How to ensure your holiday to India is a safe one

India has always been an attractive tourist destination for people around the world, especially for the British with their historical links with the country and Americans due to the excitement of traveling to an exotic country.

Tourism will be further boosted thanks to India's increasing prominence in the global economy, with many Westerners even going to India on working holidays.

When you travel India, it is always wise to have a photocopy of your bio-data page and the visa page in your passport. This would come in handy in case you miss your passport or lose your passport somewhere during your travel.

Plan your trip earlier and try to book your hotel rooms well in advance through a reputed travel agency. This would avoid the need for wandering here and there for your stay. You might request your hotel in which you are going to stay to pick you up from the airport.

Similarly when you travel from your hotel to airport make sure that you are traveling through pre-arranged taxis through your hotel. If you arrange your own taxis for travel make sure that nobody else is boarding the taxi on the way to the airport. Fixed price taxis from private services are available. You can make use of these services.

According to the Indian health regulations travelers coming from Sub-Saharan Africa or via that route should have vaccination against yellow fever. If you are not vaccinated for yellow fever you might be retained in the yellow fever quarantine center for six days. It is wise to carry your yellow fever immunization proof.

Travelers can carry mosquito repellents and sprays against insects (you might even buy one in India) while you travel in India. This is to avoid Malaria and Dengue fever that is caused by mosquitoes. Take your first aid kit that has adequate band aids, thermometer, water-purification tablets, antiseptic creams, and antibiotics that might come to your rescue if needed.

Take caution while you drink water. It is better to drink mineral water or hot water during your travel. Try to eat vegetarian foods as far as possible and avoid meats, poultry, and fried foods that have lots of oily content, unless of course you want to taste the delights of the local cuisine.

If you do eat meat, make sure that the meat and poultry are cooked properly. If you prefer to take non-vegetarian foods try to have them from reputed restaurants. This would help you avoid any gastro-intestinal problems.

You could also consider the following tips for enhancing your safety during travel.
Make sure that you leave a photocopy of your travel documents at home
Have your identification card with you
Take extra set of spectacles which might come in handy if you broke the existing one
Do not share taxi with anyone
Don't allow strangers to overhear your travel plans
Avoid ATMs that have poor lighting

Have a nice journey to India, the land of heritage!