Best travel safety tips for women in India 2024 (Solo Female Traveler): Most travel advisories will tell women travelers to India to ‘take proper precautions”. In light of recent events highlighted in the media where a tourist who was camping was rap*d and where another jumped from her hotel room in Agra to avoid being s*xually attacked (and other small things I have noticed along the tourist path this year), I feel that its time to spell out what taking proper precautions means.
What to wear has been covered in other stories on this site but rest assured that as in any other place in the world that clothes do not cause r*pe. Men cause r*pe. What to wear in India is more about presenting a stance of inapproachable modesty OR indescribable power.
Top 10 Tips for Solo Woman Travel Safety in India 2024 | Solo Girl Traveler
Here are a few borne in the bone safety rules followed by any Indian woman.
- Do not shake hands with men. Indian women do no shake hands with men outside a business situation and even there it is a relatively recent trend.
- Do not speak to men in public places. Do not feel that you need to be friendly just because the person has approached you. (I know, you are on holiday in INDIA for gods sakes and you are dizzy with it all, you don’t want to appear unfriendly do you?) What I am saying is that the rule of thumb here in India is that men do not approach women in public. And if they do the woman will chase them off or ignore them or walk away. Just saying. You would do the same in your own country wouldn’t you?
- If you have not followed the point above and find yourself in a ridiculous conversation with a man and he asks you how many s*xual partners you have had in your life then take off your shoe and strike him HARD. As you probably would back home in your own country wouldn’t you? Well, maybe not with a shoe but in India being hit with a shoe represents the same kind of insult the man has offered you right back at him.
- Do not have a massage given by a man. Especially not in your hotel room and neither in a spa.
- Do not get into an auto or a taxi where he has a ‘friend’ or there are other men in the vehicle.
- There are many Sadhu in India. The litmus test for correct behavior between a holy man and a woman is that the sadhu looks only at your feet and speaks to you as if you were his mother.
- Do not engage in romantic flings with boys who work in the tourist trade, and if you do please be aware that your reputation will be shot to pieces and your fame will spread rapidly through the market place. Within hours of the event the entire town will be privy to every detail of your tryst.
- As a general rule of thumb, people in India are In The House by 10pm. Late lingerers are not looked upon favorably and have to take their chances. The night belongs to drunks, dacoits and dogs. Even sadhus seek the shelter of temples at night.
- