After traveling to India 7 times over the past 7 years (that’s me pictured), I’ve learned the hard way how to deal with your electronics and power adapters in India.
Here’s the thing: No matter what, it is going to be unpredictable (especially outside of the big cities). And it is always possible to fry your devices.
Read on to learn what you need for a successful trip to India, including the best power adapter and more essential packing list items.
The plug shape used in India is quite different from the one we use here in the US and in most other countries as well. Your electronics will not work there unless you have a power adapter that is compatible with the Indian outlets (pictured).
The India power adapter is known as a “Type D” and works in all of the following countries: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Pakistan.
After having bad experiences from trying countless different brands of India Power Adapters, I became way more particular about the power adapters I use since a faulty one could damage your electronics. I learned this personally when my $2,000 Macbook got fried due to an India power surge!
Don’t risk your expensive electronics like I did.
Get this top-notch adapter that works in many countries (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan). It has a built-in fuse protector to guarantee your devices won’t break due to any power surges. Each one is quality-tested individually in the USA.
Also, every order comes with a corresponding free ebook that teaches you how to avoid frying your electronics in India. This was developed after years of experience in dealing with the unpredictable, often sketchy electricity in India, with tips on how you can best prepare.
It even comes with a lifetime replacement guarantee which reflects the quality of this adapter. It’s the best adapter we’ve found for India and the last one you’ll ever need to buy!
In addition to your US-to-India power adapter, these items will help you pack with intention and expand the possibilities of your getaway. Also, check out our India packing list for more inspiration and ideas.
For the most part, India is a very safe country. However, with a population of 1.4 billion, you’ll more often than not find yourself in a crowd while you’re there and pickpocketing is inevitable. To make sure that your valuables stay safe from any wandering fingers, use a neck wallet that conceals your valuables. This one not only keeps your valuables like your phone, credit cards, cash, and passports close but also protects you from any digital thefts with multi-layer RFID protection.
Getting to India is no easy feat. It’s a long haul to the other side of the globe, and while we can’t make the flight any shorter, we can help ease the jet lag that comes along with the long journey. These homeopathic jet lag relief pills can help you adjust to your new timezone, so you can spend more time enjoying the wonders of India and less time snoozing in the hotel room.
I don’t want to frighten you, but India is one of the most highly attacked countries regarding cybersecurity issues in the entire world. Avoid any data breaches, hacked PayPal accounts, or stolen identities by using a VPN. A Virtual Private Network will give you a truly private channel to use the internet. Every time you join a public network at a hotel, airport, cafe, or coffee shop – you are putting your passwords and financial data at risk. I learned this first-hand when my credit card number was stolen at (what I thought was a safe) Airbnb in Europe.
Now, I avoid the risk. A VPN like NordVPN will also give you free-and-clear access to the internet, which is huge given the major censorship in India. Instead of being blocked from using your favorite websites, you will have total access and the fastest streaming speed in the biz. It’s super affordable and gives you the triple threat of true freedom, anonymity, and privacy.
India is HOT… to say the least! And if you’re not used to being in an extremely hot climate, you’ll find yourself looking for ways to cool down throughout the day. The easiest way to keep yourself from overheating is to bring a cooling towel with you. With this chemical-free towel, all you have to do is get it wet, wring it out, and you’ll have 30 minutes of ice-cold, refreshing relief– believe me, you’ll be thankful you’ve packed it when you’re in the 90°+ weather.
The tap water is not safe in India and the locals avoid drinking it. Avoid putting unfiltered tap water in your mouth (even for brushing your teeth or ice in a soda) unless you want to spend the better part of your trip in the bathroom. Instead, bring a water bottle with a built-in filter – this way, you don’t have to worry about getting any of the pathogens that could get you sick. Plus, it’ll help curb your travel footprint because you can avoid using plastic water bottles.
This one by Grayl is high-quality and removes bacteria, viruses, microplastics, sediment, pesticides, and more. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but it’s way cheaper than going to the hospital with E. Coli or Hepatitis A!
