http://www.indiamike.com/india en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:57:48 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.indiamike.com/india/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.indiamike.com/india http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/best-way-to-carry-money-on-a-2-month-trip-t95906/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:51:02 GMT Hi, We have a rough idea of how much money we need but dont really know how to carry it. what is the maximum you can take with you from the uk (flying with Air India)? Is it worth taking a mixture of cash and travelers cheques or can we rely on using HSBC Maestro debit cards at ATMs when we get there? have been ripped off on exchange rates and fees when withdrawing from European atms previously but is India any different? finally is it worth taking sterling with us and exchanging it locally? are we likely to get better rates locally then from from here in the uk? apologies if i am covering old ground but your suggestions would be very useful Thanks in advance. Hi,

We have a rough idea of how much money we need but dont really know how to carry it. what is the maximum you can take with you from the uk (flying with Air India)?

Is it worth taking a mixture of cash and travelers cheques or can we rely on using HSBC Maestro debit cards at ATMs when we get there? have been ripped off on exchange rates and fees when withdrawing from European atms previously but is India any different?

finally is it worth taking sterling with us and exchanging it locally? are we likely to get better rates locally then from from here in the uk?

apologies if i am covering old ground but your suggestions would be very useful

Thanks in advance. ]]> Money Issues and India Travel anamhaq http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/best-way-to-carry-money-on-a-2-month-trip-t95906/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/visa-electron-t95725/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:26:36 GMT Hey,can you use a visa electron card in the ATM's?Would it be expensive to withdraw money that way? Sorry if im repeating something that has been asked more than enough times before! ]]> Money Issues and India Travel charlie lou http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/visa-electron-t95725/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/money-questions-t95722/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:03:12 GMT Hi guys,im wondering about money here.Do i carry round cash for the whole two weeks im there?Or do i have to take a credit / debit card?Is there ATM's in India and how easy are they to access? ]]> Money Issues and India Travel charlie lou http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/money-questions-t95722/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/australian-travellers-best-debit-card-t95676/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:48:57 GMT Since this site has been such a huge help, i figured i might add to it. After finding out about exorbitant fees and conversion rates charged by credit and debit cards, i decided to do some research. I found out that NAB Gold Banking offered accounts with no international ATM fees, and also no currency conversion fee (I am with Commonwealth currently and they charge $5 + 2% as fees) I am thinking of opening a NAB account just for my 5 week trip. You have to pay $10 in monthly fees (or deposit $5000 monthly to get $0 fees). Still sounds like a good deal to me. They also give you a Visa debit card, so you can use the card wherever visa is accepted. The only question is does anyone here know what the conversion rate will likely be? For instance todays rate is 1 Australian dollar = 43 Indian Rupees. But the sell rate at the NAB website is 36 rupees. This is quite a difference. Do you know which rate i will likely be charged? Anyone with experience of using ATM withdrawals from an OS bank can help me out here? thanks. Since this site has been such a huge help, i figured i might add to it.

After finding out about exorbitant fees and conversion rates charged by credit and debit cards, i decided to do some research. I found out that NAB Gold Banking offered accounts with no international ATM fees, and also no currency conversion fee (I am with Commonwealth currently and they charge $5 + 2% as fees)

I am thinking of opening a NAB account just for my 5 week trip. You have to pay $10 in monthly fees (or deposit $5000 monthly to get $0 fees). Still sounds like a good deal to me. They also give you a Visa debit card, so you can use the card wherever visa is accepted.

The only question is does anyone here know what the conversion rate will likely be? For instance todays rate is 1 Australian dollar = 43 Indian Rupees. But the sell rate at the NAB website is 36 rupees. This is quite a difference. Do you know which rate i will likely be charged? Anyone with experience of using ATM withdrawals from an OS bank can help me out here? thanks. ]]> Money Issues and India Travel aju2484 http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/australian-travellers-best-debit-card-t95676/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/tipping-and-other-questions-t95548/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:24:19 GMT If there is already a thread on this please point me to it, I did not see it at first glance

if not...please help me figure out if I am required to pay for, and what are appropriate "tips" for:

*taking pics of children/locals

*taking pics of "holy men" at temples (such as at Jagdish Temple in Udaipur)

*site "guides"...such as, if I tell a "guide" at a site that I do not want a guide and will not pay him, but he insists to come along, how much "must" I give him w/o being insulting?

*is there a general rule of thumb for auto rickshaw fares such as distance traveled or time hired out?

how do I know what a good price is for clothing or other items if I don't have any friends locally?

thanks ]]> Money Issues and India Travel CFPhotoGrafie http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/tipping-and-other-questions-t95548/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/the-single-most-memorable-place-that-you-have-visited-in-india-t95530/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:35:04 GMT hi, was just hoping to get some feedback from as many people as possible as to the most memorable/best place that any travelers in india have visited. im planning my trip for the summer and ive got a pretty good idea of the route i want to take, but id love to get everones views on what should not be missed and maybe il be able to fit it into my route. im asking as im not familiar with india and any information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated. keep it simple: name of place-whereabouts-why you liked it so much? thanks everyone :D hi,

was just hoping to get some feedback from as many people as possible as to the most memorable/best place that any travelers in india have visited.

im planning my trip for the summer and ive got a pretty good idea of the route i want to take, but id love to get everones views on what should not be missed and maybe il be able to fit it into my route.

im asking as im not familiar with india and any information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.

keep it simple: name of place-whereabouts-why you liked it so much?

