Changes

A few tickets on each train are reserved for foreigners ("Foreign Tourist Quota") and can often be purchased just before boarding or a day or two before. These tickets are available at major stations and must usually be bought from a special office at the station. You will be asked to show your passport.

Sleeping outside is accepted in India, and millions of urban poor do it. Theft is rarely a concern if you are sleeping among a large crowd, though you ought to secure your bag in some small way. If you need a place to overnight, head for the nearest train station, where you can spread out your sleeping bag and no one will bother you. Often there is a waiting room for those with train reservations (called "Upper Class Waiting Room" or similar), and foreigners can usually enter those and sleep without being asked to show a ticket. Earplugs are useful. In the Golden Temple in Amritsar foreigners get free accommodation. The rooms are located next to the train ticket counter on the south-eastern side of the Golden Temple. Sometimes, Buddhist temples will also be able to provide free accommodation. Just ask for it :)