For Women Traveling to India: A Book Review and Free Copy Contest!

by Myscha Theriault on 6 January 2009 29 comments

Looking for an informative travel read? Need some hot tips to make your next trip flow smoothly? Hoping for something that addresses your unique needs as a member of the O.G.C? (Official Girlfriends Club) Help is on the way.

The latest in the Wanderlust and Lipstick collection, this title by Beth Whitman provides loads of tips for women who will be navigating the subcontinent solo. Bonus? Many of her tips are applicable to travelers in general and can be used in numerous developing countries. She covers such issues as working around festival schedules when booking tickets and accommodations, how to avoid harassment in movie theaters and tips and hacks for dealing with India's vast train system. She even covers some of the inside scoop on the emerging health care system in India via some of the women she met there, including Wise Bread's own Amy Scher. Wanna grab a sneak peek at some of the hot tips you'll find in this book?

Not only will you want to carry your own TP in India, but your own disposable tote bags for it as well. Since the waste water infrastructure often can't handle the extra bulk, you'll frequently need to put your used toilet tissue in a knotted bag and toss it later if a waste receptacle is not available.
Use the overwhelming number of people vying for your business to your advantage. This is your chance to get the absolutely best price possible. Basically, bargain your ass off.
Find a quiet retreat that is not your hotel room. The hustle and bustle of India can be overwhelming. While it's perfectly understandable to need a reprieve, nobody wants to spend their whole trip alone in the hotel room. Consider a temple, park or university library.

Beth Whitman is also the author of Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, founder of the Wanderlust and Lipstick web site, and a blogger for the Seattle Post Intelligencer. She's also a kick butt tour guide. Can't wait check out this title for yourself? Here's a link. To enter the contest, simply post a comment sharing a funny travel anecdote, a trip you've been dreaming of taking, or a hot tip for life on the road. The deadline is January 13th, at 9:00 a.m. EST.

*****CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER IS BEING CONTACTED. THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING.*****

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6 Jan. 2009 | 11:04 AM RoSco

Okay, I don't know how much this would help in India or any other place where local water quality is questionable, but I always bring an empty reusable water bottle through the security check with me and then fill it up at the airport's water fountain.

If I'm on a long flight I request water every time the flight attendant offers a beverage and add it to my water bottle. Result: I never have an open cup precariously balanced on my tray when I'm trying to sleep and can wake up and take a sip of water without having to track down a flight attendant!

6 Jan. 2009 | 11:06 AM Sabrina

I learned a valuable lesson while vacationing in Rome several years ago. Follow the rules. Six of us were staying with new found relatives and commuting into Rome daily to get some culture. After a week of this, some of us got a little lax and while rushing to get good seats on the bus (two of us were over 60), did not deposit tokens to pay for transit. They figured they'd drop them on the way out.

Nope. Fines for everyone but me! We got home unscathed, but it makes for a great story when we talk about Italy!

6 Jan. 2009 | 11:38 AM Melissa L.

I'm arranging my second trip with my best friend, Cara, with Global Volunteers, and this time I'm traveling to Ecuador. Last year, we went to Tanzania. I'm hoping that if I receive this book, I can finally convince Cara to make a trip to India with me, as it's a trip I've long wanted to take. *crosses fingers*

6 Jan. 2009 | 12:46 PM Ruth Ann

Last summer I did a mission trip to India with a small group from my church. It was an amazing experience. A couple of mornings we went down to the fish auction in this small village so that our group leader could buy fish for lunch or dinner. One morning, it wasn't looking good to get the type of fish that was wanted, but, just as the auctions were winding down, a boat pulled up on short, a man jumped out and literally ran up with a big, red fish still flapping. We won the auction and enjoyed the fish for lunch that day. In India, I discovered that I really do enjoy eating fish...as long as it's super fresh and cooked just right.

Someday soon I hope to return to India and see more of the country and get to know more of the people who live there.

6 Jan. 2009 | 1:16 PM KelR1

I have never been to Europe and my dream trip would be seeing Paris and Rome. For the art, the food, the beautiful old buildings, etc.

6 Jan. 2009 | 1:44 PM Laura

This book looks really interesting! My best travel tip is for Russia. It surprised me to find out that even Moscow, even in modern buildings, toilet paper is very unusual. Pocket sized packs of tissues are also difficult to find there, so bring a few packs over with you to tuck in your purse or pocket. It would have been a very unpleasant stay if I hadn't been warned about this in advance!

