You just can’t ignore the rains. Through most of India, it is a significant part of life and the monsoon season takes up a good chunk of the year. Some enjoy the rain, and some abhor it, but when it comes to travel, most avoid it. While the monsoons can be a chore to travel in, it can also be very rewarding and enjoyable experience. All you need to do is to be prepared and take a few precautions to enjoy travelling during the rainy season.
1. Be safe on the road
The state of the the roads and of driving during the monsoons is one of the main worries most people have for travelling in the rain. Some of those concerns also hold true for any other mode of transport, including trains.
This is not unfounded. The state of Indian roads is bad enough in most places without adding flowing water, low visibility and slippery surfaces into the mix. Add to that fallen trees, rock and mud slides, and local flooding, and you have a scenario most people want to avoid.
That being said, there are many attractions and trips that are best experienced during the rains, so we must find a safe way around these problems. You can avoid a big set of these travel issues by simply not travelling during the heaviest part of the monsoon season. In many places this is sometime in June-July. If you just wait for the monsoons to calm down a little, the rain becomes less dangerous to move around in.
Especially when it comes to road travel. Try, as far as possible, to only be on the road in daylight. Plan your trip to make that happen and you’ve negated most of the common accident scenarios. If you’re on a train, don’t hang out of doors, and don’t stick your hand out of windows. You never know what the rains have loosened or dropped perilously close to the tracks so it’s best you stay safe inside the protection of the railway compartments.
Last but certainly not the least, slow down. Most accidents are caused by excessive speed, and what should be considered ‘excessive speed’ is not as fast as you think when roads are slick with water. Slow down. Enjoy the view.
2. Protect yourself against the rain
The one thing people strangely forget about the monsoons, is that there is going to be water everywhere. To enjoy your trip in the rains, you’re going to have to protect yourself against all the water very well.
The humble umbrella is still your best friend. Carry a strong one, one per person. Don’t carry those fancy mini folding ones, or whatever new thing is in vogue this year. These are the Indian monsoons we’re talking about, not a European drizzle. It will most likely take your fancy delicate umbrella and destroy it with a single gust of wind. When it comes to umbrellas, be un-cool and carry something sturdy and boring. It will protect you from the majority of the water, and it can be surprisingly useful to keep phones and cameras safe from being drowned immediately.
Unless you’re travelling in an armoured vehicle, make sure your bags and luggage have some degree of protection against water. You don’t just need to worry about water falling from the sky but also the stuff on the ground, the damp on the walls you lean your bags against, and the puddles that will inevitably form everywhere, including at times inside your vehicle. Get bags that are water repellent, or cover them in plastic for a quick solution.
Raincoats, wind-cheaters, hoodies, or whatever you prefer, are also useful to keep yourself dry, mostly because the Indian rains are never obliging enough to fall in a convenient vertical direction. Be prepared for horizontal onslaughts and you might actually enjoy them.
Please don’t wear leather shoes. At best they will die. At worst, they will leave your foot in terrible shape from all the damp. Get some sensible rubber shoes, rainy boots, or even some simple grippy rainy slippers. Your ability to step into water without worrying about your footwear will increase the enjoyment of your rainy season travels a hundred fold. You can then jump into all the puddles you want!
3. Be cautious about your health
Every extreme weather comes with its own health challenges, and our monsoons are no different. The most basic issue can, in part, be tackled by our previous point. Protecting against the water, keeping yourself dry and warm, will largely keep you strengthened against all the seasonal maladies like colds and flus. Stay dry, stay warm, and if at any point that can’t be done, dry yourself off as soon as possible.
Another major concern you must have in the monsoons is what you eat and drink, and that mostly comes down to water. With all that water everywhere, you need to be extra careful about the quality of the water you’re drinking and where it’s coming from. Especially if you have a weak constitution and easily take ill, make sure you drink only bottled water and make sure you eat in only the most hygienic eateries along the way. The rainy season just aggravates all the usual potential issues of contamination, so be a bit more cognizant of what you eat and drink while you’re travelling.
You need to stay dry not just for the possible colds that could be gifted to you, but also from various issue you can face because of dampness. Clothes are notoriously slow to dry during the monsoons. That, damp shoes and socks and such exposures can lead to mildew, fungal growth, allergies and similar ailments. Beware of the damp and try to avoid things like socks which might hold water for a long time while you travel. Be minimal with your footwear and make sure you air out your feet as much as possible.
One health aspect of the monsoons you should also be aware of is various external effects that can affect your health. If you’re on the road during the monsoons and travel is slow, make sure you are finding and using good restrooms when you can. If you’re flying anywhere in India during the monsoon months, some turbulence is almost guaranteed. If you are prone to motion sickness, speak to your doctor and make sure you take along some preventative pills. These precautions will save you hours and days of obstacles to your enjoying your travels.
4. Prepare for some delays
There is much to be said about slowing down during the rains to have safer travels, but there is as much, if not more, of a chance that the rains will slow you down even when you don’t plan it. To make the best of your monsoon travels, it is essential that you plan for the unplanned delays.
Road trips can have unexpected detours and traffic, trains are often delayed by flooding, and even flights are sometimes running late due to low visibility or bad conditions at the airport. These things are not guaranteed to happen, but your travel plans during the rains should keep them in mind and take them into consideration to make more realistic itineraries.
Do not have ‘just enough time’ to get somewhere and take a flight or a train. Always leave with plenty of time to spare. At worst you’ll get there early and have some time to relax and stretch your legs. During the rainy seasons, more than any other times, you need to make sure you are early everywhere and giving yourself plenty of time to make connecting flights, or buses or trains. Don’t rush any where and be a danger to yourself and others while you do.
5. Be safe at your destination
We’ve said a lot about being safe while you travel, which is often a large part of your break, but you need to take as much care of yourself and those around you once you get where you’re going.
In that matter, lets start with something already mentioned: get good footwear. You don’t need fancy shoes during the rain, you need shoes which don’t soak up water and which have great grip. The great grip part cannot be highlighted enough. If you’re travelling to anywhere off the beaten track and are going to be walking on rocks and mud while it rains, you need to be sure your feet are not going to slip out from under you. And frankly, this is as true for cities during the monsoons. Get good foot wear. It will save your neck, literally.
If you’re going to be walking around anywhere, wear bright clothing. Considering the mists and the rains and the low visibility during the monsoons, make sure you’re visible from a good safe distance, especially to cars. Leave your dull greys and blacks at home and wear things that will help drivers and pedestrians pick you out of the rainy atmosphere from a distance. Better to be caught wearing a horrendous bright purple than to be caught under a moving vehicle.
The rains bring down trees and rocks, and with them it also sometimes brings down electrical lines. Be careful of electrical hazards during the monsoons, especially when you’re on foot. Do not touch exposed wires and cables, and even indoors, be careful with electrical sockets, damp walls and flickering lights. A little extra caution will go a long way in keeping you safe and helping you enjoy your trip free of injury or incident.
There you have it. Be aware of these few basic things and you can have some wonderful travels during the monsoons that you will savour in memories and pictures for a long time to come. Like any other season, there are precautions to take to stay safe and healthy, but there are many places which can be extremely rewarding to visit during the rains, if not just plain magical. Don’t rush, travel during daylight, stay dry and warm, watch what you eat and drink, give yourself plenty of time, wear good foot wear and don’t do anything foolish. A few simple guidelines to have a great monsoon of travel, adventure and discovery. Go catch a few rainbows for us.
