Issues Faced by Solo Female Travelers in India

Solo travelling is an experience we all must have, once in a lifetime. Travelling is one of the best therapies, and travelling solo gives you a sense of independence and is also challenging, especially for women travelers. India is a country with rich and diverse culture, there are many exquisite places to travel, from deserts of Rajasthan to valleys of Kashmir, from mountains of Himachal Pradesh to beaches of Kerala. I remember my first solo trip, I was all scared and so was my mom, I was travelling to a place, where I didn’t know anyone. I went to Jaipur and though there were some issues during the trip but overall it was a wonderful experience. These are some of the issues, I think every female traveler goes through, and I will be sharing my experiences along the lines.

Travelling alone:

While travelling alone in any public transport for long distances, there is a constant fear of people’s judgement, theft, eve-teasing, or even rape. Travelling alone can also be daunting as there is less source of communication and it can get boring sometimes, also one cannot trust fellow passengers and is always advisable to keep it to yourself. One can easily feel uncomfortable by over-friendly nature of the people you have no knowledge about. Nights are restless because of fear of theftand also missing the right stop, if you overslept. Also, there is no one to look at the luggage, if you have to go to washroom or may be to grab a bite during the travel.

I am an introvert and it takes time for me to adjust to a new environment, and when I had to travel for eight hours alone, I was super bored. I was traveling at night, and I had to get down from a bus to get something to eat as I was hungry but couldn’t get off because I was scared about my luggage and I had to wait until I reached my destination.

Budget:

Even though travel in India is not very expensive, but other expenses like stay and food can disturb the budget. Every place one goes to, one cannot live in a hostel, and stay at a decent hotel can be expensive and choice of food can be limited and no one split up the cost for the drinks. Another thing that follows is, the expense of cabs and other site travel which sometimes upset the whole budget, especially in the times of emergency.

It was my first solo trip and being a shopaholic, I had spent half of my money on shopping in the beginning of my trip and I still had four more days to survive. I had to manage with whatever I had left, which resulted into missing out on trying local delicacies. That was a bummer because I am foodie and had to stop myself from trying local cuisines and after that lesson, all my trips are well planned.

When Loneliness strikes:

Travelling solo is fun and filled with adventure but at some point, the loneliness strikes and some people can feel miserable at times. In India where people tend to stare at the person standing alone and for a woman travelling solo, it is very uncomfortable, plus can be scary. The people tend to touch women at wrong places, also can follow you around and it has led to rape in some cases. Also, eating meals alone sometimes is depressing, especially in the beginning where you haven’t talked with anyone. Loneliness also tends to follow you during long journeys, and for a shy person it becomes very tough.

I remember being alone in the common room in the hostel, I was staying in as all the other people made friends, and were having fun and that’s when loneliness struck me most, and I was feeling a little bad and also angry at myself for not having courage to have a conversation. I was the girl reading a book in the corner of the room. But, later that night one of the girl sat across me, and she started a conversation which felt really nice. After that I felt really pleasant about my trip, I had a friend to share my experience with.

Planning a solo trip:

While planning is a crucial stage of any travel, and there is a need of maintaining the proper lists and planning an itinerary. The itinerary shouldn’t be too tight, as it can be hectic, and one can never be more careful about maintaining healthy travel. Deciding the place to stay is very important asthe location should be close to utility store, eateries, and transport should be easily available. Carrying essentials items like, medicines, required toiletries, and segregation of money at different places because when travelling solo you are own your own and one cannot ask around such items. Another important part is planning a destination, as there are some places that will require a travel companion, especially in India, travelling to remote places can be challenging and not very safe. It is suggested to travel to places with public, and to avoid travelling at night. When it comes to trekking and hiking it is best to join a travel group, as it can be risky.

I am a person who loves making lists and trust me when I say it, I didn’t forget a single thing that I needed but my itinerary was not that great, I just googled some stuff and thought of going places by myself, which was obviously a bad idea to begin with, my first day was totally free and last one was very hectic. I eventually learnt to plan the itinerary after several trips and it’s not perfect but is quite sustainable.

In case of Emergencies:

There are always some uncertainties that occur during travel. There is a possibility of cancellations during a bad weather or, you can miss your commute. You can get lost in an unknown place where, there are no signals (which in India is most likely to occur), or you met with some accident. Solo travelers face these issues and for female travels it is a bit more of a challenge as you can never trust a stranger and there are situations where people got robbed, and got raped.

Once, I missed my bus because of the traffic, and I had no idea about whom to ask about the other bus details. I was panicking so much, I didn’t want to tell my mother, and I was almost in tears, the day was saved, when my auto driver helped me to take another bus. I also didn’t have money for staying another day because of my poor budget planning skills.

Permission to Travel Solo:

We live in a country where parents are an integral part of decision making and for female travelers, it is always a bit difficult to take permissions from their family as they consider travelling solo is threat to their safety and parents are always worried about the issues faced while travelling to a strange land. Many girls in India are not able to fulfil their dream of travelling as the parents do not allow them to go places, there are some parents that are ready to send their daughters abroad alone than in India because they do not feel their own mother land is safe enough for their daughters.

I never had problem in getting permissions but there are some of my friends who are not even allowed to go around alone, locally. I think which is really wrong, at some level it is also understandable, due increasing crimes against women.

Crime against Women in India:

India is a diverse country even though some people are genuinely nice and helpful, the small percentage of people who are vicious enough to make their own citizens fearsome about travelling, is the major problem. Everyday there is a news about a girl being raped, no matter what age.The Rape culture is constantly increasing in India. Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. Foreigner travelers getting harassed by people of our country or passing inappropriate comments and eve-teasing are some common flaws in the country.

Nevertheless, despite of all these issues, there are many amazing female travelers, who are inspiration for many girls, who aspire to travel. There is no fun in doing things when there are no challenges involved. Taking right set of precautions and always moving forward against any odds is the spirit of Indian women. There is need of positive thoughts, passion to travel and will to take action. One can always plan a trip, keeping in mind the necessary precautions to be taken and right travel advice. Always listen to your instincts and have a wonderful trip planned.

“There is always a push required to do something challenging, once you are on it, you won’t feel like stopping ever.”

To conclude I would say, solo travel throws a lot of challenges especially, if you are a girl or woman but there is this innovative startup which helps women like us to travel solo. Isn’t that amazing? You can find their women-only group trips on their website. I found them on Insta & it appears to be super cool. They basically have these solo travel groups exclusively for female travelers and in case you don’t like the itinerary they are offering or, you want to travel completely solo they even help with suggestions of destinations, means of transportation, where to stay etc. Secret Tip: It helps you get permission easily if you tell your parents that you are going with a group of girls and with a reputed Women’s travel club. Their Instagram handle