Everyday Practicalities
- Tipping: round up for taxis; ₹50–100 for hotel staff who help; 5–10% in restaurants if there’s no included service charge.
- Bargaining: expected in markets and with non-metered rickshaws, never in shops with price tags or restaurants. It’s a friendly game; smile, counter at ~40%, meet in the middle, and remember you’re often negotiating over really small amounts.
- Toilets: carry tissues/wet wipes; hotel, mall, and café toilets are your friends.
- Dress: Mumbai is probably India’s most or second most liberal city - wear what you’d wear in a smaller European city. For temples and religious locations: shoulders/knees covered, shoes off.
- Photos of people: ask first — and be ready for the reverse: you will be asked for selfies, especially in the city. Saying yes twice and then a friendly “sorry, we have to go!” is a fine strategy.
- Head wobble: the sideways wobble means yes/okay/I hear you. You will start doing it yourself by week two. There is no cure and it is strictly a superior means of communication. I have had full conversations with strangers over head wobbles.
- Scams, briefly and without drama: the full repertoire is basically (a) “your hotel is closed/moved,” (b) creative taxi pricing, (c) gem/export “opportunities.” All are solved by booking with apps, confirming with your hotel directly, and not buying gems.
- Emergency numbers: 112 (general), 100 (police), 108 (ambulance).
- Do use things like getyourguide and try out cooking classes!
Survival Apps
| App |
What for |
| m-Indicator |
Mumbai local trains, metro, bus — the essential one |
| Uber / Ola |
Cars + autos |
| Google Maps |
Works brilliantly incl. live transit |
| IRCTC Rail Connect / ixigo |
Train tickets (Aurangabad, Hosapete) |
| Moby/UPI One World |
QR payments everywhere |
| Zomato / Swiggy |
Restaurant discovery + food delivery to the hotel |
| WhatsApp |
The communication layer — hotels, drivers, guides all use it |
| Blinkit / Zepto |
10-minute groceries (water, sunscreen, forgotten toothbrush) |
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