India is not a destination I would venture to without insurance coverage. You may not realize that your domestic provider does not extend overseas (including Medicare and Medicaid), so protect your travel investment with travel insurance. This will make sure you’re fully covered if your flights are canceled, your luggage is stolen, or if you have any mishaps during your trip.
Tourists do not receive free medical care in India and it’s a cash-first kind of philosophy. Knowing you are going to be reimbursed and not have to pay out-of-pocket is worth a lot, and there is no reason to cover any illness or overpriced transit on your own dime.
With Faye, you can find coverage, make claims, and get reimbursed easily from their app on your phone. If anything were to go wrong while you’re abroad, you’ll be happy to have insurance that you can count on. And their Claims Specialists are available 24/7 to guide you on medical resources, nearby clinics, and how to best submit your claim. They really care and out of all the providers we’ve worked with, they are the best!
India can be a chaotic place. And when it comes to your suitcase and belongings, you will want to reduce any risk for chaos like damaged baggage, lost items, and slow-downs. These adjustable belts remedy all of those concerns as a multi-faceted addition to your packing list.
These withstand 700+ lbs of force tension, strengthening your bag against the bumpy journey ahead and taking the pressure off your zippers. You can compress your carry-on so it fits in the overhead bin, tether bags together for easier navigation through busy places, fix broken items, and more. My wife’s favorite perk is finding our bags quickly at the arrivals terminal since the bright colors pop from across the room, so our things don’t blend into the sea of similar-looking suitcases. And the lifetime replacement guarantee is a solid testament to their quality.
It’s inevitable on your trip that at some point, you’ll need to put your bags in the hands of someone else. To keep your mind at ease that your items are safe, I’d highly recommend using luggage locks and, even better – TSA-Approved luggage locks. This way, when you get your suitcases back, you’ll know that everything you’ve packed is still safely stored. We use these on backpacks in crowded areas prone to theft and city lockers too.
You never know what the bathroom situation will be like in India, so we would recommend organizing your liquid items in this hanging toiletry bag. Bathrooms can range from luxurious, to a sink without any countertops, to a literal hole in the ground – so keeping your items vertically-optimized is a wise way to manage your routine.
This compact bag hooks on any pole, hook, or door so you have a built-in shelf in any bathroom. It has 4 giant pockets that hold tons of items like skincare, haircare, dental hygiene items, medicine, makeup, etc., plus 3 smaller zipper compartments on the outside. It will seriously make a difference in your packing and unpacking experience. It’s simply one of our favorite finds.
There’s ample opportunity to swim in India, especially if you’re in the beautiful states of Goa or Kerala. However, you won’t want to lug around a big soggy beach towel all day after you take a dip. You’ll be better off packing a quick-dry travel towel that not only dries 10x faster than cotton, but is also extremely compact, so it won’t add a lot of bulk to what you’re carrying around with you.
One thing that would be at the top of my list for India is activated charcoal. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to experience some traveler’s diarrhea here as your body adjusts to the local cuisine and water (even with a filtered bottle), so use these supplements that act like a magnet to pull out any harmful pathogens from your system. It will detoxify anything nasty and help you feel better immensely faster!
If there’s one thing I wish I had known earlier, it’s how big of a difference packing cubes make. They are essential to staying organized while traveling. Typically, if you want to grab one thing out of your luggage, you’ll have to organize everything. But with packing cubes, you can simply grab the cube you need (pants, shirts, essentials, etc.), and everything else stays nice and neat. Plus, the two extra laundry bags are a great way to keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean clothes, and you can statrt with a 3-pack set for shorer trips. It’s a game-changer!
It can get pretty humid in parts of India, and with humidity, unfortunately, comes mosquitoes. Don’t risk mosquito-borne illnesses that could put a serious damper on your trip (including prevalent ones in India like Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue, and Malaria). Come prepared with a natural repellent.
Instead of having to lather yourself up in greasy, toxic bug spray, simply wear a mosquito-repelling wristband to keep those pesky blood-suckers at bay. Pro Tip: You can also wear these around your ankles when hiking or while you sleep to avoid being bit at night.
