My nomadic style involves returning to the same locales. Japan, Australia, Italy and Spain are the primary countries that I have visited dozens of times. In Southeast Asia, where I'm based, I'm most accustomed to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia (Bali), Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Therefore, it's thrilling to visit a new destination!
Indian influence on my life
Indian culture has been influencing me since childhood. My dad has been an avid reader of Hinduism and Buddhism books, which affected my interest in spirituality. The aromatic world of Indian food has been the second enormous influence. Tangy curries, my go-to Chana Dal, crispy garlic naan, and most recently banana leaf. I love them so much that I eat these every day. Lastly, daily practice of yoga ensures my spinal health.
Embracing India's spirit
Carefully selected long-form stories are how I like to get accustomed to a new culture. The Hundred-Foot Journey movie, while set in France, portrays Indian passion for cooking. I enjoyed its warm, family-oriented themes.
Then I listened to the Siddhartha audiobook. A 1922 classic that inspired Westerners for decades. Timeless quote "I can think, I can wait, I can fast", functions as a recurring theme in Sidharta's eventful journey.
To get a look into the state of affairs of modern India, I listened to Lex Fridman's podcast interview with Prime Minister Modi. I get that some of his policies are controversial, as presented by John Oliver. Nevertheless, it's fascinating to hear about Modi's life and dedication to visiting every corner of India.
Most important apps
To ensure staying in touch with my close circle and navigating in a new terrain, I researched the most suitable solutions.
Nomad eSIM
As usual, I looked for the best eSIM deals at esimdb.com. However, besides the price, I wanted to ensure I got:
- reliable provider with a good online reputation,
- unthrottled data with hotspot (as a backup for Wi-Fi),
- coverage in cities and rural areas (using Jio and Airtel networks)
The cheapest providers didn't disclose which networks they used. Second best was Airalo, which already has an established brand in the industry. However, their eSIM only used the Jio network. Out of all the options, only Nomad eSIM offered what I needed.
Get 5 USD off on your Nomad eSIM when using my promo code:
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PhonePe
Whenever possible, I always pay with Apple Pay, as this is the safest and most convenient payment method for me. Local e-wallets and their QR payments offer the second-best option for avoiding cash and better aligning with local commerce, which does not always accept card payments.
In India, nearly vendor adopted the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the UPI One World is the payment solution for travelers. Many countries (like Malaysia, China, Cambodia) enable people to do KYC digitally on their devices. However, India requires KYC in person. Apparently, many accredited stores in the arrival halls can do it.
Based on my research, the PhonePe app provides the best user experience. So only after I complete the KYC, I'll be able to top-up and use PhonePe for local QR payments.
Other useful apps for a trip to India
- WhatsApp market share in India is 97%. So I'm glad to use it via Beeper to stay in touch with local friends and businesses.
- Uber is very popular for hailing cars, and the local Rapido focuses on hailing bikes and rickshaws.
- Google Maps dominates real-time navigation. When I go hiking or to rural areas, I use Guru Maps. In both apps, I downloaded offline maps to be independent of local data congestion.
- Flighty is the best way to monitor flight updates, especially considering the current disruptions in the Middle East.
Health-wise
Travel insurance is, in my opinion, a must for nomads. Therefore, I continue to use SafetyWing's Essential plan to cover my upcoming trip to India.
Check the details for the SafetyWing Nomad Insurance:
While not mandatory, they advise vaccinations. My blood still carries hepatitis A immunity, which is good. My vaccinations included only the typhoid shot.
I checked the state of bottled water scams, and unfortunately, it's still very common. I'll avoid such water and ice cubes. Conversely, an aluminum can's inability to be resealed like a plastic bottle makes canned drinks safe. There should be a vide selection of non-sugary drinks, which is what I'm after.
The Anytime Fitness has some branches in Kolkata and Bangalore, but they're far from our locations. So the plan is to check the gym in the hotel and independent gyms in our neighborhood.
Travel visa to India
During my 2013/2014 solo trip across Asia and Oceania, in-person paper visa applications were the most challenging step. So I'm delighted that more and more countries embrace digital visas or issue them on arrival.
India requires applying for a visa online, and during the process, I encountered a very peculiar bug. They require a list of all countries I visited in the last 10 years. I complied, but discovered that I can't add over 20 positions!
My educated guess is that over 1 million out of 20 million annual Indian visitors encounter the same problem. 10 years is a long period, and you don't have to be a full-time nomad to visit over 2 countries per year. It's a silly mistake that I reported on Threads, and got some interesting insights:
- Because of complicated relationships with Pakistan, that's the one country India would like not to see on your list.
- Terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 resulted in tightning the tourist screening.
- Because of this artificial limitation, other travelers add the most recent 20 countries they visited, so did I.
Then, on the summary page, the list appeared as a single string that overflowed the designated field. As I web developer, I know it's just a minor graphic issue. However, I suspect some non-technical users might worry that the site is broken or fake. Such sensations should not originate from government web pages.
Travelers must present a printed copy after the visa is granted. Which, again, is silly. If all documents are already digitized and QR codes have become ubiquitous, adding a necessary print-out step creates a lot of friction.
Besides having a valid visa, India also requires completing an e-arrival. It's good that this step is also digitized. While my research says a digital copy should be enough, I print it out as well. Some border officers may be fussy about it.
In summary, I'm not discouraged by Indian paperwork. Every country has its own craziness. Overcoming them is worth the effort to experience all the fantastic food, smells, and sights.
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