Is it safe for a female to travel to India by herself?

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Anne

You have recieved a lot of good advice here. Safe or not safe depends on how you approach it so I hope this advice helps.
I have lived in India for 11 years. I'm an Australian female in my 40s but still I feel disturbed by many men staring at me so often. Less in the city.
There is a lot to deal with that is not easy in India and having a friend or group takes the stress out of it.
Being aware of the culture as you are, will help you.
Best to have someone to visit, be they family members or some kind of group that interests you.
Train travel is pretty good. I've done several long train journeys alone when I was younger and stronger. Nowadays I prefer to travel in the company of friends if possible. It's pretty hard to travel alone in India for foreign ladies. But danger is due to poor judgement. You have to be very aware and careful. It is definately easier with one other friend. But it is also possible to link up with travelling partners during your travels. Just be cautious who you choose. Air travel within India is pretty cheap and good.
Would you not be lonely if you stayed in hotels? Espescially as going out alone at night would not be good. That is one reason a group tour may be good for starters.
I live in Mathura. It is the holy tirtha of Sri Krishna. Because I live in an ashram I am with a lot of good friends from many countries and we sometimes travel together, usually for pilgramages.
You can contact us if you'd like to visit Vrindavan and Mathura. Just email me via my yahoo profile.
There will be many foreigners here in October for the auspicious month of Kartik and parikrama of the holy dhama, Vrindavan.

shiv

No place in the world will be safe for a lone girl to go alone in the night. Why a girl, in most parts of the world there are areas where men also do not venture out alone in the dark. There are places in northern India, Rajasthan and MP where men also do not move out alone after seven in the evening. Not only in India everywhere across the world there are robbers and molestors who will not spare anyone anytime of the day, forget night, if found alone. There are people in India who go alone (even young girls) but stay off some areas after knowing about them. Similarly you can also go around without any fear avoiding some dangerous areas.

Kiran

The simple and one word answer is NO. India is not that safe for a lady to travel by herself that too the one who is born and raised in this part of the world.

Ashta

You should not go alone. Why?

I am an American who went to India 3 times. I went alone; however, i had someone waiting for me at the airport. Once you get outside the gates at the airport there will be creepy men trying to give you a ride, It happened to me all 3 times. ( I went to Delhi)

I Think It will be ok for you to live the regular life in India as long as you have someone with you at all times because you never know what some of these men are thinking, ex. you must have $, or you are an easy target for whatever reason.

If you do go I recoment to blend in, wear indian clothes, and not tight clothes or shirt skirts. I am not trying to be nasty about it but some people over there think of (us from us) as somehow different in a bad way, that is what i have experienced.

Overall I think you should go and enjoy it is a lot of funn, at least I had a lot of funn when I went.
You might experience a culture shock. HAVE FUNN!

shilpa k

If I have to say in one word then my answer would be NO. Its a great advantage to speak the language but to be on a safer side i think you shud go in a group.It also depends on what all do you want to cover and which cities you want to go to, some of them are really safe but unfortunately most of them are not. I'm not saying if you go alone something will happen to you but if you are the adventurous sorts and offcourse you know the language (depends which language you speak) just be very careful of your surroundings and don't do anything you may suspect.India is beautiful and you must go down there....there are many great people you will meet there,let me know if you have more questions.

nila

First start with a guided tour.Know the dangerous places and spots from the tour operators.Take one day in each area, totally for yourself and explore the place.Always carry your tour operators mobile number and know the emergency numbers.In this way you'll be safe and also can have some privacy.Always wear local dresses and to ask help, choose people who came as families around there.Never reveal that you are traveling alone in India.Every journey, you show that you'll be traveling alone only that particular area.Just pretend that somebody is going to pick you up when you reach the place.
Nowadays women are traveling alone for business trips all over India.People also very helpful to women who is traveling alone.Bus drivers or conductors also very concern about the women who are traveling alone.Auto's and taxi's also very good,but some miscreants also mingled among them which we couldn't identify separately.it is always safe to travel in public buses.Keep in touch with your family.
Just be relax and enjoy India.India has a wonderful tourist destinations.Happy Journey.

ananyasavur

Depends on where you wish to travel - if you stick to the urban jungle (Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa) then you are better off. But if you want to travel to the interiors in Rajasthan/Himachal/Kerala etc, I would stick to a tour or a friend. You may know hindi well, but most villages and smaller cities speak the regional language, which is difficult to follow. Plus, GPS does not work!!
If you want best of both world, keep an eye out for unconventional tour packages.