6 Jan. 2009 | 4:09 PM Dyann

It seemed that 9 out of 10 cafes or fast food joints in Tokyo had upstairs or downstairs dining rooms separate from where you actually ordered the food. After a week, my family and I were pretty accustomed to this set up. We strolled into a Hotto Motto, ordered rice and veggies with a pork cutlet, and asked if the door to the left of the counter led to the dining room.

"No, no," the young man behind the counter said, making an X with his arms. "No dining. Take to room only."

We squirmed, but had no choice but to leave. Our hotel was within walking distance, but it was quite a hike back in the opposite direction. Finding a bench is impossible, and it's unacceptable to eat while walking, not that we'd be able to do that with katsudon anyway. We ended up squatting on the curb in the alley beside the restaurant like a trio of hobos, much to the dismay of my husband.

Of course, we had to carry our trash with us until we found a trash can in the bathroom of a subway station. :P

6 Jan. 2009 | 4:39 PM Julie

In 2005, I took a trip to Europe with some of my university friends, which including a few days in Venice. One night, it had been raining but had mostly stopped by about 8 pm and I thought, "how often does one get to go exploring in Venice?" No one wanted to join me, so I went off by myself.

I walked through Piaza San Marco (which was almost empty -- shocking!) and along the waterfront for about a half-hour. Then I decided to turn back to my hotel, but do it through the interior of Venice, because I'd already seen the waterfront.

Now, a note about navigating in Venice: maps are useless. Truly. The way you navigate is to say, "I know I want to go in *that* direction, for approximately *that* amount of time." Eventually you start seeing signs on the wall for your destination. I knew this, so off I went, figuring that in about a half-hour, I'd start seeing signs to places I knew, and from there I could get back to my hotel.

Another fact I'd never know: Venice at night is a ghost town. There's absolutely NO ONE on the back-streets. So I was walking by myself, in ever-darkening weather, getting just a bit edgy. A half-hour came and went, and I saw no signs.

I came to a courtyard. There were only two ways out, other than the way I'd come. One was a straight street with some red lights at the end of it, which might have been a restaurant where I could ask for directions. The other was a curving alleyway, the sort of place that all my travel senses were saying, "Stay away!"

So I went down the first way. Turns out the red lights weren't for a restaurant, but for a construction district. That street ended in a canal. Which meant I either had to turn back and go the way I'd come for quite a distance before the next branching point, or brave The Alley.

I didn't want to go back. It was late. So I steeled myself and stepped into the alley. All those self-preservation senses were screaming, "You don't want to be here!" If I were mugged, no one would ever find me.

Half-way through, I heard the sound of an accordion. An accordion! Accordions meant people! I picked up the pace and was almost running as I burst out of the alleyway and onto... my hotel, where my friends were sitting on the terrace listening to an accordion player!

I'll tell you, I learned my lesson: no more night-wandering in Venice for me!

6 Jan. 2009 | 5:31 PM chriss

I admit freely that this tip is more for the gals, but I can't tell you how useful a good sarong can be. Warm ones (either thicker flannel-y material, or silk) are *fantastic* doubles for blankets on planes when they've run out; they work well as lower back cushions too, in a pinch.
Once you've got where you're going, they're great for wearing (obviously), cotton ones make very good towels, they can help keep the light out in case of thin drapes, and they're also a way to subdivide your luggage if you've forgotten to bring a goodly stash of plastic/cloth bags -- just tie up what needs isolating in a bundle. (I actually used that last in combination with the towel function when staying at a hostel with shared bathrooms -- all my dirty clothes tidly bundled up in what had been my towel as I trekked too and from my room.)

6 Jan. 2009 | 5:54 PM Erica

I haven been dreaming of a trip to India. I want to see the North and the South.

6 Jan. 2009 | 7:29 PM lisa

Hi! India has been where I've dreamed of living since I was 11 years old. I don't know why, but it always fascinates me. I want to live just as the lower class live there. I love Indian food too. Thanks for entering me in this contest. Lisa

6 Jan. 2009 | 8:12 PM Therese

I would love to visit India, Thailand, Japan or China. They just all seem so exotic and beautiful.

6 Jan. 2009 | 8:36 PM Just Kelly

I want to go to Ireland so bad! See the bluffs and explore the green land!

7 Jan. 2009 | 3:49 AM Kathryn

I went to Germany in the summer after graduation in the days before the advent of the internet and a book like this one would have helped tremendously to find out what I should have packed, what the customs are and plethora of other things.

I didn't know they didn't use the same electrical system and my hair styling utensils were useless, as were the shorts and other summer clothes that I had lugged over and ended up having to wear the same few items of warm clothing I had brought with me as it was cool and rainy most of the time I was there. I also wish I had packed an umbrella and a rain coat.

