Food apps and legroom for less: 6 tips for savvy travel in India - The Straits Times

In my home town of Perth, Google Maps is a trusty tool that accurately predicts how long it will take to drive anywhere in the Australian city. That app works so well because Perth is spread out and quite sparsely populated, with minimal traffic problems.

Whereas in India, I have to give up on using Google Maps to judge travel times. This was also the case when I was living in Bangkok.

While most Indian cities do not have traffic as bad as that in the Thai capital, their roads are clogged and unpredictable enough that estimating how long a journey will take using the app is a hit-and-miss affair.

In Goa in 2023, for example, I was delighted when my journey from the airport to my hotel was five minutes shorter than Google Maps had suggested.

On my previous trip to India, however, I almost missed my flight out of Kolkata after the taxi to the airport took three times as long as the app had estimated.

In India, Google Maps is still very useful when walking, or for tracking your progress during a taxi trip.

But in the big cities, forget about getting anywhere promptly by road. Instead, just embrace the slow pace of taxis and gaze out of the window at the colour and intrigue of this beautiful country.