Avoid fried rice dishes they can contain the previous days left-overs or worse

Never thought of that! Good tip.

Do you think some of the soups are suspect also .... hot and sour etc..?

Two weeks before traveling start taking acidifolus capsules to build up your good gut bacteria levels and continue taking them throughout your holiday

There is no conclusive proof that these are entirely necessary.
The only time you might need to consume probiotics, is after a period of using antibiotics orally.
Eating a normal, healthy, balanced diet will provide all the flora that your gut requires.

You might like to drink a lassi soon after arrival in India - lactobacillus acidophilus is found naturally in yogurt.
p.s. You should never take any tablets on the advice of anyone on this forum, without consulting your doctor.

Buy a small torch when you arrive, they come in handy as not everywhere is as well lit as you would expect here in the uk (and also useful if theres any powercuts) Another thing is to buy a couple of decent coffee mugs as all the hotels have small cups (2 sips and they are empty) saves you getting up & down for refills.(you will be surprised how many people bring their own mugs to breakfast).....Keith

You mean you stayed somewhere that had decent coffee? There have only been a few plays where I've got decent coffee.... some bistro just 100 yards up from The Choclatier in Candolim and The Lila Cafe at Baga Creek. Beach shack coffee is disgusting!

So is the tea Neil Always take my own tea bags.

A hot milky coffee over there is more drinkable.

Not so much the tea... it's the strength of it. I'm also really sad and take my own tea bags (I like green tea).... people laugh at bringing your own tea bags to India.

Like the Ginger tea tho'.

Yeah, my OH likes the ginger tea and brings some home each time.

Well, if we are sad then so be it.... but you just can't beat a DECENT cup of tea can you.

Don"t bring any mossie spray/sun lotion/ anything you would normally buy at a chemist.You can get it all there a lot cheaper and it saves on weight

Karen

If you want some decent bread for your toast at breakfast [not the rubber you normally get] go to bread & more a bakers on the Candolin to Calungute road it"s just like home and the cakes are good too

Karen

Do take a spare unlocked mobile phone and purchase an Indian SIM card - much cheaper to contact home and to keep in touch with your regular taxi driver, friends in another hotel or your Goan friends etc., I find this specially useful as my OH likes to go on long walks. If he is away a long time I get worried (as he is a diabetic) so having a phone each means I can check he is okay and he can contact me if he has a problem.

Don't bother taking toiletries, they take up too much room in your case and add unnecessary weight. You can buy everything locally that you are likely to need and its cheap too so you can afford to leave behind whatever is left for the room boys. They will appreciate this as these products are expensive to them on their small local wage.

Ladies.....don't bother wearing high heels as you are likely to break your ankle. Footpaths locally are few and far between and are generally hazardous as are the edges of the roads which slope away to allow water run off in the monsoon. I have had a few near misses where I have tripped and almost gone a**e over t*t. (Also another good reason for taking a torch with you in the evening). Take Care as you wouldn't want to spend your holiday in a plaster cast ....not in that heat. OOOOOH, I am itching at the very thought of it

If you are a repeat visitor why not ask a trusted friend to store your travel hairdryer, kettle, some holiday clothes or whatever. We leave a small bag of things with a friend when we leave which he then drops back down to us on our return. Reduces a bit more weight in the suitcase or gives you additional space on your return home for any Goan purchases.

Hope this has been useful to any first timers to Goa............Have a fantastic holiday...........See ya on the Beach

Hi Fizzy
Good tip about leaving a small bag there .We leave a big bin bag with freinds with sandals/iron/kettle/cups/pillows/fishing rod and reel/snorkelling gear it saves hell of a lot of weight and hassle

Karen

Thanks Karen, as you rightfully said it really does save a LOT of hassle. At least I don't have to 'remember' to take a hairdryer (cos I know I would forget the flippin thing), and having the kettle to hand also means the OH can wake me up with a nice hot drink to get me kickstarted - I soooooo hate having to wait for a drink of a morning - can't function properly without it!! Our friend normally meets us at our accommodation soon after we arrive and hands the bag over, any clothes are usually freshly laundered and neatly pressed by his mum, bless her.

Probably stating the obvious here but having a mobile phone is also a useful alarm clock for an early wake up call if you have a trip planned or on day of departure. We have been let down by hotel staff several times who have promised to wake us up and then didn't. (Probably still asleep themselves) LOL Another pet hate of mine is having to rush around like crazy in the morning, takes me hours to get one eye open let alone two And if I rush, you can be sure that I will leave something important behind (specially on departure day)

If you are staying overnight in a UK hotel before or after your flight - take a spare overnight bag containing your UK wear, toiletries, towels or whatever you need. Leave it in the car boot. No damp stuff in your case when you arrive in Goa and nice fresh clean winter clothes etc for when you get back. Don't do what my friend's OH did though.....He took the spare bag of clothes (intended for use on their return home) all the way to Goa and back. She gave him hell

I hate Indian toilet rolls so always take some with me, also they make good protective padding around the inside of the suitcase and I never go anywhere in Goa without a toilet roll in my bag.
After having the airline lose my luggage a couple of years ago I now also take some clothes in my hand luggage just in case it happens again!!!