thanks everyone :D ]]> Money Issues and India Travel seetz2 http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/the-single-most-memorable-place-that-you-have-visited-in-india-t95530/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/travelling-to-hemkund-sahib-t95260/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:27:35 GMT hi everyone, im plannig a trip to india in the summer and hemkund sahib and the valley of flowers are a major must for me. as i have a limited amount of time i was wondering how much time id need to get from delhi to hemkund and the vof and back down to haridwar so i can continue my journey. a list of the travel and accommodation costs would also be helpful as this is all new to me and i want to be sure about everything. is it possible in 4 days, 5 at the most? what equipment will i need? what kind of condition healthwise do i have to be in? where would my projected stop overs be/ what would be the common day to day itinerary? thanyou for any help that can be given hi everyone,

im plannig a trip to india in the summer and hemkund sahib and the valley of flowers are a major must for me.

as i have a limited amount of time i was wondering how much time id need to get from delhi to hemkund and the vof and back down to haridwar so i can continue my journey.

a list of the travel and accommodation costs would also be helpful as this is all new to me and i want to be sure about everything.

is it possible in 4 days, 5 at the most? what equipment will i need? what kind of condition healthwise do i have to be in? where would my projected stop overs be/ what would be the common day to day itinerary?

thanyou for any help that can be given ]]> Money Issues and India Travel seetz2 http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/travelling-to-hemkund-sahib-t95260/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/what-to-budget-for-t95063/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:25:14 GMT Goa>Gokarna>Hampi>Hyderabad>Delhi>Agra>Orchha>Varanasi>Delhi. My total budget is £1500 each. I'm spending: £589 on flights (international and domestic) £50 on trains and then i've budgeted £100 for other travel, i.e. buses, taxi's, rickshaws. So that leaves me with £770 for hotels, food, etc. Which is £26/Rs2060 a day. What i'm havin trouble with is figuring out what my budget would be for accomadation. I think we'd like places with our own bathroom (obviously i know this can't always happen), nice clean rooms. How much do people think we'd spend on food and drink (we like nice food!). Is there anything I'm forgetting? Thanks!]]> Hi,
i'm traveling to india next week for 29 days with my wife and just wondered if someone could help with my budget. I'm going Delhi>Goa>Gokarna>Hampi>Hydera bad>Delhi>Agra>Orchha>Varanasi >Delhi.
My total budget is £1500 each.
I'm spending:
£589 on flights (international and domestic)
£50 on trains
and then i've budgeted £100 for other travel, i.e. buses, taxi's, rickshaws.

So that leaves me with £770 for hotels, food, etc. Which is £26/Rs2060 a day.
What i'm havin trouble with is figuring out what my budget would be for accomadation. I think we'd like places with our own bathroom (obviously i know this can't always happen), nice clean rooms.
How much do people think we'd spend on food and drink (we like nice food!).
Is there anything I'm forgetting?

Thanks! ]]> Money Issues and India Travel what? http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/what-to-budget-for-t95063/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/is-it-enough-cash-t94985/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:25:41 GMT hi everyone, im from the uk, im planning to travel to india for 3 months between june and september, and so im just running up numbers as to a reasonable amount to save. i want to travel from delhi down the west coast to cape comorin, around to chennai. catch an internal flight from chennai to kolkata for £40, and then from there travel to delhi. i have the route i want to take pretty well planned, and im hoping to do it on a budget. a return flight and insurance will cost £400 to delhi. im budgeting £10 a day to include food, local travel and accommodation. so thats around £800 altogether. £200 for extra travel costs around the country. £300 for spending on whatever i like. im just wondering does that sound plausible for such a vast journey, am i missing anything or do i need to think about it more? also any tips on the cheapest ways to get around, stay and generally live and have fun would be appreciated, as would any hidden treasures off the tourist beaten track, thanx. hi everyone, im from the uk, im planning to travel to india for 3 months between june and september, and so im just running up numbers as to a reasonable amount to save.

i want to travel from delhi down the west coast to cape comorin, around to chennai. catch an internal flight from chennai to kolkata for £40, and then from there travel to delhi. i have the route i want to take pretty well planned, and im hoping to do it on a budget.

a return flight and insurance will cost £400 to delhi.
im budgeting £10 a day to include food, local travel and accommodation. so thats around £800 altogether.
£200 for extra travel costs around the country.
£300 for spending on whatever i like.

im just wondering does that sound plausible for such a vast journey, am i missing anything or do i need to think about it more?

also any tips on the cheapest ways to get around, stay and generally live and have fun would be appreciated, as would any hidden treasures off the tourist beaten track, thanx. ]]> Money Issues and India Travel seetz2 http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/is-it-enough-cash-t94985/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/maximum-rupee-withdrawal-from-an-atm-t94490/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:16:40 GMT Can anyone tell me what is the maximum that can be withdrawn from an ATM in one transaction or in 24 hrs please. Many Thanks, Big G. Can anyone tell me what is the maximum that can be withdrawn from an ATM in one transaction or in 24 hrs please.
Many Thanks, Big G. ]]> Money Issues and India Travel Big G http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/maximum-rupee-withdrawal-from-an-atm-t94490/ http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/inr-2500-enough-for-souvenirs-t93539/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:21:34 GMT i will spend 5 days in India, golden triangle. im just wondering if $2500 is enought for buying souvenirs?

Things i'm going to buy
- Pashmina
- Tea
- Incense stick
- Tshirt
- handcraft

what else should i buy (no carpet)? ]]> Money Issues and India Travel kellogg http://www.indiamike.com/india/money-issues-and-india-travel-f138/inr-2500-enough-for-souvenirs-t93539/