Usual precautions should be taken and it is inadvisable to walk alone at night. Indian women prefer not to shake hands. Many do not drink alcohol. The domestic airline connects over 70 cities. Special fares are available throughout the year.
Services are often seasonal and suspended during the monsoon period.
One particularly attractive route is the 'backwaters' excursion in the vicinity of Cochin. The network covers much of the country and is relatively inexpensive. The Travel Advice Unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travelling to the Kashmir Valley and Jammu because of civil unrest. Major tourist destinations are quiet. However there is a serious risk of kidnapping in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.