girl travelling alone round India...
Hi there, am wondering if India is a safe place for girl travelling alone...would it be worth sticking into my travel itinery?
If so, where would be the best place to start off in India that i can meet other back packers to travel with? I read that dehli is good for backpackers?? cheers.
Reply to this I am going to India in two days. When do you plan on being in India? I am a 22 year old female and will be meeting up with people here and there along with travelling alone at other times. I'll let you know how it goes or if you are going soon maybe meet up. Keep in touch.
Reply to this Hi Kendra...Im not planning to do India until about 6 months. want to do thailand, vietnam etc first. all starting in about a month. Where are you starting off in india...you have any itinery planned for it?
Reply to this I'm starting in Delhi and then making my way around northern India. The cities that I am covering for sure are Rishikesh and Dharamsala. I also want to go to Leh but I'm not sure if the season will permit me to. Other than that, I'm going to wing it. Oh and I might try and go to Goa if I head down south. It looks like we are doing the same trip only the reverse. I'm starting in India and making my way to SE Asia and all around there. Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, etc. So, let me know how your adventure goes and I'll do the same. Any good advice pass it on. Best of luck and safe travels!
Reply to this My wife and I have just travelled round the world. We didn't experience any problems in any country other than India. There she was groped by a guy on a train which was very upsetting (and that happened with me standing next to her, she didn't tell me until we got off the train). This was in Kolkata and is common according to our friend who lives there.
Gerry
Reply to this Hey Vonn
I was in India about five years ago and although admittedly I was with another girl I felt pretty safe when alone. What Gerry says is true sometimes nasty things can happen but it can happen in any country. I am in China right now and feel totally safe but when we were in a small town on holiday I was walking down the street with another traveller I met and this random man walked into her and groped her. These things can happen in your home town or country. You just have to be careful. Try not to do stuff alone at night and just be sensible. I think sometimes it can be about attitude, you have to walk around confidently etc.
In most countries it is pretty easy to meet up with other travellers so that shouldn't be difficult. As for places to visit there is such a long list but my personal highlights were:
Ladakh: in the North of India beside Kashmir....very beautiful, himalayan foothills, Ladakhi people, Monastries and so on
Bangalore in the South: seemed like a great city, very modern, lots of parks and good base for the SOuth. Place just south called Mysore was lovely. It is also amazing catching the bus from Delhi to Bangalore. Its a 3 day journey but the scenery is fantastic.
Dharamasala: a town in the Mountains that is mainly Tibetan as the exiled Dalai Lama's govt in exile is there. I loved it. Lots of travellers but that can make it fun.
Things I missed you should try:
Rajasthan
Amritsar (Sikh Golden temple is there)
Good luck on your travels and I hope you love India as much as I did x
Reply to this Hello Curry Beat Box.
India is generally safe for woman alone. That being said, groping of females does occur fairly frequently even if you dress conservatively. It very rarely goes beyond that. What they're doing is considered very bad in Indian society so everyone will support you if you raise a fit and hit them in the face with your shoes (which you should do, will make you feel better and shame the guy so he'll think twice before doing it again).
It is very uncomfortable for women to be groped but if you think you can deal with that, then you can be pretty sure it won't be worse than groping. I've met quite a few women who never got groped so it's not sure that it will happen to you. The chances are lower if you're with a man, but it can still happen as Gerry mentioned.
And you don't have to worry about finding backpackers. The country is literaly swarming with them.
V
Reply to this
Thanks for that. If groping is the only thing i have to worry about then ill be happy (may even enjoy it!) ...only joking :-) Dont worry Victor T, i shouldnt have any problems shaming them.
FK82... you think its really worth getting the bus from dehli to bangalore? 3 days??? how on earth can that be comfy? are there many stop offs? howd you sleep at night? Im thinking of starting off down south (just for ease of culture shock) then heading up north to do Rajasthan and maybe also Ladkakh from your suggestions. Initially i was thinking the only resonable way to travel south - north is by plane. though if you think bus is a good way to go then id do it...itll save me cash and get to see the scenes then id do it, but itd have to be within reason. Can you give some further info on that?
is there also a difference in seasons from nrth and sth? im planning on heading there next april...bad timing?
Cheers.
Reply to this Hey
I am also a girl thinking of touring India alone and my question is clothes related. How necessary is it to wear traditional clothes there? I'm thinking of going for about 3 weeks and am not sure I want to buy saris and stuff that I will only wear for three weeks. Any insight on this? Also, if anyone has done the desert safari, what did you wear for that?
Thanks!
SILVI😊
Reply to this hi guys.....travelling in india alone at night is not safe.....but in cities like Mysore( south india) night scenes are worth watching....don't miss hampi...there are so many historical sites to see in hampi( south india) you can reach hampi from goa...or from mysore....kerala is worth watching....but in southern kerala , now an epidemic ( fever) is spread by mosquitoes ..many people died.....kerala has lots of nice beaches.........Hampi is a fav destination for tourists ....you can hire motorbike there....southindian dishes are very nice too......there are good ashrams in south india( sivananda, trivandrum, saibaba , puttaparti) ...ashrams are hermitages...............in india , you should be slow to see everything......never be in hurry..............
Reply to this i think it is better you start off in Mumbai , head down to Goa , then south india.....or start off in newdelhi , then come to mumbia...then goa...4 hrs behind newdelhi is Agra , where worldfamous Tajmahal is....
i have travelled all over india....i think south india is worth experienceing more....cuisine, culture, beaches...customs....tea coffee plantations.....