Monsoon season brings some serious rain in India. You won’t want to get caught without an umbrella when it starts to come down – not even your quick-dry towel will be able to save you from these kinds of downpours. Be sure to get a high-quality umbrella that can handle the wind because one minute with an umbrella flipped inside out could leave you completely soaked. This one weighs only one-pound for travel and can easily cover two people.
You don’t want to risk being lost in a foreign place without a fully charged phone. We always charge up this portable battery and bring it with us on daily outings to repower anything that is dying. It’s way easier than going back to the hotel for a cord or waiting for something to charge as you’re stuck in one location. Throw this in your backpack next to your phone, Kindle, or any other device and let it do its thing! It’s great for emergencies and you never know when you’ll need to call for a ride or look up the hotel address.
Stay with me here ladies, but this is a gem that you will absolutely need on your trip to India! Not all bathrooms are created equally here and you never know when you’ll need to squat or make-do without toilet paper. This funnel-like contraption allows you to pee standing up in even the nastiest of bathrooms, or when you’re off the beaten path and no toilets are around. You won’t regret having it in India – it’s made of an easy-to-clean silicon material and has a sanitary case for storage.
The typical United States voltage is 120 volts, whereas the voltage in India is (supposed to be) 240 volts. This means that unless your electronics are able to accommodate 240V, the Indian outlet will likely destroy your device!
The next section addresses how to know what voltage your device can handle and if you should even bring it on your trip.
Keep in mind that although India is supposed to be 240V, it is very unpredictable and can spike well below or even high above this voltage level. Later on in the eBook, we will discuss how to combat this problem so you can best avoid damaging your electronics.
There are two main types of appliances and chargers available in the electronic world: those that use single-voltage and those that can accommodate dual-voltage.
Single-voltage devices have a small voltage range (such as 100–120V). They are able to handle small voltage fluctuations but will not be able to handle India’s 240V power supply — if used, you will likely end up with a smoking piece of electronics!
Some examples of single-voltage appliances are older hair dryers and irons. There should be a tag, compliance plate, or stamp on the appliance letting you know the voltage compatibility (see the example shown above). If they are not rated at 240V, don’t even bring these items with you. They are a fire hazard and, at best, will break on your trip.
Dual-voltage devices have a larger voltage range, for example, 110V/240V. These devices are able to handle up to 240V and are “safer” to bring to India.
Some examples of dual-voltage devices include newer electric shavers, toothbrushes, laptops, Kindles (as shown in the image), tablets, smartphones, cell phones, cameras, and battery chargers. No transformer or converter is required to use these items in India — you just need the India Power Adapter that you have already wisely purchased.
In general, the electrical wiring in India is extremely unconventional and not something to be taken for granted as being safe. On multiple occasions, we have touched a live wire that we didn’t notice and got a nasty shock.
One time it was so bad my entire arm was numb for a day!… I advise taking care at all times when plugging in or removing an item from an outlet.
Although outlets in India should run at 240V, power outages and power spikes are extremely common. This is because the reliability of India’s power supply varies widely, from state to state, right across the country, due to a lack of proper infrastructure and wiring. Even “electrical thievery” is common in India, where poor locals steal the power by hooking their home electrical power line to the overhead city lines without paying for it!
How much the power can spike during a given day varies greatly from place to place. The bigger cities’ power supply tends to be a little more stable, while the more remote “outback” locations tend to be more unstable. In some places, we would suggest it is erratic and unpredictable at best.
No matter where you are, it’s important that you never rely on the stability or dependability of the power supply.
Constant power spikes—especially in remote areas of India—can cause the voltage in an outlet to fluctuate from 0V all the way to 280V+ in a matter of seconds!
That huge fluctuation means that your electronics will take a serious beating… and a power surge at 280V, or even higher, is when your electronics will likely get seriously damaged.
Get your India power adapters (and the free ebook) on Amazon HERE. It will set you up for success in this amazing but highly-unique country!
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