USA Citizen concerns with traveling to India in 2 months please help

kelley732

Hello! I am a 29 year old female from the US possibly coming to India at the end of April. I have some concerns that I am hoping you all can help me with.

First off, how long will it take for me to get a travel Visa to India if I am planning to leave in a little over 2 months? My trip will only be for 2 weeks, so I don't need an extended one. Is there a link for a US visa somewhere?

Secondly, what kind of vaccinations do I need, and where do I get those from, just my regular doctor? Is there an average cost/time needed to do all of them?

Lastly, I am very concerned with terrorism against tourists in India and want to see what the threat level is in 2012. I have been hearing mixed things and am worried about my safety as a white female.

My trip will be arriving in Hyderabad, going to Goa, and Kerala. Are all of these areas safe? Is there a recommended way of traveling between the three?

Lastly, knowing I only have 2 weeks and will be in Southern India, is there another recommendation you might have that is nearby?

I have a calling in my heart to visit India, but it being so close to now and feeling scared of terrorism is holding me back!

Thank you so much for your help in advance!

hfot2

Welcome to IndiaMike kelley732.

You should be able to find answers to all your questions here. (If you look to the right on this page, there are many related threads there for you to begin with) Be aware that the folks here have varied opinions so you need to do further research on your own as well.

For starters-
An Indian visa in the US can be obtained from Travisa. You have plenty of time before you leave and don't need to get an expedited quickie visa. It's difficult to say how long it takes to get one from Travisa - it depends on their work load. We got ours in about a week if I recall correctly. Might I suggest a 10 year visa, which is one of the best travel bargains around if you have even the slightest notion of returning to India.
See here

For vaccinations, there are loads threads here discussing that - just do a search. For the Centers for Disease Control's information on travel to India see this We also recommend seeing a travel clinic doctor if one is near you. They are probably more up-to-date on the needs of travelers than your regular doctor. But your regular doctor should do just fine for the basic shots and prescriptions you'll need. Many of them are standard shots, like tetanus, which you should have anyway. What you'll need depends on how recently you've traveled and how current you are on your vaccines. The cost depends on your health insurance coverage.

Terrorism? Well, no one can predict that. We almost were in Mumbai when it came under attack several years ago; we were in Kolkata when there was a bomb on a train going north; we were in Jaipur when there was a bomb at the train station in Varanasi. You can't guess. You could have been in the World Trade Center in September...

distaff

ananda2193

Wow, that should quell her fears!!!

Don't worry about terrorism in India. If there is any(god forbid) when your there, what are the real chances that you are in the midst of it? Don't worry about pretty impossible situations. Worry more about con artists and scammers. People overcharging you.........

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"Travel is fatal to prejudice,bigotry and narrow-mindedness" Mark Twain

kelley732

Thank you both for your thoughts and advice, I truly appreciate it! Any suggestions on places to see near where I mentioned in a short two week trip? (Hyderabad, Goa, Kerala?) Thank you again!

vandy

Click onto the Forums section at top of page you can see the various Sub Forums that should help you.

If I may also suggest you get yourself a decent Guide Book on India, I found Lonely Planet and Rough Guide pretty good.

As you have concerns of travelling to India on your own, keep an eye on the Travel Partners section in Forums there MAY even be someone from your neck of the woods also going to India around the same time as you.


vandy

wonderwomanusa

I've been travelling alone in India for 40-some years and felt much safer (as a lone female) than I do in the USA.

For a two-week visit, Hyderabad, Goa and Kerala is a lot to cover; I wouldn't add any more places. How do you plan to travel between those three areas?

Hyderabad is an especially interesting city; I've spent days just wandering the bazaars near Char Minar.

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The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

Darmabum

I was in Varanasi when at least two bombs went off in the city on the same day, and another found before it could be detonated: one at the train station, and another at a (very) nearby temple. Neither one of them (and I bet this holds true for most of them) were not targeting "29-year old blonde women" That particular area of annoyance is handled by the many touts and cousins of silk shop salesmen.

In your bio you referred to trouble between India and Pakistan, or perhaps it was in Pakistan only: whatever, these "things" have been going on in and around India and Pakistan for . . . well, since Partition if not well before. File terrorism well-back in your mind . . . read up on handling touts . . . you'll be fine.

And this: if India "calls", you must go. It is the trip of a lifetime (and I have five of them under my belt now) Enjoy

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure - Marianne Williamson

Rose Gee

Greetings!

My husband and I are travelling to India (our first time also) in a few weeks. I can advise, per our experience, on a couple of points:

Visa- We used Travisa's San Francisco office. I was able to get them on the phone three times (holding for 5-10 minutes each call) to answer questions; they were very polite and helpful. We submitted our applications January 9th, our passports (with visas attached) were returned January 19th. I paid for the expedited shipping (I felt odd sending my passport off), but no other "extras".

Vaccines- I called my regular doctor to see what vaccines her office provides. I then made an appointment with a travel clinic doctor. I asked for a physician who had traveled in India. He gave us practical (tailored to our itinerary), "real world" advice on the pros and cons of vaccines, malaria meds, prophylactic antibiotics etc.; a list of fees for each, and then let us make the choice. We got one vaccine from him (not something my general doctor provides), and then saw the regular doctor for anything else that we decided to booster. Those boosters were covered by my health insurance as "preventative".

So far, so good. I hope you have a wonderful experience!

Good luck, Rose

Big Texan

Rose Gee and Kelley, Welcome to IM! A fellow Yankee Doodle from the great state of Texas (please try to forget about Rick Perry) here.

I recommend "Enjoying India: The Essential Handbook" by Viharini for all India newbies and first-timers. I have found it very helpful in preparing my friends and students who travel with me to India. it will help answer many of your questions and calm your nerves. Also you must read "Meeting God" by Huyler. Both are available from Amazon.

Happy Trails! Travel Mercies!

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"I am in love with India...where I find the heat and smells and oils and spices, and puffs of temple incense, and sweat and darkness, and dirt and lust and cruelty, and above all, things wonderful and fascinating innumerable." Kipling 1893

hfot2

However can that be?

Of course, we Vermonters and you Texans have long had a considerable dispute over what constitutes God's Own Country.

I remember an old joke:

A Vermonter is visiting a Texan, who is boasting about his extravagant estate with fancy gardens and exotic animals and imported Greek statues and enormous mansion and all. A gorgeous bird flies across the path in front of them.

Vermonter: What on earth was that?
Texan: Why, that was a Bird of Paradise.
Vermonter: Sure is a long way from home.

a_f_d

btw Kerala and Goa are fairly hot in April.

AndyD 8-)#

Roushan

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'Pain is Temporary, Quitting lasts forever.'

My Facebook Profile / Use Common Sense while meeting someone through IndiaMike

edwardseco

Minor grammatical correction BT, "nation" not "state". For the OP its easy to obsess & miss the daily reality. When I was going for engagement negotiations in India I showed several photo albums of my home & relatives. Each picture was examined minutely for evidence of guns given what they had heard about Texas..





If any of yours are indiscrete in that fashion think Photoshop..

Big Texan

Sorry to disappoint, but I don't own a gun.

Once had an Indian say to me: "I've heard that in the USA they actually slaughter cows. Is that true?" I replied, "Yes, I've heard that also." I didn't have the heart or courage to tell the poor guy that the majority of beef in the USA is "prepared" within 250 miles of my home! Or that the most common advertising slogan in my home state is "Beef ... It's what's for dinner!"

edwardseco

The drought is impacting that..