What to wear

CLOTHES: 

Visitors to India should respect local codes of dress and behavior. Dress informally while on tour; carry lightweight clothes that can be laundered easily. For evening dinners and events, we suggest a blazer for men and appropriate evening wear for the ladies. Light, cool clothes are sensible and advisable. Visitors should dress neatly and conservatively in all religious shrines and never sport short shorts or other unsuitable attire. Many sites require long pants and long-sleeved shirts. It is acceptable to wear shoes when walking around the compound of a temple, but not inside the chapel – inside these temples, no open-toed or open-backed shoes are allowed. Shorts (except knee length walking shorts), sleeveless shirts, tank tops and other beach-style attire are considered inappropriate dress when not actually at the beach or in a resort area.

Essentials include light-colored cotton pants, shorts and shirts, good rubber-soled walking shoes or sandals, a wide-brimmed hat, a light rain­coat or windbreaker.  This type of clothing is practical and widely available through local merchants or mail order catalogs such as L.L. Bean (check out their website at http://www.llbean.com) or Travel Smith (http://www.travelsmith.com.) There is no need for “dressy” clothing, but you may want to bring a few sets of smart casual wrinkle-free outfits to wear on any dinner you wish to take at one of the nicer restaurants in larger cities, and at some of the accommodations you’ll be staying at.

As laundry facilities may be few and far between, bring an adequate yet not overabundant supply of clothing.  You may also want to carry a small supply of detergent for hand laundry.  Some accommodations do not have lock boxes, so we recommend that you leave all valuables at home as they are not appropriate for this adventure, and it is also fun to buy some new ones.

DID YOU KNOW?
The largest employer in the world is the
Indian railway system, employing
over a million people!