5 Tips for a Successful Business Trip to India

Written by Himanshu Agarwal

Photo Credit : Keep Your Documents Handy, CC0 1.0

The New York Stock Exchange becomes the talking point for the whole world when it opens at 9:30 A.M. everyday, when the strength of world's most powerful economies is measured. But today, another name which can be heard amongst those is that of India.

With the massive work force and growing economy, India is emerging as one of the new advanced business hubs. So, sometime or the other, you might find yourself off to the country to attend a business meet. In that case, here are a few quick tips that would be useful.

1. Always Keep Your Documents Handy

You really don't want to imagine the terrible fix you would be in if you were to be lost in a foreign country, without any proof of your identity, or existence. So always keep your important documents, like your passport and visa in a separate folder, apart from your usual documents. By doing this, you can avoid misplacing them among other things. Also, make a separate folder for your business documents.

If you have some really valuable documents or deeds with you, do not shy away from asking for a personal hotel room locker to stow these away.

2. Rely Only on Hotel Transport

As soon as you come out of the airport, there would be a swarm of taxi drivers willing to assist you with your luggage and eager to drop you off anywhere you desire. It is very tempting when you are in a hurry, but don't ever make that mistake. If you have booked a hotel room in advance, ring them up and ask them to send suitable conveyance for you. If not, then better book a taxi using the apps.

This is to ensure that even if by mistake, you forget any belongings in the car, there are much healthier chances of getting them back. The same would be next to impossible in case of local car hires.

3. Keep Up to Date with the Meeting Venue

With the traffic conditions worsening by the day, you can never take it for granted that you would reach in ample time, that is also true when visiting business hubs like Delhi or Mumbai. Therefore, play smart here and ask your host to acquaint you with the meeting point beforehand so you can know the distance from your hotel and plan your route accordingly. Again, it would be prudent to commute via your hotel conveyance, otherwise, call for a cab.

If possible, visit the meeting venue a day before, so you can get familiar with the situation and would know what to expect.

4. Do Not Carry a Lot of Cash

Now, let us clear this right at the start. India is NOT a place where you can roam the streets with your purse bulging out of your pockets without any worries.

No. If you would be so daring, you would be penniless by the end of the day. It is still a developing nation with majority of people at the lower middle class level. Therefore, it makes sense if you do not make a public display of your wealth and use an elegant debit or credit card instead.

You would need maximum cash of $1000 at any point of time, no more.

5. Take Care of Your Baggage

This cannot be emphasized enough. Whenever you travel to India for business trip or not, you ALWAYS have to take due care of your handbags, wallets, purses and the like. Not only because there is a slight risk of theft, but also because if you lose it anywhere during transit (heaven forbid), you might as well forget about seeing it again. Especially in a crowded state like Utter Pradesh, no matter how friendly and helpful people are, they might not be able to help you. In a cab or while walking, always stay alert and careful with your luggage.

Just keep these points in mind and your business trip would go as smooth as anything. Wish you luck!

Author's Bio

Himanshu is a compassionate social worker and a traveller who has toured various places all over India, due to work and also because of his travelling instincts. He is an active contributor to PearlsIndiaTour and in his free time, likes to play chess and read books or travel magazines.