They are often charged more taxes.????
I am a indian national but have an american citizenship. I will be traveling to India with my family, my two daughters and my husband being an american will i have trouble with booking hotels and getting charged more? I do speak Kannada and Malayalam..
2007-09-12 07:36:13 · 11 answers · asked by mercedesgal63 3 in Travel ➔ India ➔ Other - India
I don;t want to wear sarees. I will be wearing mostly western clothes and maybe once in a while salwar kameez.
2007-09-12 09:56:40 · update #1
Yes you get charged more...mostly at sightseeing places and when you're trying to bargain when shopping. Also, if you're traveling within India, domestic airfare is way more expensive for non-Indians.
Hotels used to charge more to non-Indians, but now they claim to not charge different rates. But non-Indians are often required to pay in US Dollars instead of Rupees.
My husband and I are both Indian, but born and raised in the US. So we speak American English and our accents are horrible when we speak Tamil. We don't even try to act like locals when we're in India because no one buys it.
The only time it worked was when we were on a tour in Maharastra and our tour guide told us, "Don't speak in English to each other. IF you must speak to each other in front of anyone, speak in Tamil because no one here will be able to tell that your accents are bad."
If your accent is good enough, you might be convincing in Kerala and Karnataka. If your husband is American (not ethnically Indian) then it's going to be almost impossible to convince the locals that you're actually Indian.
You shouldn't really have any problems at hotels, restaurants, or big shopping centers. Enjoy your trip!!
Regards,
mari
2007-09-13 07:58:22 · answer #1 · answered by mari m 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm an American who has been to India twice. Yes, everything you do will be more expensive. My airfair within India was nearly three to five times what my Indian national husband paid. Also, any museums you pay will also charge you the tourist fee.
As for booking the hotels those are usually flat fees. I never encountered this with a hotel. Then again, we always stayed at star hotels. I imagine this would go on in the family owned less than stellar hotels.
We've never encountered hidden charges. We've been told of the fees upfront. And, also been told of the Indian fees at the same time. Some places will let us have the Indian fees if my husband asks. In some places it's posted in plain site. It really depends on where your going...in Delhi everything was posted and right out front. When we were south in Madras/Madrai it was more hidden - hubby asked about Indian rates.
EDIT
The answerer above me is incorrect.
Any time you show your passport you'll have to pay higher. As was always the case at the airports. And, questionable when we went sight seeing. Sometimes I passed off as an Indian when I was wearing my salwar and let my hubby do the talking as I stared at the ground (ie. playing the part). If I was quiet and never looked up I always got the "Indian" rate.
Speaking Kannada and Malayam won't get you far in North India. It's pretty crude up there. My hubby speaks Hindi, but at first it was broken and he got taken advantage of by businessmen and by the cabbies. Just be careful, the natives can spot us from mile away!! :)))
2007-09-12 17:18:07 · answer #2 · answered by Baby #3 due 10/13/09 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
earlier , there used to be different fares on airlines for indians and foreign nationals, but now i think that has been abolished. As for other hotels also i think most hotels charge the same rate, except a few. For other things, well, depends on how you pay. If u do use your international credit card, then ur credit card company will charge about 2 %, so it is better to pay cash
2007-09-12 12:49:06 · answer #3 · answered by Bill S 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This happens mostly to non-Indian looking people. My parents live there and often have local friends make arrangements for them so they don't get charged more. Maybe have your husband hang back and you do the check in to places. Although in most of the higher end establishments, this did not happen. We have always been careful to read our bill/check and question any charges we were not sure about.
2007-09-12 07:47:53 · answer #4 · answered by PandaJ 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
nahh it only happens to people who look very foreign. if u wear a normal saree or salwar kameez, it'll be fine.
EDIT: okay well if you don't wish to wear sarees, i can understand that...
Since you may be wearing american clothes, and you have kids, they may charge you more...because you know in india now western style clothes are the big fad now for younger girls! if you can pass for a twenty-something year old, then good for you and try it out! LOL.
and Mallu Pride! =)
2007-09-12 09:54:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
my dear Mercedesgal63 stop reading American tourist rubbish and try to remember your roots. I am British and have only found that Americans with big mouths and no brains are the ones who have bad experiences. An ambassadors wife at our hotel slipped and broke her ankle, did she act like a typical American tourist, did she hell, she called herself a few choice names for being so clumsy and asked if it was possible to get a doctor, the hotel fussed over her and had doctors etc in attendance and she spent the rest of her holiday pushing herself around in a wheelchair. She is a true American. So be yourself dear lady, no airs and graces please and enjoy your holiday, I always do.
peter
2007-09-13 16:46:53 · answer #6 · answered by Joe blake 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You only pay more if you let indians charge you more, which is all the time so be on your guard and try to find out the correct amount to pay before hand
2007-09-12 17:40:50 · answer #7 · answered by yumi_design 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Earlier (till 2001) for airlines and Hotels (including five star) the charge for Indian citizen and non-Indian Citizens were diferent. They used to charge quite high for non-Indian citizen.
However now its not that. They charge same if you pay in Indian Rupee. If you pay in Dollar they will charge very high. And do all the bookings in your "Indian name" for precaution.
2007-09-12 14:07:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
See if you are NRI surely rates will be different for you but there is not much difference. If your husband is american I will advice you go for NRI rates but you can take chaper rates if you get a good deal with tour operators.. i can suggest you one visit www.holiday clubindia.net
2007-09-14 01:15:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do you pay more taxes whenever you visit a restaurant?
Learn to calculate the tax of your restaurant bill... Read it !!
http://kalicharanshaw.blogspot.in/2013/11/tax.html
2013-11-14 23:39:30 · answer #10 · answered by Kalicharan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