Things to bring with you

Everybody has their own ideas about how much stuff they travel with. I've met people who have only a small canvas shoulder bag (I admire them!) with little in it, and those with a large rucksack, daypack AND a holdall. Most people come somewhere between the two extremes.

But most people have one thing in common; there are usually one or two items that they find indispensible, without which they would find travelling less pleasant or more difficult. These things may be very simple yet unobtainable in-country, or they may just be very personal. Digereedoos and mouth organs are common, travel guitars less so. One guy I met last year even brought a hang glider.

What you bring will depend on how long you are staying,and how many home comforts you want with you.

Much of the stuff below requires that you have an anal streak or have Germanic origins, but that is sometimes a useful attribute. We apparently possess a little of both.

The list is aimed primarily at those who have not visited India before, and hopefully may offer some suggestions you may not have arrived at independently. If you have any other incredibly arcane or useful suggestions, drop us a line.

Again, if you bring electronics (especially digital cameras) that use batteries such as standard AA, it is worth considering bringing a small battery charger and a couple of sets of batteries. Indian standard batteries are useless for anything more than a torch, and the high performance Alkaline brands are either expensive or fake. NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) rechargeables used to be the standard, but the newer NiMh (Nickel metal Hydride) ones have a far greater capacity and more consistent voltage. A shop such as Maplins in the UK have a fair choice, or Tottenham court road is good if you are in London. A simple charger with 4 batteries should be around £15, a rapid charger that charges in half the time should be about twice the price.

Battery brands include Kodak (pricey but good), Sanyo (good if you can find them) or Vanson (cheaper and excellent). Not especially recommended are batteries by Uniross or Hahnel.

Note (2006): If you're in the UK and looking for batteries, have a look at the Battery Force website. They carry a massive range of sizes (including button cells) brands and types including rechargeable's, and offer a selection of rapid and travel chargers. There's plenty of information on the site about equivalent battery sizes, and an up to date inventory of current stock. Best of all, prices are up to 50% less than high street names such as Dixon's or Jessop's, and subsequent orders get an additional 5% discount. Delivery is inexpensive and orders usually arrive the next day. Highly recommended.

A good idea if you're interested in listening to programming from home while travelling, although less of an accessory now that the Internet is available in most towns. Still, nothing beats listening to news radio (especially the BBC’s Newshour programme) to keep up with the world outside India. Shortwave radios tend to be comparatively expensive compared to AM/FM models. Its hardly worth buying manually tuned "dial" models, as finding and holding signals is almost impossible. If you do want one at this budget end, you are better to wait till you arrive in India and buy one in Palika Bazaar in Delhi where they are far cheaper than Europe.

A better bet is to go for a "synthesiser phase locked loop" digital tuning type, where you can pre-set channels and dial in frequencies on a keypad Reception is a world apart from manual types; the synthesised tuning "locks" and tracks the signal as it shifts, keeping the signal as optimal as possible. Bringing a simple "wire" antenna can do wonders in bad reception areas such as mountains. This is basically a long piece of wire with a crocodile clip on the end to clip to the aerial.

Sony make excellent models, including the absolutely tiny SW07 (about the size of a cigarette packet) and the highly recommended ICF-SW7600G (bigger, but cheaper).

In the UK the best bet to buy would be Tottenham court road in London (one of the few places in the UK where bargaining is the norm and cash payment talks), Tandy /Radio Shack, Maplins or possibly the BBC shop at Bush House in London.

If you're flying to India via the middle east, especially Dubai, wait and buy one there. Prices for Shortwave radios in the Dubai airport duty free are about half what they are in the UK.

If you're travelling in areas likely to be bad for mosquitoes (a lot of India!), it might be worth bringing some strong repellent. The active ingredient in most mosquito repellent is "Deet", and the higher the percentage, the better the protection. Most Indian repellents available only contain about 15%, and consequently have to be applied fairly often. In Europe stronger solutions can be had that contain 50% or more Deet, and obviously protect better for longer.

Another solution I've used before is to buy Indian liquid repellent (such as Autan) and mix the liquid with the stronger solution brought from home. This is obviously stronger than the native Indian brand, and gives you a bit stronger solution for longer. A good brand sold by Boots pharmacists in the UK and Europe is Jungle Formula. It comes in different forms; creams, gel etc, but I personally prefer the liquid. The downside to Deet based repellents is that they attack and can melt plastic such as watchstraps or plastic bags. When you're packing this to travel, triple check that it is well wrapped and sealed (probably tape the top to be sure) and then check again. I've had this stuff leak on me twice in spite of packing it well.

There are other non Deet based Indian repellents that are pretty good such as Mosfree. These lack the plastic melting capability of Jungle formula, and provide fairly good protection, but are less effective in areas such as coastal Orissa that have Weapons Grade Mosquitoes. These creams are available almost everywhere in India, and are very cheap.

A great idea if you're at all paranoid about theft . A Pacsafe is a kind of wire mesh bag that fits over your backpack and secures with a padlock. Spaces in the mesh allow you to use the backpack straps while travelling. A loop of wire allows you to attach it to an immovable object in your hotel room. The mesh is made of very strong steel wire that should resist anything but the most determined assault, and will certainly stop casual rifling or slashing of your bag on planes or buses. A downside could be that it makes your backpack look like it might contain something worth nicking. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different backpacks and camera bags.