Is Travel Safe for Women?
Is India Safe for Solo Travelers?
Is India Safe for Solo Women Travelers?
Is World safe enough to travel Alone, especially for a young woman?
Someone or the other version of these question on safe travel is the second most frequently asked question I face as and when I speak in public, or even in private. The first most frequently asked question is – How do you make money from Travel Blogging? Well Google it and you will find many answers to this question. On the travel safety, you will mostly find views that come from cultural conditioning.
Travel Safe Talk for Solo Women Travelers
Sharing my talk at the National Summit for Women 2018, Hyderabad on Travel Safety for Solo Women Travelers.
I always say the world is as safe or unsafe as your hometown. Most crimes against women happen in their own surroundings than among the strangers. In fact, if you go strictly by data, you may be safer among strangers who have no motivation to harm you under normal circumstances. In conditions like riots or extremists activities, no rules apply.
Having said that, being cautious and alert always helps. Here are some of my practical tips to stay safe while traveling.
01 Merge with your surroundings
Wherever you travel, remember the more you stand out, the more vulnerable you are to any threat. The more you merge with the destination and its people, the easy it is to connect with the locals and be like one of them. The more you stand out as different, the more you are visible to fringe elements. And the more you are visible as an outsider, the more you are prone to be harmed.
The question is how to merge with your surroundings? First of all, merge visually, as this is how you first either connect or stand out. Dress like locals as much as you can. If in extreme places it is difficult to dress like them, try to wear universally acceptable attire. When in doubt wear something that covers you well. Wearing local cloths also tells the locals that you are making an attempt to be one of them, even if it only for the duration of travel.
The second tip to merge in is – Learn a few words of the local language. In my experience, speaking a few words of local language gives locals a lot of confidence in you, even if they laugh at your funny accent or mispronunciations. Again, it tells them you are trying to learn their culture.
02 Respect is your biggest weapon
Respect works like a charm. The more respect you give, the more you get back and the safer you are. A lot of times urban travelers in rural settings and travelers from developed countries in other countries come with an attitude that can be disrespectful. Even if you are polite in your words, your body language sometimes does not convey respect, and that is where you create a potential window of vulnerability for yourself.
In my personal experience, giving respect has literally meant that I am blocking any bad energy that the other person might have for me.
There have been many times when my drivers have become best tour guides but they chose to be one when they felt being respected for their knowledge of the destination.
03 Follow you Gut or Intuition
More often than not, your gut feeling can give you an advanced signal of potential danger. Do not fight it, even if it means missing out some experience that you really want to have. I remember, in Kurukshetra, I really wanted to see the Light & Sound Show at Jyotisar. However, when I and friend reached there, both of us felt we should get out of that place. There were no people around and the air sounded scary. We were disappointed, but we decided to head back to the hotel and stay indoors for the evening.
If you sense a tense situation either in your surroundings or while dealing with some people, just get out of there, make yourself safe. Any other action that you need to take can be taken from the safety of your home or hotel.
04 Plan your evenings well
I am in general a morning person. I like to get up and see the city waking up. And by end of the day, I am too tired to step out. For my own travels, especially solo travels, I also feel the Tamasic or the negative energies are at the peak after dark. I am usually inside my hotel after dark, unless I am well escorted by a trusted person or group.
Not saying, you must stay indoors when you travel, but plan them well and stay safe
Drink what you can Handle
This is a no-brainer for me as I do not drink. I am also aware that I have no right to preach about it.
However, I see many young girls getting inspired by the solo women travelers and their night long drinking sojourns as ‘The travel moments’.
This is pure fiction. Practically, these women are not traveling alone and they are smart enough to not drink irresponsibly. Be aware of it, that travel writers could well be serving you fiction as non-fiction. Being aware of the fact that what you read can be a figment of imagination to boost their brand of travel will help you make wise decisions.
05 Choose your Stay Wisely
On my solo trips, I make sure that I stay in the central location, close to public transportation and other facilities. These places tend to be crowded and used to travelers and tourists. Not to forget they have most things that travelers need. Yes, this is not a perfect solution if you want to have a relaxed holiday. But it helps save time, money and anxiety.
If I must stay in an obscure location for holiday, I choose to stay in higher end places where relative security is an inbuilt feature of a price tag.
In an ideal world, all of us would be free to do anything anytime. The choice is between waiting for the world to become ideal or adjusting yourself to the world in a way that you can stay safe and still travel. I choose to do the latter.
Hi love your work thanks keep going
Thank you, Sameer for your encouragement. Stay connected with IndiTales.