I also didn't realize there would be so much walking as people under 25 didn't usually drive over there due to how expensive insurance is and wish I had packed tennis shoes instead of the stylish shoes I wanted to wear to look good.

I also didn't realize that they generally don't drink the tap water over there as it is not processed as throughly as it is here in the States and the people I was staying with freaked as if I had just drank out of the toilet when I drew a glass of water from the sink and started to drink it.

7 Jan. 2009 | 4:09 AM Christine

I visted London in 1996. I had a terrific time. Be forewarned, very few people could understand a midwestern accent. Navagating the tube wasn't so bad. The pedestrian walkways were more of a challenge. It is a very neat, well kept and orderly country. I only stayed 5 days. Wish I could have stayed much longer as there was so much to do.

7 Jan. 2009 | 4:41 AM Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas

I am longing to voyage to India and think this book would be the perfect companion to help create a lovely trip. One travel tip I like is regarding photographing your favourite places. If possible (for example with a cool site you stop by multiple times daily), try to capture the same spot at different times of the day. The variation of lighting makes for interesting and colourful images.

Happy travels! And thanks, wisebread, for the great give-a-way.

7 Jan. 2009 | 7:16 AM Guest

My best travel tip in confusing foreign countries is: Allow 3 times as much time as you think it will actually take to get anywhere or do anything. You will get lost. You will get delayed. Don't get stressed. If you go with the flow and just enjoy whatever new place you are lost/stuck/waiting in, you will have a much more fun and memorable trip.

7 Jan. 2009 | 9:53 AM Caroline

I have learned through traveling both within the U.S. and internationally that even if you are traveling with a native of the region you are visiting or someone who has been there numerous times, they are not going to think to tell you everything you need to know.
I traveled to Costa Rica with natives and thought they would certainly be better guides than any book I could buy. Unfortunately, while their comfort level with the places we traveled was helpful, they were so accustomed to the way things are done that it never occurred to them to tell me important details like certain foods you should never order out and the fact that even in the nicer hotels we stayed in you can't drink the water and won't find toilet paper. How I wished I had read a good guide book!
I'm already planning to travel to India this coming May/June as I have always wanted to visit and am told I simply have to experience the transition from the scorching summer heat to the rains. Even though I won't be traveling alone, and will actually be traveling with an Indian, a book like this could really help prepare me!

7 Jan. 2009 | 10:05 AM Gabriel

This is one of my most treasured memories:

My grandparents retired to Hawaii before the giant real estate boom. I've spent many summers there with my parents - we would share a large back room that had two camp beds and a couch (I always had the couch). My grandparents, unfortunately, weren't interested in providing upkeep for their house, and since they lived in a rain forest on the mountain, lots of big, creepy bugs would tend to get in the house, particularly giant, poisonous centipedes with a bite like red hot nails.

Now, my dad is OCD about wearing shoes. He only has one pair, and he refuses both to buy another style of shoe or to have naked feet. I think the only time he takes off this pair of shoes is when he showers.

One morning, as I was still dozing on the couch, I became cognizant of my Dad shouting curse words. Apparently, when he was getting dressed that morning, he became aware of a wriggly lump on the inside of his thigh right as he zipped up his fly. He told me to open the door to the backyard, which was by a swimming pool. He rushed out there, holding his jeans in front of him, when suddenly a giant, 10" centipede fell out of the trousers. My Dad grabbed one of his beloved shoes, and WHAM!! knocked the centipede on the head with it. He whomped it with such force that the shoe bounced against the concrete and went flying toward the swimming pool. I can see it in slow motion - I was already dreading the fuss Dad would make when his shoe was ruined by the water - when, plop! The shoe landed smack dab on top of a tiny boogie board that was floating in the pool. Being the insensitive little 8 year old I was, I laughed and laughed and laughed as my Dad was recovering from his threatened manhood and trying to get back his shoe. Good times, good times.

7 Jan. 2009 | 10:10 AM Gabriel

By the way, I want to thank you for the timeliness of this post and for making me aware that this book was out there. I'm going to be graduating from college in the spring, and my plan revolves around India. My sophomore year, I took a class in the Hindi language and fell in love with it. I've applied to an immersion program in Jaipur, India this summer, and I'm next going to be applying for a scholarship to spend a semester in the University of Hyperbad where I can improve my Hindi even more. My plan is eventually to go to grad school in linguistics and possibly work for the State Department as a translator. Thanks so much for your thoughtful insights, and to everyone who posted such clever travel tips!

