Rickshaw Run chief Matt Dickens offers insider tips to India

1. Take nothing too seriously.

“India is a country that if you let it, will put your brain through a mangle and spit it out the other side. Sometimes you need to step back, close your eyes and take a deep breath.

"When you dare to peel your eyelids open again you might be pleasantly surprised to find yourself with a smile on your face.”

2. Get involved.

“The culture shock when visiting India for the first time can be overwhelming.

"But if you chat, laugh, eat, drink and dance with the locals, you’ll find Indian people are some of the most welcoming and beautiful-souled you will ever meet.Don’t hide yourself from them.”

3. Don’t drive at night.

“The roads across most of India can be considerably different to what you’re used to. They might not even be roads.

"Throw in a 20-tonne truck bearing down with blinding lights and an invisible cow in front of you, and you’re getting close to the abject fear that will grip your heart.”

4. Horny OK please.

“Sound your horn at home and the chances of someone getting out and slashing your tyres is relatively high. Not sounding your horn in India is almost on par with this.

"Use it to say: ‘I’m here, I’m not here, I’m going, I’m coming, hello, I know, I don’t know and I have a horn.’

5. Wake early. “Sunrise is India at its most calm. Misty roads, watching the country wake up, the smell of early morning fires and quiet(er) roads will greet you like an old friend and add an element of romance to your Rickshaw Run.”

theadventurists.com