DON'T PANIC.
We don't claim to be experienced travellers, indeed for one of us it was the first time outside of Europe and anything other than a 2 week package holiday. We found India to have a well established infrastructure for western travellers. You need just a little extra patience and consideration to have a wonderful experience. The transport and the range of guest houses in some ways eclipse those you will find at home (except in speed and luxury) and you will comfortably get by with English in any established tourist town or city. There is little (nothing?) to fear in travelling in this fascinating land - particularly as a couple (although single or groups of women will attract more attention than they will appreciate nearly everywhere).
--------------------
WHAT TO TAKE
As little as possible!.
You can buy just about everything when you are out there. Perhaps the only area in which buying in India is neither cheaper nor easily available is technical equipment (i.e. found in camping/trekking shops, although in Nepal, these abound). Take as small a rucksack as possible - we used 40 litre bags - they take less carrying and make bus travel particularly so much easier if you need to squeeze on (you will!).
CLOTHES
Bare minimum - if you buy out there, you blend in better anyway. During winter months the North and the hills/mountains in the South do get cold at night, but at all other times light weight cotton is best. Respect their culture - discreet clothing for women especially. For foot wear - comfortable sandals are all you need.
MEDICINE
Buy everything there - all the basics and much more available over the counter without prescription and at a fraction of the cost. This particularly applies to Malaria tablets - Indian doctors recommend just the weekly Chloroquine, easily available at a few rupees per packet.
STOMACH UPSET
A regular topic of conversation with both fellow travellers and the locals and everyone has there own opinions on how to cure the 'runs' (and you won't escape getting them). We tried many natural remedies, but the only effective treatment for us was the specific intestinal antibiotic Norfloxacin - again, easily available at any chemist.
CAMERA/FILM
Specialist camera equipment is only available in the major cities at equivalent UK prices (although Kathmandu has real bargain prices). Film is good quality (Fugi/Kodak), generally fresh, cheap, and easily available everywhere- buy there.
ALSO BUY THERE
Mosquito net (about 2 GBP - essential), bed sheet and books.
BUT BRING WITH YOU
Alarm clock, pen knife, sewing kit, clothes line, ear plugs, batteries within reason (can buy easily and cheaply but even Duracell branded are poor quality in India), lock with retractable steel cable (for securing luggage on night trains), inflatable/travel pillow (but not the neck shape type), binoculars, document/money pouch and a large foldout map of India.
Above all travel as light as possible - you will congratulate yourself every single day.
EMAIL/INTERNET
Now huge in India, particularly on all well trodden travellers paths. Connection can be slow but you will rarely fail to find a selection of Internet cafes. Good tip is to duplicate records of Travellers Cheque numbers, passport and plane details, etc. on your Yahoo/Hotmail account.
MONEY
Take travellers cheques, Sterling or Dollars (or combination - change whichever has the best rate at the time). As regards budget, we didn't do it as cheap as some we met but always tried to get a good deal. We usually took rooms with bathroom attached in the budget or lower/moderate sections of the guide (200-300 rupees/ 3 to 5 GBP) and ate well. We managed on 1000 rupees per day (15 GBP - 22 EUR) between the two of us, including transport, tobacco and most presents.
TOBACCO
Indian cigarettes are very cheap (especially in the South) and quite tolerable . Avoid Four Square brand as they reputedly still use asbestos in their filters!. We smoked rollups - Samson is the most commonly available - but only in larger cities and established traveller hangouts, budget on 170 rupees a packet (3 GPB), Rizlas easily found at the same time.
GUIDE BOOKS
The Rough Guide was the one for us (although 90% had Lonely Planet, this is good as you can avoid the crowd). We liked the Rough Guide's attitude and travel suggestions. OK, so its not cool carrying either guide around but you will find them essential. Don't be afraid to look outside their suggestions, particularly on hotels, there are many gems not in the guide which offer better value. Your eyes and instincts are the best adjudicators.
TRAVEL
Trains are best for long distances but don't underestimate the average travel speed - just 50 kilometres per hour, even on express trains. The book cum timetable "Trains at a glance" is useful and available at the stations and try and book early if you are going by sleeper as some route are busy -a few days in advance is usually OK. Queuing for tickets at the stations can be frustrating - the best bet is to use a travel agent who will charge 50 rupees per ticket and save you the hassle. We used 2nd class-sleepers throughout - it's an experience you get used to and 1st class isn't really worth the extra.
Bus travel is also something you will undoubtedly adapt to and while trains can be frustratingly infrequent, you will rarely wait more than a few minutes for the next bus. The roads are dangerous however, and only consider travelling at night if absolutely essential. They are not only uncomfortable but the drivers often use alcohol or drugs to keep themselves awake - accidents are disturbingly common.
Either way, you journey will be crowded, often ridiculously so, and by western standards incredibly cheap. Travelling in India gave us some of the best stories and reddest bums...
=====
Apart from 3 weeks in Nepal, we spent 6 months in India and still only experienced a fraction of the recommended India, let alone all that lies off the beaten track. Many travellers we met had allocated less time for India fitting into their 6 months other Asian countries. We don't regret our plan however, often it was the extra few days or weeks we spent in each place that were the most special.
No fun rushing around! - India doesn't let you...
If you are spending less time, then concentrate on one or two areas, travelling from North to South in one chunk is not something that should be considered lightly as journey time (2+ days) and recovery period will hit hard.
You quickly come to realise that the pace of travel in India is slow - it might be a few inches on the map, but it's bound to take you the best part of the day (or more) to get there.