Reply to this Hey Curry Beat Box
I am an idiot. I didn't get the bus from Delhi to Bangalore. I got the Train. Getting the bus would be a mega challenge. No it was the train and I have to say that I loved it. Don't go first class as it is a rip off but the next best priced ticket is the way to go. It took 48 hours I think. The ticket at the time was the equivalent to like 25 pounds but that is probably a bit different now. It was six people to a booth type thing and then at night there were 3 bunks on each side of the booth. The weather is different South/North so check out when there Monsoon seasons are and when is the best time to go. As for getting South to North me and my friend went from Trivandrum to Madras/Chennai-flew to Sri Lanka stayed 10 days (well worth it)-flew back to Chennai-trained it up to Varanasi, stayed there for a few days. Trained it to Agra to see the Taj Mahal-back to Delhi and then a flight up to Leh in Ladakh. Stayed in Ladakh for a bit got a 3/4 day trek in. Got the bus from there to Manali and then onto Dharamasala stayed there for a bit and then back to my base city Dehra dun.
As for where to go in India I loved everywhere I went and wish I had seen some other places. It is upto you. It is impossible to do it all. My favourites where Ladakh, Dharamasala, Kochin Beach south of Trivandrum in Kerala, Bangalore, Mysore. If you get the chance pop over to Sri Lanka.
Don't miss-Taj Mahal, getting a train, drinking lots of chai-milk little sugar, glass bangles, seeing some Tibetan Monastries, going off the beaten track. Wish I had done Amritsar, Rajasthan, Goa and a whole lot more.
On the Sari/Salwaar Kameez I wouldnt bother getting these before you go but if you get anything Salwaar Kameez are more comfortable and easy to where. They are easy to buy in India and you can get really nice ones. Otherwise loose fitting light clothes are best plus some warm stuff for night time. You can get lots of shawls there so no need to bring any.
Hope that helps and clears up the bus mistake. FK82 x
Reply to this Hi.. if you are coming to South of India, please contact with me. I shall provide any Travel related help / assistance. I am a indipendant travel service provider. Visit my web site
Georgey
Reply to this Hi,
I am Li ,a 27 old girl from ShangHai,Chian.Travelling to India is my dream long time ,so i wanna make it come true.My plan is travelling India around on Feb,2007,the time is our Chinese New Yr. and also it is a very important festival for Chinese,so my friends can not come with me.
I am going to spend 15-20days for this travel .
Let me know if you are interested in meeting up on the way or traveling together.
Chen_li
Reply to this Hi, I don't know if I'm too late posting this, but I travelled alone in India in October and didn't have any major problems. I actually found that if you are friendly, but not over friendly, the men are very protective - once they've asked you if you are married and if not why not. I was standing outside waiting for a driver and a waiter from the restaurant came and stood with me to keep me company and fend off any unwanted attention. There is an issue with groping on trains/ buses, mainly due to the way they think we live in the west. The best way to deal with it, when it happens, is to shout "who did that?" this will result in every other woman (and several men) in the carraige looking for, and admonishing, the culprit. usually they hit him. Keep your sense of humour and you get a great story to tell & photo op!
Reply to this Hi,
i find here are many quaries about from where to start india tour.I would like to inform them that India is a very big country and there are lots of things to see in every state but for that u have to journy a very long distance.It takes more than 48 hours train journy from extreme north to south or from extreme east to west.On road travel is definitly more time consuming and labourious and air service is not available everywhere.In INDIA West Bengal is the only state where u will find the beauty of high mountain HIMALAYA in the north and sea beach of BAY OF BENGAL in the south.No other state has both-HIMALAYA and SEA BEACH.And more over here u will find vast green plain land with holy river GANGA ,dence forest of SUNDARBAN and almost every types of natural beauty.moreover KOLKATA the capital of west bengal was once the capital of INDIA in british period. so I suggest u to start your visit from west bengal/ KOLKATA.I promise u will find here a mini india. Ask me for any support u need.
Reply to this I am goin to reply to the original question about safety for a girl travelling alone.
My suggestion is if u are a girl and alone ...go to big cities only..delhi, mumbai, pune, banglore, goa. (these are also a bit modern and cosmopoliton places.) Totally avoid the so calles exotic smaller towns. When in big cities u might hafta face some eve- teasing but that is not serious. just be careful ..don go alone in nights and other common sense things like that. If u face any teasing guy ..just shout for help. People will beat the shit out of em' . (don't misuse it!!! )
have a good 1.
Reply to this Hi there,
Travelling alone in India is safe for a girl but avoid going alone anywhere during night time as it's not safe. Do not wear to revealling clothes and do not talk to guys who approach you while walking on streets as it can be a problem.
Please feel free top contact me in case of any other information / clarification.
Regards,
Naveen KUMAR
Reply to this Hi, you should check out the travel journal of Madrasi_Libby on this site. I'm planning to go to India alone in October and hope to meet some people to travel with as well. I was feeling pretty nervous, but reading about Libby's time has helped a bit. Sounds like asking for help at your hotel is a good idea rather than trying to do it all on your own, out there in the throngs of men.
Anyone else travelling in October?
Reply to this Hi, yes you are right, Delhi is the right place for you and you can start your trip from Delhi. You need not worry about your safety. India is a safe place for girl traveling.
Thanks,
John
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