If you’re a woman and you’re planning to travel alone in India, do not look up tips online. You’re most likely to end up with a bunch of “be covered from head to toe”, “don’t talk to strange men”, don’t venture out after sunset” and the likes. Hey! All of that is mostly common sense right? You decide if you want to start a conversation with ‘the strange man’, it doesn’t really matter if you’re in Spain or in Honolulu; and even in a remote Himalayan village, you’d have to try pretty hard to find yourself alone in a dark, dingy alley.
You read about the staring and the groping and the ‘unsafe’ local transport; read instead about real-life experiences by real women who’ve discovered this country travelling solo. Eventually your perception is your experience. You will not find a people more friendly and willing to help, especially in the villages and rural areas. Random strangers will remind you to be safe, will take you in as your own; you just need to trust your instincts and keep your heart open. And of course, ignore the periodic jerk. Besides, you’ll find a “women only” signboard pretty much everywhere in India. Yes, maybe it does signify something negative, a certain inequality in our social order, but as a woman travelling solo, it comes as security blanket. From ticketing queues, railway compartments, bus seats to parking spaces and even women’s hours at gyms. And as romanticized as it is to just wander off leaving everything behind, make sure to keep someone informed of your whereabouts. So well, there’s no such place as the safest Indian city for women travellers, it’s all in the mind. Just remember to take it with a pinch of pepper spray and a hint of common sense! WeAreHolidays is a young start up in the online leisure travel space, working on an engaging online platform to help people get inspired, research, plan, book and share their holidays.