The important thing to remember is that you cannot take rupees into (or out of) India; you have to buy them there. Travellers’ cheques and currency should be ordered from your bank or travel agency at least 7 days before departure. Some places, like Trailfinders, can process money and travellers’ cheques in a couple of days, but they take only cash, not cheques. When ordering your currency for India, aim for a 50:50 split between travellers’ cheques and pounds/US dollars. This kind of balance is best, because both forms of currencies are equally useful, and travellers’ cheques can be refunded if lost or stolen. American Express travellers’ cheques are the best bet, because they have a pristine reputation for swift, efficient refunding in the event of loss. This is very important. It is a common misconception that if you have travellers’ cheques and lose them, they will be refunded immediately. But some banks only refund them when you return home (useless), while others don’t offer any refunding facilities at all.
American Express have five solid refunding agents: in Delhi (Wenger House, Connaught Place, tel 3324119 /3322868); Madras (Binny Limited, 65 Armenian Street, tel 840803, 845407); Bombay (Regal Cinema Building, Chatrapati Shivaji Road, Colaba, tel 2048291, 2851820); Calcutta (21 Old Court House Street, tel 289471, 282134); and Srinagar (Kai Travels Private Ltd, Tara Bhavan Place Blvd 2, tel 74366, 75373, 74180).
Thomas Cook has offices in Bangalore (55 MG Road, tel 566342); Bombay (Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road, tel 2048556/8); Calcutta (12-B/1 Park Street, tel 298862); Hyderabad (Nasir Arcade, 6-1-57 Saifabad, tel 231988); Madras (112 Nungambakkam High Road, tel 473092 and 20 Rajaji Road, tel 589994, 534976); New Delhi (Hotel Imperial, Janpath, tel 3327135, 3322171 and 104/5 Bajaj House, 97 Nehru Place, tel 6419000, 6423035); and Pune (Thackers House, Shop No. 13, 2418 Gen Thimmaya Road, tel 667187/8, 667175).
If you order cheques from a bank, do choose one whose insurer gives you (in writing) the addresses of the refunding agents in India. Sign your travellers’ cheques immediately on receipt. Then take a separate note of the cheque numbers to facilitate their refund in the event of theft.
How much you take is up to you, but don’t leave yourself short. Having money sent over to you in India can be a very slow, awkward business. To be on the safe side, take all your credit cards with you. Most large hotels, restaurants, shops (and Indian Airlines) accept them, and you’ll be surprised how long the bills take to get home to you. Some of the grander Indian hotels seem almost disappointed when you decide to pay cash.
A month spent in India can cost anything between Rs12 000 (on a shoestring) and Rs150 000 (all the luxury trimmings), exclusive of any shopping purchases. In the summer of ’92 there were Rs55 to the pound and Rs29 to the dollar. Travelling in mid-range comfort, budget for around Rs30 000 a month. This includes eating and sleeping at good, moderate restaurants and hotels, travelling 2nd class by rail and bus, and all in-town taxi/rickshaw /bus transport. Make extra allowances for the inevitable shopping expeditions. For ‘irresistible’ bargains, carry a couple of personal credit cards. In India the American Express card justifies its additional expense by enabling you to raise cash readily from Amex offices, gets you into hotels if you’ve just lost all your money), and lets you use their mail-receiving facilities.
