Arrival Guide for Bhubaneshwar

We can’t wait to see you soon! For many of you, this might be your first time in Odisha and Bhubaneswar, so we’ve included some tips to help you have the best trip. Please read through.

Pre-Arrival Action Items

1. Provide us your incoming and outgoing travel details ASAP, if you haven’t already.
2. If you are arriving from USA, you will get free WiFi at Delhi / Mumbai airports. If you have trouble connecting to it, see the information desk at the airport and they will help you enable 24 hours of free wifi. We would recommend getting an eSIM from the Airtel SIM Kiosk present at your arrival airport right after customs. If you already have an Indian SIM, please make sure it’s active and working before flying out of USA. We would recommend using your cellular network services for accessing the internet after exiting Delhi / Mumbai airports. Bhubaneswar airport provides free WiFi for 30 minutes only.

Tips for post-arrival and getting ready

1. In order to get to the venue after arrival, you can avail an Uber from the Bhubaneswar International Airport (IATA : BBI). The venue is a 30 min car ride away from the airport. The app-based taxi pickup point would be either the second / third lane right in front of the Arrivals gate. The Uber driver will request INR 40 in cash every time you enter / exit the airport to pay for parking toll. Please have this amount in-cash ready for payment.
2. At the venue, if you will need help with makeup and saree draping for any of the events, please text Vrinda Rajan, sister of the groom, at +91 88281 85395 on Whatsapp.
3. While posting pictures / stories on Instagram, please tag us on @whenricemetspice handle (handle will be made public a few days before wedding)
4. For those wearing sarees or lehengas, if you need to iron them do this either on a cool setting, inside out or with a few layers of fabric between the iron and your outfit.

Tips for guests traveling from US

1. Bring converters for electric outlets. Most hotels have outlets that work for US plugs as well as USB ports for direct charging, but you should still bring converters. Here’s an example of one that will work.
2. Only drink bottled water and avoid street food (yes, even those who moved out of India only a year ago). The hotel in Bhubaneswar will have plenty of water bottles for you.
3. Bring masks that you’re comfortable wearing for long periods of time. Delhi’s air is, unfortunately, very polluted. Pollution levels in Bhubaneswar are under safe limits, so mask use isn’t necessary.
4. We recommend bringing the following medications: Tylenol/Advil, traveler’s stomach / diarrhea medication, and Zyrtec for those who have allergies/are sensitive to pollution, and any other prescription or over-the-counter medications you are used to taking. There will be plenty of drugstores with antibiotics and most medications available over-the-counter (even without a prescription) in India.
5. Here are recommendations on what to see and eat in Delhi. For travel within Odisha, we will recommend contacting the Taj concierge desk at the venue.
6. If you’re taking domestic flights within India for the first time, here are a few tips:
   1. Plan to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight. This is India’s busiest travel season: lines to check bags and clear security will be long and occasionally frustrating.
   2. Indian airlines permit one free check-in bag up to a maximum weight of 15 kg (Air India is an exception, with a max weight allowance of 25 kg). Airlines are very strict about weight limits for both carry-on and check-in luggage — it’s better to spend $40 buying excess baggage allowance in advance than to struggle at the airport - you should be able to do this on the airline website. Budget carrier Indigo offers discounts on excess luggage fees for within 48 hours of international travel. Do not worry about excess baggage if you have booked your flights on a single itinerary ticket from Chicago to Bhubaneswar.
   3. Be prepared to take out ALL your electronics, including charger wires, battery packs, Kindles/iPads, and laptops, during the security check at airports. Pro tip: keep a few gallon-sized Ziploc bags on hand to dump in your wires & devices before flights.
7. You should exchange money at the airport when you land — keep about $100-150 and ask for some small bills (Rs. 50, 100, 200) as well for tips and change. Just bring your dollars in $100 bills. $100 (Rs. 8,000) should be more than enough for 7 days. Use your card for most purchases and keep cash for small purchases. Tips in India are not customary, except for when you are dining at a luxury Indian restaurant.

Contact

Reach out to us for any questions.