India Travel Tips: 17 Things You Should Never Do in India

By Pursottam Last updated Jan 15, 2022

India – The Land of rich culture, different traditions, strong heritage, and history. You’ll enjoy every bit of it from beauty to religion everything is there for a perfect trip and that makes India one of the best places to visit in the world.

India is a very diverse country, each state is unique and has its own culture, religions, foods. So you have to take care of some of the things in India. Here is the list of things you should never do in India:

Things You Should Never Do in India:

Don’t keep your shoes on while entering in Temple

India is a very religious country, so try not to hurt any religion while you’re in India. So whenever enter in any religious place, it is customary to remove your shoes or footwear because it is considered unclean and impure.

Before entering in the temple or any religious place do follow rule and regulation and what others are doing.

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If anyone invites you into their house then it’s a good manner to leave your footwear at the doorstep, even some Indians usually have separate footwear for indoor or outdoor use. So if you see footwear at doorstep then it’s a good idea to remove yours as well.

Don’t wear tight or revealing clothes

India is a very diverse country, a mixture of modern and conservative minds. So clothing for women also varies from city to city and religion to religion. In urban cities like Gurugram, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa or others you can wear what you want. But in rural cities not revealing and modestly dressing is highly recommended.

It does not only help you to connect with locals but also prevent unwanted stares. So make sure that you a scarf while visiting the religious place. You rarely see India women wearing skirts or shorts above the ankle.

Avoid affection in the Public Area

Indian society is very conservative, especially in rural areas. Therefore, holding hands, hugging and kissing can be a normal thing in other countries but it’s not appropriate in India.

So while you’re in India try to avoid affection on streets, beaches or any public area. You may believe or not but this act can land you in jail. Whenever you visit India it is best to keep affectionate gestures private.

Don’t point the finger or touch anything by your Feet

While you’re in India try not to point anything by your finger, this act makes you rude in people’s eyes. If you have to point anything then try to use your full hand or thumb.

Feet are considered impure or unclean in India. So try to avoid pointing your feet at people or touching people or object especially books by your feet. If you accidentally do then say sorry (Maaf Kijiye) straight away. Also, take care of the thing that touching the feet of an elder person in India is a sign of respect.

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Don’t take or give things by your left Hand

The left hand is considered as impure or unclean in India so try not using your left hand to pass things like food, money or anything else, people may refuse to accept anything given by left hand because this hand use to perform matter associated with the bathroom and right is used for eating.

Don’t criticize any religious or political Group

As I told earlier that India is a very religious country and people don’t allow anyone to criticize their religion. Sometimes this type of matter always gets heated so try not to talk or criticize any religious group and the same for politics. I’m sure there are other interesting things to talk about.

Women should avoid being too friendly with men

Look in India, the relation between men and women in public tend to extremely formal. If you watch Indian ladies then you’ll notice that they behave in a generic and professional way to the men they don’t know.

While in a few societies offering a smile and casual conversation is basically part of being well mannered and agreeable but smiling and over friendly can be effectively confounded by Indian men who aren’t used to such behavior.

Don’t expect to pay everything by Credit or debit card

In India cash is the king, there are many places, restaurants, complexes and stores that accept payment via credit or debit card but some don’t. Also, you can easily access ATM in the cities but in some rural areas where ATM facility is not available.

So it’s good to have enough cash in your purse at all time because credit or debit care are not accepted everywhere. Or you can add money in your PAYTM wallet or other payment app and pay via PAYTM. After demonetization, PYTAM became very famous in India.

Don’t offend with Probing Questions

Indians are very curious, so don’t offend with the question about your income, job, family or marriage even in the first meeting. It is a normal thing in India to ask such question so don’t surprised by these types of question and just play along. And ah don’t forget to ask same in return, lol.

Don’t Judge

India is a very diverse country and the land of extreme contrast. Each state and cities is different and has it own culture, food, religion and dressing style. Here you will get something unique on every 500KM.

So don’t judge the whole country by limited experience because what you feel or what may be true at one place in India is not the same at another place.

Before making any perception about India keeps one thing in mind that there is no other country like India in the whole world.

Never Address elders by their names

Addressing elders by their names can be normal in other countries but in India it is considered a disrespectful act. While addressing elders you can use these words:

Bhaishab (if someone elders than you but not much)

Uncle

Bahen ji, Suniye (you can use both to address elder women)

Tau (if someone elders than your parents, especially in Haryana)

Late Night Roaming

It is not advisable to roaming late at night in India. Ironically, most places not considered safe for late-night roaming especially for girls. Now in urban areas conditions are improving but not 100% safe. So take care of yourself while roaming late night or avoid it if you can.

Don’t expect everyone to speak English

India is a county of youth or I would say the country of educated youth but some people are still uneducated especially in rural areas like owner of local shop( chai ki tapri), street food people etc. So at these places don’t expect to speak English, try to use some Hindi words like namaskar, ram ram, chai dena (give me cup of tea), madad kijiye (help me) and many more. So before traveling to India learn some basic Hindi words or you can check this: 12 things to know before traveling to India

Don’t take girls/ladies granted

Seeing an attractive girl, approach her and both of them started dating, it can be normal in another country but not in India. Indian culture is different, don’t be flirtatious just by seeing a beautiful girl. Take your time to access then move forward.

Don’t wear bikini

It is not something illegal in India but if you can handle unwanted stares and attention then its fine. You can wear a bikini at beaches.

Don’t smoke in public areas

It is not for India, it’s for everywhere. Don’t smoke!!

Never make fun of lower caste

Don’t make fun of lower caste people. If they get offend and complain then you may lead to jail. It is not necessary then every lower cast person is uneducated or unhygienic.

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Bonus Tips: Things You Should Do in India

Always keep the smile on your face while meeting new people.
Only offer your hand for a handshake if other person put forward his otherwise perform Namaste by place your hands together in front of your 3^rd eye, bowing the head and then bringing the hands down to the heart.
Always eat local food for the amazing experience because on every 500KM you’ll get different food.
Ride in local transport for better experience.
Only exchange money with authorize banks or money changers.
Try to dress like local to connect with people and no short, no sleeveless blouse or shirt, no low if you’re women.
Whenever shopping from local or streets shops then do bargains for a reasonable price.
Try to cover yourself with travel insurance in case of unwanted robbery or theft.
Respect everyone privacy.
Explore new place in the morning because in the afternoon Indian traffic and roads are helpless.

So here is the Do’s and Don’ts while you’re in India, hope it will help you. Till the next post, cheers!!!

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