotal role in your travel packing decision. Always pack as per day/night. Go easy on the sleepwear. You have a concert to attend, a museum perhaps, enrolled to a yoga retreat, or witnessing something classified as a function. Please bring clothes as per your itinerary. Don’t be the odd one out and shell out more.

A common myth Indian Markets are cheap, not for travelers though. So either get your local accent on and bargain. Or bring your own stuff to not let your budget swindle.

Always pre-write your itinerary, assign youself a budget, carry 20–30% funds more that your assumed budget. Carry cash, plastic money (card) or cashless isn’t yet available out everywhere. Though a lot of change has happened, I have still witnessed the most popular ones too insisting on cash at times, because you never know when their server is down and you aren’t able to make an online transaction while you vouch on swiping cards.

3. No. of Days thou travel:

If you’re planning to have a 5-days vacation, alternate into two tees or unisols and same comfy tracks. If you are on a day-trip just carry a lower and slip into the same tee from the day. Sorry! doesn’t sound that hygienic? does it?

Sometimes the laundry isn’t available at the spots you visit. Always carry the clothes and try to finish your day in one/two clothing change instead of multiples. It is simply going to burden you otherwise.

4. Companion:

If you are a feeding mother or your kid is accompanying. There is a separate set of packing required. You need to carry an extra sheet because common Indian Transport/Spots aren’t very feeding mother friendly. Though there are malls which provide space for breastfeeding. But that’s about it.

If you are accompanied by a medically challenged companion. Do carry the prescription and relevant drugs along. Most of the rural areas in India do not have the rare medicines or specific drug that might be required. To avoid fatal situations, it’s always preferred to carry a medical history of the companion to avoid the last minute allergy issues.

5. Local Situation:

Do yourself a favor, always make a quick check on the local situation. It doesn’t matter whether your tickets are pre-booked. India is a place where strikes happened at any point in time. Worse if some sort of curfew situation appears. Usually, certain areas like Bastar (C.G.) is a Naxalite-prone area, which isn’t always better for a beginner tourist. Sure we want adventures in life, but do go there prepared. Don’t carry alcohol in dry states like Goa, you can get into legal trouble.

And the local situation also implies natural calamities. We once visited Srinagar and 10 days after we return Srinagar faced the worst floods. So gauge the situation and you should be okay. We cannot dodge the challenges that travel is going to serve us with. But we sure can be cautious of the expected issues and be prepared mentally, physically, and economically for the same.

Tip: Connectivity is important and crucial for making a contact with the world. don’t leave trails. Pack the power bank and carry two sim cards from two different providers, check with them for network and roaming needs at your destination. BSNL works fine in rural parts of India.

Travel Packing is not a nightmare in India and Abroad if done in advance with proper planning and execution. That’s how everyone learns and avoid issues afterward!