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Lone traveller in India..

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Travelling alone in India..read on!

39 Replies:

JITENDRA SOLANKI
Post Count: 4

Msg: #21 28 weeks ago, June 17th 2009

I agree that whole India is not the same, "one bad fish make the whole pond dirty" applies here :)

as i believe, India is safe for lone women travelers. Just proper planning will make ur trip safe and success.

India has changed a lot in the last decade..the education level, the infrastructure had grown leaps and bounds.

Many lone women do travel here in India..and they feel it perfectly safe.

When i was in goa for holidays with my girlfreind i met a girl from Israel around 22-23. i talked to her and she told that this was her 2nd visit in India traveling alone. And when i asked about hooligans and touts she replied she could deal with them easily. That girl was really very confident.

I think proper planning is what makes ur trip a success or failure.

Mell

Mell
Post Count: 15347

Msg: #22 28 weeks ago, June 17th 2009

I think, learning to completely ignore touts and hooligans(the ones who do not put their hands on us) can be the secret of having a more pleasant trip in India. I find the biggest cause of stress in India is if I let the invasions of my personal space get under my skin. The pesterings are always annoying, but reacting to it is a slippery slope.

Dont know what you mean by planning Jitendra, but if you mean tours etc, that would ruin the experience for most backpackers. Most of us like the freedom independent travel gives us.

millie025

Amelia
Post Count: 5

Msg: #23 28 weeks ago, June 17th 2009

Borny, good luck with ur trip in August! Make sure you let me know how it goes and keep in touch!

Also, something ive learnt when travelling in forgeign countries is to take things as they come, don't try to stick to your plans because sometimes the most amazing experiences come from the unexpected and above most, soak it all up and stay safe! xx

Borny

Simon Bourne
Post Count: 12

Msg: #24 28 weeks ago, June 17th 2009

thank you millie... ill fill you in when i return!!

system

TravelBlog System User
Post Count: 961

Msg: #25 28 weeks ago, June 17th 2009

8 posts moved to this topic: India

the scorpion

scorpion
Post Count: 4

Msg: #26 28 weeks ago, June 18th 2009

very true amelia

sometimes u enjoy more when u have a loose itinary n u dont just stick to your plan. thats what happened when i went to NZ an year ago n i travelled both the islands and had a rocking time. so just go with the flow n good places would come ur way on their own. all u need for it is plenty of time at ur disposal though.

Jitu007

JITENDRA SOLANKI
Post Count: 4

Msg: #27 28 weeks ago, June 18th 2009

yes if u have shortage of time its better to stick to ur plans and schedule. but i also believe u have the most fun when u do the unexpected and unplanned things :)

peachylu

lucy peach
Post Count: 14

Msg: #28 28 weeks ago, June 18th 2009

dont worry about the touts. you just need thick skin and a pinch of salt. they really are not a problem...just doing there job. it is unlikely that you wont get ripped off but you will get better and better at knowing when the price is right (you have been to thailand so i guess the bargaining skill have already been applied.)
i have never planed a tour unless it involved restricted land or extreme sports. I would say dont book anything you dont have to. it nice to spend some time before you go looking at a map and daydreaming about where you might go but really all you need is book in hand as rough guide and if that doesn't inspire you then hang out in a cafe till you meet some groovy dudes and tag on to thier adventure (forum disclaimer- this is an opinion based on my own experience and preference)
you can buy everything you need there so no wuking forries. India is the easiest place to explore. trains and are everywhere, easy to book and 'comfortable' enough. (tho get ready to be stared at)
if you can ride then hire a motorbike in delhi and throw the itinerary in the bin. its an amazing way to see india failing that you could walk and hitch (ummm though i wouldn't do this without a friend...but friends are easy to find.) doing this takes a long time but you meet the real people and see the real india. very cool

<snip>

[Edited: 06:57 - Mell ]

vaibhav 81

vaibhav malhotra
Post Count: 22

Msg: #29 28 weeks ago, June 20th 2009

Hi Amelia.....

Just to add few more points here

-> Yes Indians do stare at foreigners
Reason :- Strange ,fair looking ,dressed a bit differenlty females...it happens
To minimize this please try wearing more loosely comfortable dresses ..if you can try wear indian women slawaar kamiiz ..(this will make u one in crowd.)

--> Acess Indian railways website to find out the timings and various trains....
--> As a foreigner be ready to be charged higher its natural ..even we Indians have to pay more in new cities...

--> Do not venture out in nights or lonely places for India is not that safe for women ....( not scaring though)
If you got a pub in Indian metro cities like Bangalore,Delhi etc ..move out of the place by max. 9 pm and do not take lifts from strangers a big No....