7 Jan. 2009 | 11:56 AM Madison

My story begins in a dream. I was in a beat up car with a close friend of mine and we were traveling up the east coast of the U.S. (although it seemed more epic than what you could expect; the sky was hemmed with stitches to the ground so the horizon was a continuous loop.) We were talking about the mountains and how nice it would be to see them. As soon as the topic came up, mountains popped up around us and the sky peaked like it was a canopy. We smiled and I knew that we would keep on driving and keep on seeing. It was a happy day to wake up to.

8 Jan. 2009 | 6:47 AM Anjie Henley

I didn't learn too much from my grandparents who lived 1000 miles away from me growing up, but I did get a very good TRAVEL tip which is even more relavent today than it was years ago when I learned this!

My grandparents brought clothes in their suitcases that they didn't like, were tired of, or bought very cheaply at a used clothing store in their 1 suitcase that they traveled with. Upon arrival they hung up their clothing and wore it and LEFT IT in the hotel!

This cleared up their suitcase for whatever they wanted to bring back & they didn't come home with LAUNDRY TO DO. As a child I thought "how wasteful" and "how dumb" as WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD WEAR CLOTHES THEY DIDNT LIKE?

I totally understand this now! I can go to the $1 thrift store and buy 5 shirts for $5 bring a pair of jeans and sweats, socks 6 pair for $1 (dollar store) and 1 DRESS and I am set for a WEEK
I may bring back the JEANS but ............. could replace all of the clothing for the cost of extra BAG on airline, have plenty of room for the goodies I want to bring home and OMG no laundry to do when I get back? that is PRICELESS!

8 Jan. 2009 | 8:46 AM Guest

Dream trip is to sail around the world, making stops at all the fun islands like Galapagos, Easter, French Polynesia...

8 Jan. 2009 | 11:30 AM Guest

Being a frequent travel to/from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, I have learned that not all toilet facilities have TP or even a toilet, for that matter (hole in ground), so I always carry a Kleenex pack or baby wipes. Also, do not use the hotpot or coffeemaker in the room; most Asian hotels have a hot water dispenser on each floor or lobby, so fill your thermos from that. My mom also avoids using the proprietary hotel bedroom slippers and has us pack our own and/or flip flops. Lastly, buy a map- a laminated one, if possible!

9 Jan. 2009 | 1:08 AM Andrea

I have always wanted to go to India and despite other travels I have never made it there. I would love to go there for a marriage / honeymoon vacation.

10 Jan. 2009 | 7:07 PM Dawn DeWitt Studios

My favorite & oft used travel tip was actually given to me by Wisebread's own Myscha Theriault. On a trip to Bali about 8 years ago she turned me on to the many wonders of the sarong. I ended up purchasing at least a dozen on that trip. At least one comes along with me on every trip I take, whether it's for a day or a month. They're light weight, non staining & dry so fast they can be re-used same day if necessary. And they last forever! I'm still using some of the same ones I started with 8 years ago.

11 Jan. 2009 | 12:08 AM Flutter

I traveled to India back in the summer of 2007 (I can NOT wait to go back!), and the one thing I learned is that you do not need to pack many clothes. I took five shirts and two pairs of pants with me for a month's worth of travel. At your hotel, you can easily get laundry service (and for cheap, too!) which picks up in the afternoon and returns to you in the morning. Your clothes will be washed, dried, and folded beautifully. You can easily survive with only three outfits as long as you constantly use the dhobi-wallas (washer-men).

Also, there are many local tailors around who are more than willing to take any cloth you like and fashion it to custom-fit you in the style of your choosing. Most of these tailors take a few days, depending on how much business you bring them. If you have a large quantity of items you wish to have created/tailored, you may wish to separate the items among several different tailors to have them completed sooner.

11 Jan. 2009 | 4:25 AM Myscha Theriault

Boy, we sure had some good times on that trip, didn't we? And on Guam. Nice to hear from you.

12 Jan. 2009 | 4:46 PM Guest

This post is so serendipitous for me! The reason I began reading Wise Bread in the first place is that I am saving up for a trip to India - my dream trip - in a few months. I am planning on volunteering half the time and then travelling around the country. I will be meeting up with friends at some points, but I will also be alone for some of the time. I have never travelled alone outside of the US, nor have a I ever been to India, or on a prolonged trip overseas. I am somewhat nervous, especially about being alone in a foreign country, but more than that I am excited. I can't wait to see the temples, eat the food, climb the mountains, and learn more about the culture while volunteering. I hadn't heard of this book before but now it seems like a must-own.

For Women Traveling to India: A Book Review and Free Copy Contest!

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