Tipping

Tipping in hotels and restaurants is normal practice and expected. It is a purely personal matter but, as a rough guideline, we recommend the following:
- A porter in a hotel who carries your bags: 50 INR (depending on the category of hotel).

- A porter at a train station: If you are travelling with Holiday Planners.biz, this is included in the cost of the holiday. If you are travelling solo, then there are fixed charges (normally about 25 INR per item).

- At restaurants, 5 - 10 % of the bill is the usual amount given to a waiter (but check that service has not already been included in your bill).
Doormen and others may look to you for a tip but do not feel that you need to tip them.
Taxi drivers and auto rickshaw drivers do not expect tips for short jouneys but will expect a tip if the journey is more than half a day.
Trekking guides usually receive a tip of about a minimum of  200 INR per day per group but tipping is a purely personal matter. If you feel that the guide has put in a great deal of effort then the tip can be increased to reflect this.

 Shopping

India is the place for shopping for handicrafts, jewellery, silk, furniture, tea, spices, pickles  and chutneys or simply for enjoying the atmosphere of street bazaars. Each state is famous for particular products - silk from Varanasi, pickles from Haryana and spices from Kerala. If you are starting your trip in Delhi, you can get an idea of prices and quality by visiting any of the state and other emporia near Connaught Place. Before buying anything that will be sent to you abroad, we suggest you read the latest guidebooks' advice on this.  We will be happy to advise you if you have any specific shopping requests or interests.  

Most shops open at 10am and stay open until 7 or 8pm. Different markets have different closing days (most are open 6 days a week) so please check that the market you want to visit is open on the day you intend to visit it.