I have been living in Mumbai since last 24 years and therefore I would suggest the following survival tips for Non-Mumbaikars Shifting to Mumbai.
1. Learn Marathi
Though Mumbai is a metropolitan city, you must learn the basics of the local language – Marathi.
I stayed in Bengaluru for 4 years and knowing some key phrases and basic words of Kannada helped me a lot. Knowing Marathi will help you out deal with lot of people like the bus conductor, Police, Traffic Police etc.
2. Use Public Transport
Instead of buying your own vehicle, travel by public transport like Local Trains, BEST Buses and Rickshaws.
These 3 modes are very cheap and will save hell lot of your time traveling in the City. Peak hours are very bad for driving a car. Use Google Maps and you will find the BEST buses for your destination.
3. Meter Only
When you get into Mumbai, there are some Auto-Rickshaw drivers who would deny the use of Meter and charge you a lot for a short distance. Avoid such Auto-Rickshaws. Remember in Mumbai, Rickshaw Driver has the compulsion to take you to your destination by Meter only. You can also find Share Rickshaws near Railway Stations, this will save your money!
4. The Mumbai Local Train
Traveling in Mumbai Local Train is always challenging. Trains are often over-crowded. Morning 8 – 10:30 and Evening 6 – 9 :30 are the rush hours and getting a train during this time is very difficult. If you are not able to catch a train then don’t worry… there is a train in every 3 mins!!
Download the UTS App for booking tickets, monthly and quarterly passes, this will save your time standing in long Queues.
Remember never board a Virar train while traveling towards Borivali unless your destination is Virar!. Virar Trains and damn crowded, even Mumbaikars avoid taking Virar Trains.
There are two local trains – Fast and Slow.
The Fast train halts at select railway stations only, so be attentive towards the announcement on the Platform.
Slow Train Halts at every platform, so if you are new… prefer taking a slow trains.
5.Maid
If you could find time for household work like cleaning dishes, washing clothes, cooking food then it is well and good.
But if time is an Issue… don’t worry, you will find a maid for every household work. Just pay the maid on time and you will be fine…
6. East and West
Every place in Mumbai as two sides, East and West.
For example: Borivali East and Borivali West.
Andheri East and Andheri West.
You will come to know about East and West when you start traveling by Local Trains.
7. Food
The most important thing for Survival. Don’t worry when you are in Mumbai… you will never sleep hungry. Vada Pav is always available to meet your hunger needs. There are hell lot of restaurants and eateries in Mumbai and you can easily order food by calling the restaurant near you. You can even find a guy selling Idli and Chutney at Midnight. Food is never a problem in Mumbai.
8. Accommodation in Mumbai
You can easily find flats on rent in Mumbai. Though the rent will be high. It is preferred to share a room to avoid huge rent.
Make sure you find the right housing society for you. Make sure that water is available 24/7 in the society.
If you are non-vegetarian, make sure the housing society is okay with that. There are some crazy housing societies in Mumbai who don’t allow Non Vegetarians to stay on rent or even buy a Flat. Ask the broker or Secretary of the housing society.
These are my survival tips for Non-Mumbaikars who are shifting to Mumbai. Hope you find this article helpful. If Yes then please let me know in the comment Section below.
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