To fly to India, you must book a flight. You have several airlines to choose from. It is sometimes cheaper to use India's local airlines to fly. Air India, for one, offers flights to India from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London and others. See the Resources section for the link to a list of other airlines that fly to India.
You will most likely fly into one of India's major gateway airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. All of of these airports have money exchange facilities, tourist information offices and hotel reservation services. Upon arriving, note that there are separate immigration desks (one for Indian citizens and one for foreign nationals) for processing your entry from a foreign country. The airline staff will give you the immigration document you would need to present at the immigration desk prior to landing.
Before you can fly to India, you must have all your paperwork in order. Visitors must have a passport that is valid for at least six months and, for many international visitors, a visa. British, Australian, Canadian, American, Japanese and other European citizens must have a valid visa before they are allowed to enter the country. You cannot apply for the visa at arrival. You must apply for a visa at your local Indian embassy by turning in the form found at http://passport.gov.in/cpv/VisaNote.pdf or by mailing in the form and required documents. Applications turned in to the embassy are processed the same day. Postal applications can take two weeks to process. You may apply for a tourist visa that is valid for six months, a business visa that is valid for a year or more with multiple-entry privileges or a conferences visa if you are a delegate attending a conference.
If you do not want to pay a duty when you arrive in India, take care not to pack taxable goods. As with two different desks for processing incoming flight passengers, there are two channels for visitors carrying goods. The Red Channel is for those with dutiable goods, a list of which you can get from the Indian embassy or from a custom declaration form. If you have nothing to declare, you should go through the green channel though they may still scan your baggage prior to exit. If you are carrying 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250g of tobacco or less and are over 17 years of age, you will not be charged a duty. You can also bring in a bottle of an alcoholic beverage and goods for personal use or for gifts without getting taxed.