Really most of the travelling plans cancelled because nobody else is either ready or too busy to go with you. With this amazing article I will definitely plan my solo trip. Thanks for sharing such a great article really helped me.
Thanks for giving your valuable time and sharing this very important things for making my trips comfortable and convenient.
Glad you enjoy travel safe post on IndiTales 🙂
Great post! I think it’s definitely important to trust your gut instinct and be aware of your surroundings! I’ve so far had very good experiences on all my solo travels but I’d never want to become complacent! Lots of great tips here.
Emma – what is interesting is that most solo travelers share these thoughts but the media tries to project things otherwise, making a lot of people apprehensive of traveling.
This is such an interesting article. It will help others (including me) to make better decisions when travelling and will keep in mind of being aware.
Thanks, Prajwal. Glad you liked it.
Very Impressive Article
Thank you, Ameer.
This is a very interesting article for the traveler who wants to go alone.
Thank you so much for giving mind-blowing information about solo travel.
Thank you, so much for your encouragement I think it’s definitely important to trust your gut instinct and be aware of your surroundings I so far had very good experiences on all my solo travels. Really thank you for giving your valuable time
This is amazingly well encouragement for the ones who want to travel alone. Thanks for sharing this safe practices.
In reality, no place on earth is safe for women. And when one is traveling alone, be it in own hometown, or another state, no amount of preparation can work unless and until luck is on her side. One thing I would like to add for the safety of solo woman traveler in India is, to keep someone updates about your whereabouts. That someone could be your friend, colleague, or relative. Share every tiny and major information on Whatsapp and other social media platform regularly even as you are traveling. I feel the Indian government must allow women to carry a weapon with them for self-protection.
In India, you do not need to carry any weapons if you are careful enough.
This is a very interesting article for the traveler who wants to go alone.
Thank you so much for giving mind-blowing information about solo travel.
clear and concise information through very helpful and necessary especially for women as it’s very important to plan for your safety in advance.
This is amazingly well encouragement for the ones who want to travel alone. Thanks for sharing this safe practices.
Thank You Dear! This is a very interesting article for the traveler who wants to go alone.
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful Content. It is really very amazing and interesting to travel alone after reading this informative content.
Hello Anuradha,
Your post is informative. Mostly girls are feeling afraid to go alone on a trip. But I like your idea, to describe the things which should be followed whenever girls are traveling alone. And merge with surrounding is the best idea here. Because by following this idea any traveler can enjoy her trip, as they communicate with locals then the locals will also provide them comfort. And a traveler can get help also.
Well done and you have said enough. I use to travel alone and I loved the thought of going alone especially if I am new to that place. But first and foremost I do a lot of research about the place I wanted or planned to visit. Check for the no dangerous place on that certain place, safety and everything you needed to know before you set your foot on the place. Nice insights!! Thanks for sharing addition to my list.
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Enjoyed Reading The Blog, Really Explains Everything In Details, The Blog Is Very Interesting And Effective.
Some might think that ditching all your modern comforts, friends, family and beloved belongings from back home sounds like misery, but there is something about travel that infects most with happiness. Perhaps Its The Freedom Of being On The Road With No Deadlines Or
Chores, Or The Everday Discovery Of New Destinations, Foods, Cultures And Friends, But Travel Is A Great Way To Realign And Find Balance In
Your Life, Resulting In A Happier, Healthier You!!
Thank You And Good Luck For The Upcoming Blogs.
Very Nice article for the traveler who wants to go alone
Thank you Kanika.
amazing post thanx for sharing these tips….these tips are very useful for me because mostly I travel alone.
Great tip for traveling alone, very helpful article.
great information, loving this I have read twice this.
Thank you, David.
Excellent points! I travel solo quite a bit. I make sure to plan ahead, don’t carry a purse or expensive camera and always make sure I’m aware of my surroundings. Know where you came in, know where the exits are, even do a quick look for security persons when entering a location. And I definitely agree, avoid drinking or taking drinks from others while traveling. You need to always be alert.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I felt I was also a part of this beautiful journey
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How to do it if you travel after traveling thanks to getting information about the journey. Nice blog.
Your words are absolutely true. It is safer among strangers than at home (India) if you check the data and statics. Being a female solo traveler, you have dared to travel across the globe. I salute you and your dedication. I wish that you will be successful in each and every step of your life. Keep traveling.
Thank you for share your knowledge, I just wanted to travel alone without any restriction while searching tips i got this blog its very usefull thank u once again
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