Travellers from Gujarat generally arrive well prepared for this, because the conventions at a Jain derasar or a Swaminarayan temple are already familiar: cover up, take your shoes off, keep your voice down, and ask before photographing anything. What catches people out abroad is not the principle but the specifics — that a sleeveless top will get you turned away from a cathedral in Rome, that shorts are fine on a Bangkok street and not inside the Grand Palace, that in a few countries what you wear in public is a matter of law rather than manners.
This guide is practical rather than preachy. It covers what to pack so the question rarely arises, the rules at the kinds of sites Indian travellers actually visit, the countries where the standard is stricter than tourists expect, and the handful of behavioural conventions — greetings, photography, public affection — that cause the most unintentional offence.
Pack one outfit that solves it everywhere
The efficient answer is not to research every site individually but to carry one combination that satisfies almost all of them. That means trousers or a skirt reaching the ankle, a top with sleeves covering the shoulder and preferably the upper arm, nothing sheer or tight, and a large light scarf. The scarf is the single most useful item: it covers a head, a shoulder or a knee at thirty seconds' notice, weighs nothing, and doubles as protection from air conditioning and sun. Add slip-on shoes, because you will be removing them often and laces get tedious.
Two practical additions. Socks are worth having in a day bag, since stone floors are scorching at midday and freezing in winter, and many sites will not let you wear shoes but are entirely relaxed about socks. And carry the covering layer with you rather than leaving it at the hotel — the dress code is enforced at the entrance, which is not where you want to discover the shawl is forty minutes away. Our complete international travel packing checklist folds this into the list you pack from.
Religious sites: the rules that are actually enforced
Mosques are generally the strictest and the most explicit. Expect to remove shoes, to cover arms and legs fully, and for women to cover their hair; many major mosques that welcome visitors lend robes and headscarves, though supply runs short at busy hours. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is a good example of a site that is free, genuinely welcoming to visitors, and completely uncompromising at the security check — our Abu Dhabi travel guide covers its online registration requirement and dress rules in detail. Visiting hours around Friday prayers are usually restricted.
Churches in Europe vary from indifferent to strict, with the major basilicas in Rome and Vatican City firmly at the strict end: covered shoulders and knees for everyone, enforced at the door, with no exception for the heat. Buddhist temples in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Myanmar expect shoes off and shoulders and knees covered, and have one rule visitors routinely break — never point your feet at a Buddha image or a monk, and do not climb on statues for a photograph, which is treated as a serious offence and has led to arrests. Sikh gurdwaras anywhere in the world expect covered heads for everyone and no tobacco on the premises. In Japan, shrine and temple etiquette is more about the washing ritual at the entrance and quiet conduct than about clothing; our Japan travel guide covers the conventions worth knowing.
Countries where the standard is stricter than tourists expect
In Saudi Arabia, standards have changed considerably in recent years and foreign women are no longer required to wear an abaya, but modest dress covering shoulders and knees is expected of everyone in public, and behaviour around prayer times and during Ramadan matters. For those travelling for Umrah, the requirements are specific and our step-by-step Umrah guide from Surat sets them out properly rather than in passing. Iran requires headscarves for women in public. In the UAE and Qatar, shopping malls and government buildings post modest-dress signage and it is taken seriously, even though beach resorts are relaxed.
Elsewhere the constraints are narrower but real. Several Southeast Asian countries treat public nudity and topless sunbathing as criminal rather than merely frowned upon. Some European cities have introduced fines for walking through the streets in swimwear away from the beach. In much of the world, swimwear belongs at the pool and the beach and nowhere else, which is a boundary Indian travellers rarely cross but worth knowing exists. The general principle that serves everywhere: dress for the place you are entering, not the temperature outside it.
Behaviour: the conventions that cause the most accidental offence
Photography is the big one. Photographing people, especially women and children, without asking is intrusive everywhere and illegal in some places; photographing military installations, airports, police and government buildings is a serious matter in many countries, and several Indian travellers have been detained for exactly this. Inside religious sites, look for signage — flash, tripods and photographing worshippers mid-prayer are commonly banned even where general photography is permitted. Our guide to camera and drone rules abroad covers where this crosses from rudeness into law.
A few others worth internalising. Public displays of affection between couples are unremarkable in Europe and can attract genuine trouble in parts of the Gulf and Southeast Asia. Using the left hand to give, receive or eat is considered unclean across much of South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Shoes come off at the door of homes across most of Asia. Pointing with a single finger is rude in several cultures, where an open hand is used instead. And tipping, which sits somewhere between obligation and insult depending on the country, has its own logic — our country-by-country tipping guide covers it properly.
Ramadan, festivals and timing
Travelling in a Muslim-majority country during Ramadan changes the practicalities considerably. Eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight is restricted and in some countries legally prohibited, including for non-Muslim visitors; many restaurants close during the day and reopen after sunset; working hours shorten and traffic peaks just before the fast breaks. None of this makes it a bad time to travel — evenings are lively and hospitable — but it needs planning rather than discovery on arrival.
The same applies elsewhere: major religious festivals close sites, fill transport and raise prices, and sometimes restrict alcohol sales. Check the calendar for your destination before fixing dates, particularly if the trip includes a specific site you have travelled a long way to see. For food arrangements in any of these situations, our roundup of Jain and vegetarian-friendly destinations abroad is a useful companion, since the same planning solves both problems at once.
Frequently asked questions
Do men need to follow dress codes too? Yes, and men are more often caught out because they assume the rules apply only to women. Shorts and sleeveless tops are refused at major churches, mosques and temples for men just as readily, and long trousers are the safe default.
Will they lend me something at the entrance? Often, but treat it as a fallback rather than a plan. Borrowed robes run out at busy times, they are not always available at smaller sites, and being turned away after a long queue in the heat is a poor start to a visit.
Is a sari or salwar kameez appropriate abroad? Entirely, and at religious sites it is usually more than sufficient — a salwar kameez with a dupatta satisfies nearly every dress code discussed here. Many Gujarati travellers find it the simplest solution and the most comfortable in hot climates.
What if I get it wrong? In most cases you will simply be asked to cover up or come back appropriately dressed, and an apology and a scarf resolves it. Genuine legal consequences are confined to a small number of situations — photographing restricted installations, public nudity, climbing on religious statues — which is why those are worth knowing specifically.
None of this should make anywhere feel forbidding. Getting it right is mostly a matter of one scarf, one pair of long trousers and asking before you photograph anyone, and travellers who do are treated with real warmth. Explera Vacations includes the dress and etiquette notes for each country on your itinerary in the briefing we send before departure, because these are the questions people actually have at the door of a mosque rather than the ones brochures answer. Tell our Surat team where you are heading through the contact page, or browse our tour packages from Surat and we will put the specifics in writing.
