A few things I wish I had known in advance:
1) Medicine is widely available at a fraction of what we pay (Wegovy for $183 a month, for example). Buy what you need in Mumbai, if that’s your last stop. I used Alankar Chemists (3-B, Stadium House, Churchgate. A 15 minute walk from the Oberoi.) and they delivered my order to the hotel in an ice-pack for travel. (I paid in full and it was delivered the next day.)
2) You’ll think about buying a rug at some point. Bring photos of the rooms in your house so you remember what you already have, the colors, etc. Measure the rugs you already have and/or the sizes of rugs you might want. You can also order custom rugs and have them shipped to the US for a very reasonable rate.
3) Take stock of the pashminas and shawls you already have. Ask family and friends what color pashminas they might want and do they want plain or embroidered?
4) Ladies – take multiple bras. You’ll get hot and sweaty every day.
5) This is definitely a trip where you can underpack. You’ll be buying great clothing in India.
6) Take comfortable, broken-in, closed-toe, walking shoes. Bonus points if they don’t have laces. In several places you’ll need to take your shoes off.
7) We didn’t see a blue sky for two weeks, thanks to pollution. I didn’t take a hat and didn’t need one.
8) You’ll need to pack anything with a battery (including your electric toothbrush) in your carry-on. And you’ll need to pull out any electronics separately when going through airport security. This happens a lot. Take a large Ziploc or similar to keep your electronics together.
