Hi,
I'm travelling to India at the end of this month and want some advice from other people who have travelled to Mumbai specifically before.
did you get pocket wi-fi? use data roaming?
as well as travel tips, any would be good! i've gotten my vaccines, meds etc mainly need help with things to do and internet while i'm there.
THANK YOU!
My experience is very, very out of date but getting a SIM card in India was not easy. I had to pay the clerk a fee which is used to bribe a local to become my "referree" (somewhat defeats the security of these checks). Then I had to find a place that takes passport sized photos (which I always carry these days…) for my application form. And then I had to wait anything from hours to days until it was sorted (I think mine was ready the following evening). Perhaps they have working tourist SIMs these days (but I read they were cancelled?).
Some blogs claim you can get an Airtel SIM without a local referee or passport photo but then the comments to the article contradict that…
My only tip is if you feel sick then get treatment.
Man! thank you for your input. ill explore my options and if anything i can just use data roaming/ grab pocket wifi
No need, get a normal prepaid sim card from any shop, even airport, as long as you have passport and a passport photo (ever since the Mumbai bombings). Add couple GB data package and away you go. Naturally avoid sellers on the street and stick to main provider shops, they're everywhere.
I think you can even order online and get it delivered to hotel but it expires in few days if you don't register it properly in a shop anyway so defies the point.
https://www.airtel.in/first-recharge
229 INR ($4.47) gets you 28 days validity, unlimited calls, 1.4GB data per day.
Just checked with my mate who owns mobile shop in India. He says you can get local sim card in airport ONLY with copy of passport, visa and passport size photo. If you come out of the airport it’s difficult to get sim card without having Aadhaar Card Compared with Australia tele/data charges its quite cheap in India.
Perhaps they have working tourist SIMs these days
They do. You can pop into any store with passport and photo and get a sim card straight away. It's a couple hours activation then works fine. You're better off getting couple GB data package than messing about hoping for wifi.
are you travelling via Singapore?
grab a Starhub in Singapore airport.
layover at Malaysia
https://www.plansinfo.com/airtel-prepaid-mumbai-plans.html