10 tips for travelling solo through India

Lucy

Source: Lucy

Is it safe for a female to travel to India by herself? People often ask this question of Lucy. Lucy is a British female backpacker and has travelled extensively on her own across India. Here she shares her top tips for safety and self-care with SBS Hindi.


"Is it safe for a female to travel to India by herself?" can be a fraught question in this day and age but Lucy says the concern is genuine and valid as many travellers swap stories of "terrible incidents" that they have heard happened to other females on the road in the country.
Lucy
Source: Lucy

Lucy has been traveling solo for a long time and has visited many countries.

She says India is no different to any other country. She takes equal care and precaution that she takes while visiting other countries.
Lucy
Source: Lucy

Lucy also says that Indian women are proactive when it comes to their safety. With that in mind, here are some safety rules shared by Lucy:

1. When booking accommodation, try to stay in places where people you know have stayed in themselves and can vouch for its safety. Approval from friends and other female travelers is essential.

2. If you don’t know anyone who has visited the place that you’re going to or if you don’t have time to ask for recommended places to stay, check the place/city online and read the reviews about their experience.  Simple advice: If there are no reviews, don’t stay there.

3. It may be hard to believe, but it is true, in some hotel/ accommodation in India there is no lock on the inside. Make sure the room you’ll be staying in can be locked from the inside so no one can get in at night or while you’re sleeping. If it doesn’t, request for another room, or don’t stay there. Alternatively, carry a door-stop in your backpack that you can wedge under your door to stop it being opened from the outside.

4. Some subway trains have women-only carriages – use them.

5. Avoid, wherever possible, booking trains/buses/flights during the night or in the early hours. If this isn’t possible, look for hotels offering shuttle services to/from local railways stations and airports or book a taxi from a verified firm, so you don’t have to go looking for a ride at odd hours.

6. Carry a padlock with you and lock your bags, especially your day packs, when you are traveling on overnight trains and buses.

7. If you have booked a few nights at a hotel and won’t be staying there one of the nights, don’t tell the staff  (unless you’re sure you can trust them).

8. Make sure your phone has some battery at all times. Having a power-bank is an excellent way of ensuring your phone always has a bit of battery life. Try to get a local prepaid sim card with data, because in India internet networks the and wi-fi system is very advanced. So take advantage of technology.

9. Follow the old rule- you don’t have to engage in conversation with anyone you don’t know. It’s not rude if you ignore someone, especially if you feel harassed or uncomfortable in any way.

10. Always get single berth/ private berth when you book an overnight bus/train journey. You may use the upper berth for trains. Lucy has had instances where she reserved a seat and ended up having to share a double berth with a male stranger.


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