Travel Tips for Attending a Conference in India

Business travel in India is a bit of an adventure sport by itself, especially for visitors who are coming to India for the first time. You need to learn how to converse with the locals, how to move around in the city, what you can eat and drink safely, what to wear, and the necessary travel gear and apps for a hassle-free stay. The following are some travel tips that will help you if you are attending a conference in India.

1. Local, regional and cultural tips for business travelers.

The biggest challenge for business travelers coming to India for the first time is the culture shock. It takes some time to get used to India in all its diversity, but you can ease and hasten the process by preparing for the city or region that you're visiting.

Thing is that most every state in India has its own language, food, customs and culture. If you're coming to Bangalore and other cities in Karnataka, you should know that people here speak Kannada. Every southern state has its own language – Tamil Nadu (Tamil), Kerala (Malyalam), Karnataka (Kannada), Telengana and Andhra Pradesh (Telegu).

As for food, rice is on the menu in one way or the other in almost everything you order anywhere in South India. It just takes slightly different forms in each state - sakkarai pongal, bisse bhile bath, payasam and other sweet dishes that you will likely miss a lot after you go back.

2. Food and drinks.

The food scene in Bangalore is slightly more cosmopolitan than you will find in other cities in the state.

Evoma Hotel, for instance, has dining options such as The Courtyard Restaurant for continental, Indian (north Indian) and Mughlai dishes. The OJ Japanese Restaurant is among the top Japanese restaurants in Bangalore.

In general, if you're a foreign traveller visiting India for the first time, you want to stick to bottled water and non-spicy food from a good restaurant. Street food is a tempting option, but not advisable unless your stomach gets used to the food and water.        

Evoma - Business Hotel, K R Puram, Bangalore Bangalore evoma-low-calorie-meal

3. Choosing the right place to stay.

We welcome you to Evoma for the duration of your stay, but you should pick the right hotel based on your agenda, the location of the events you have to attend, and your travel itinerary. For example, business conferences are held every day at Evoma OMR. We pick up guests attending these events at the airport, and bring you straight to the hotel. You can use our shuttle to visit nearby places - everything from the industrial zones and tech hubs in Whitefield and EPIP Zone to the commercial city center along MG Road are just a short drive away.    

4. Local transportation.

Every city has its own transportation system, including buses, trains, taxis, auto rickshaws and private cabs. We have already written a comprehensive Bangalore transportation guide for visitors that you can refer to. Photo credit - Hayathkhan.h/wikimedia

Evoma - Business Hotel, K R Puram, Bangalore Bangalore Evoma.1

5. India travel apps.

With reference to the aforementioned transportation tips, most everyone in Bangalore makes use of Ola and Uber. If you plan to move around the city a lot, you're going to need one or both of these travel apps. If you're looking for the right restaurant near you, we have published a post on the dining apps you need for this. 

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