Mr Z

yes, it is totally safe, i think even safer for you as an indian (especially if you dress the part over there, which is more comfortable anyway, as you probably know).

you might get stared at but you won't be attacked.

of course, in big cities, like anywhere, be aware of your surroundings, but traveling around the country is fine.

take trains more than buses if you can. and most trains have a female-only car, so take advantage of that. many places that you have to wait in line have female-only queues, too.

often you can meet other travelers on the road, and hook up with them to travel as a pair or group for part of the time. if you can find another solo woman (or even a pair), that might be fun for a while.

but yes, it's much safer than the states as far as being by yourself.

looking indian and speaking hindi are great advantages! they'll know you're american soon enough, but you'll be able to talk to the locals, they love that.

adil b

Even though u are an indian, living in the US must have changed your thinking tremendously. The first thing u need to keep in mind is dressing, do not wear skin tight clothes or jeans or revealing clothes what is normal to u is abnormal to the road side man. staring is very common so be prepared for that. Do not talk to anyone or ask for instructions. Avoid travelling at night & make sure u have your plans for every city u want to visit. Bombay is fairly safe if u do not try & get adventurous at night all alone. It has a good nightlife provided u are with someone u can rely on. Delhi is not safe at all . Goa is enjoyable as u will find many like yourself, enjoying the beach & food. Again stay away from the touts. You can try the goa local buses for a short ride just to experience it, its crowded, dirty & slow. The bombay BEST is very good & well connected provided u know the bus route, where to take it & where to get down. Kerala is safer & very beautiful but again always be on your guard. If u get a good package which covers the cities u want to visit, its the best bet as its safe & the hotels where u will be put up are also safe. Some of the good travel operators in india are thomas cook, sotc, cox and kings, raj travels, kesari tours. try their websites to get a better idea. Good Luck, Have a safe trip.

Raja

Girl,

Very simple answer is NO.

Listen to your parents and take a package tour where someone is always with you.

Except Gujarat, no other place is safe for lonely female after dark.

If you want to enjoy local life, in local buses, even if you have male companion, still not safe if bus is crowded. Best advice is to keep someone with you after datk. you can enjoy more if you have a company.

""â™¥ â™¥..The Chief â™¥ â™¥..

safe as a baby kangaroo in its mama's pouch..anywhere,
as long as u dress as we do...in villages and small towns, u are safe
cities dont matter, and that too only Mumbai, delhi and bangalore are ok
others like chennai, hyderabad, ahmedabad, gudgaon are unsafe...
now safety itself is a variable thing..
waters everywhere are unsafe...so keep ur bottled water wid u always
u have to be politically correct everywhere...
u have to be cautious about autorickshaws in all places. yet travel by them..
busses are safe on roads...but carry everything from viral infections to unruly passengers
trains are as safe as in the US
taxis are safe but luxury snt what u want...

cut out the worries...lemme know when u plan your vacation...
i will show u around....u are in safe hands...."everybody will tell u this"

u take a call...

Available

there no problem in travlling alone in INDIA. please avoid night journey in bus. before you go any where you find out about the place. Now a days many girls are travelling alone in INDIA. all the best. If you want any help further mail me. so i can guide you places as per your interst

sendhur

no........ it is quite dangerous...and also adventureous

Kumar K

There are some common safe travel tips. Follow all safety methods which are applicable for you, as per situation.

vinay s

Regardless of gender,safe travel in india depends on few things. 1)Have the information about where u are going to stay.(find some good tourist guide that has details of local accomodation or road map). 2) Have enough money. 3)Avoid eating roadside fastfoods,that way you can be safe.

nitro

if u hot lookin u will get lot of attention on the streets and markets. buses are crowded and other means of public transport is not so good. u r better of travelling in tour busess or taxis. lot of perverts in local transport. and pick pockets. keep a pepper spray with u if outside after dark. rest is fine. mostly ppl are friendly and will understand hindi and english as well.
better be safe than sorry

Raaj

Yes its quite safe for a female to visit India alone. Woman are very free here to move alone.Yes u can travel in buses.But u will have to be some careful to mingle about the people here.First know the identity of the person u r interacting and assure urself his identity.U can take help of police or tourism authorities if u have any problem,

trilok goel

you must take some local to accompany you during your visit who will not only care for your safety but will also be very helpful. you are rightly advised to wear ordinary local indian style dress. if you give your reference to anyone from your community will help you certainly

gsraaj

certainly not

agnal

s
will going take some pepper or chilli pwder

rishabh j

hi... well travelling alone in india is so not advisable for two major reasons- 1st since you wont know the language there will be lot of men who will realise that you are not a local and you could end up having creepy men following you around. 2nd- you might just not fit in.someone said the urban jungle is safe but to be honest i stay in mumbai and i dont think so. the best option is to have a local friend with you, otherwise a tour group or a male friend

bihariraja

If you want to travel in common mode then you have to live like common girl, dress like common girls of India.More or less your thoughts also ....

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