LocalAirtel / JioWatch outAtlas research
City shoppassport neededyesterday
Tourist SIM bureaucracy is heavy: passport, local reference and delayed activation. For a short trip an eSIM is usually less friction than a shop visit.
🇮🇳
India
2 places · 5 routes · 2 SIM notes · 2 coworking cities · 2 experiences
Places
Routes
🎒Hippie Trail (modern revival)Istanbul → Tbilisi → Yerevan → Tehran → Lahore → Delhi → Kathmandu🎒India Golden Triangle + NorthDelhi → Agra → Jaipur → Jodhpur → Udaipur → Varanasi → Rishikesh → Amritsar🧭Istanbul → KathmanduIstanbul → Tehran → Lahore → Delhi → Kathmandu🚲Karakoram HighwayIslamabad → Gilgit → Hunza → Khunjerab Pass → Tashkurgan → Kashgar🏍️Leh–Manali & LadakhManali → Keylong → Sarchu → Leh → Nubra → Pangong → Tso Moriri
eSIM / SIM
1 warningeSIMAiraloAtlas research
Unlimited / 7 days€35VodafoneOnlineyesterday
Most expensive Airalo unlimited in this set, on Vodafone. Still a shortcut: Airtel/Jio tourist SIMs want a passport, a local reference and an activation delay.
Coworking
Goa
Beach nomad scene. Artjuna is the garden cafe where people stay for hours.
The Hive Goa · 91Springboard · Artjuna
Bangalore
India’s tech capital with strong fiber. Third Wave Coffee is the cafe pick.
WeWork · BHIVE · Third Wave Coffee
Recent experiences
Kashmir felt safer than the advisories suggest — heavy military presence everywhere. One serious caveat as a solo woman: a driver tried to assault me when hitchhiking in Srinagar city; I got out in time. Hitching felt fine in Ladakh, not here. Heard tourists can't use the Srinagar–Jammu public buses anymore — flying out is easiest, Srinagar airport is cheap (₹3600 to Amritsar booked days ahead). SBI and J&K Bank ATMs charge no commission.
Ladakh solo (Dutch passport): Indian e-visa was enough, but register at the Leh Permit Office for almost anywhere outside town — even the Sham Valley trek. Regular Indian SIMs don't work in Ladakh. HRTC bus Keylong→Leh exists on paper (tickets 30 min before the 5:30 departure) but mine never showed — hitchhiked to Padum for ₹1500, then shared taxi Padum→Leh ₹1500 (~5h, reserve ahead; they leave 5AM). LeHostel is the backpacker hub. Checkpoints everywhere, all friendly.