---> If you think daily tidbits and hassles are straining u alot ...go to Sikkim or Ladakh ,Pondicherry these places will cool you off make you feel better ............
--> If you like riding motorbikes you can do that in Pune (for the place is famous for women bikes and is safe too) but I dont think it would be a gr8 idea in Northern part of country unless untill u go ina group

Jai R

Jai R
Post Count: 25

Msg: #30 28 weeks ago, June 20th 2009

"If you got a pub in Indian metro cities like Bangalore,Delhi etc ..move out of the place by max. 9 pm"

Wow. That sounds funny. In Bombay you wouldnt have a soul in at 9pm, forget leaving at that time. The crowd only starts trickling in by 10:30 here. TGIB. Thank God Its Bombay. Are u sure Vaibhav about the time even in Bangalore? I thought the city was famous for its pubs & discotheques.

peachylu

lucy peach
Post Count: 14

Msg: #31 28 weeks ago, June 20th 2009

not sure wearing indian dress is a good idea if you want less attention. in my experience when ever i dressed in salwaar kamiiz or sari a gain 10 times the amount of attention- not in a bad way mind you- but i could walk a step out of the guest house without someone wanting to inspect my get up and tell me i look like real indian lady and look beautiful and so on and so on. nice attention but not help full if you need some time unnoticed.

Jai R

Jai R
Post Count: 25

Msg: #32 28 weeks ago, June 20th 2009

I kinda agree with you there Lucy. I think foreigners will invite unwanted attention irrespective of what they wear. Also, the culture here is not very knowledgable about concepts like invasion of privacy & personal space. Must be quite irritating, I am sure.

vaibhav 81

vaibhav malhotra
Post Count: 22

Msg: #33 28 weeks ago, June 20th 2009

Jai & Lucy .....

Ok thats was my view point for I believe when in Rome ..act and wear like romans...
For I am in Europe ....I consciously ensure that what I wear is basically somewhat similiar to what others wear here..same does my indian female colleagues....it likes trying to be part of same crowd.

Privacy and personal space are relative terms which wary as per persons culture and region he/she belongs too.
In Europe there is no problem of space..whereas in India its a problem of both space,not fully developed infrastructure and a billion people (which is quite natural for a developing economy)

Jai :- when I was in Bangalore in December the pubs used to stop taking orders after 10:30 pm.....What I heard was this was done by government to stop people from causing problems late nights(for there were news of drunk driving,accidents )
But yes Bangalore is far better compared to Delhi in pubs (thats what is my personal experience)

Jai R

Jai R
Post Count: 25

Msg: #34 28 weeks ago, June 21st 2009

Hi Vaibhav,

"Ok thats was my view point for I believe when in Rome ..act and wear like romans..."
I agree with this Vaibhav but the point is I have seen that no matter how well clothed white women are in India, they still will get lots of male attention just because they are white. Check the thread "female travellers in India" & you'll realise how bad it can get even when they take all precautions.

Thanks for the info Vaibhav on Bangalore. This was very surprising to know.

"this was done by government to stop people from causing problems late nights"
I think its quite silly but typical of India. It is the job of the cops to deal with late night problems if they occur. To stop people from going out just so that they dont have to deal with problems later is just shirking away from your responsibilities. It is like telling someone "dont go out, you might have an accident, better stay at home & be safe".

They should take a clue from Mumbai police. Although the pubs / discos stay open till late night, police have set up a lot of roadblocks to check people for drunk driving. So many people have been caught / fined / jailed etc. that now very few people even think of going out without a plan for who the designated driver will be. That person will probably be a teetotaller or the family driver. lot of people take cabs even though they have cars. So the cops achieved what they wanted to without encroaching on the personal freedom of the individuals AND business dont have to suffer losses due to early closure.

Mell

Mell
Post Count: 15347

Msg: #35 28 weeks ago, June 21st 2009

"Ok thats was my view point for I believe when in Rome ..act and wear like romans..."

Anyway, lots of young Indian girls are wearing things like jeans and t-shirts these days....... But as Jai said, I think a foreign woman gets attention just because she is a foreigner.

I think women and men too should wear the type of clothes they like in any country, but make themselves a bit more covered up in some countries for safety reasons.

peachylu

lucy peach
Post Count: 14

Msg: #36 28 weeks ago, June 23rd 2009

yes mell! i agree! wear what you always wear but be respectful of where you are. one of the biggest mistakes i made when i first went traveling was to take the advise that i should only take old crappy cloths- that's rubbish coz no matter where you are in the world you will at some point want to feel and look attractive. course, you can still do this in a respectful manner but not with a pair of old soaks, fisher man pants and long sleeved shirt.

peachylu

lucy peach
Post Count: 14

Msg: #37 28 weeks ago, June 23rd 2009

well if you can then right on you must be a hottie.

Mell

Mell
Post Count: 15347

Msg: #38 27 weeks ago, June 24th 2009