Useful tips on taking the train in Kerala, India

I took the train in India for the first time when I visited Kerala in January. It's actually much cleaner and less hectic than I imagined but still was an adventure! Here are some tips I would like to share to save some of your hassle when you visit:

• Book your tickets early online! I can not stress this enough because most likely you want the 1st class/AC class tickets and they are very limited
• Ask multiple people to help you read your ticket and info board, they are not easy to understand (at least for us)
• If you are not able to book online, get the general ticket to board the train and try to upgrade to a higher class later. See how-to details here
• Make sure you keep checking the google map and see where you are while on the train, it's easy to miss the stop (we almost did!), the train could be loud and the announcement isn't always easy to hear/understand
• Trains are often delayed. An App a local recommended is to download to check train status is "WhereIsMyTrain" Android
• We took the train from Cochin to Varkala (70rs), no gate and no one checked our tickets, just fyi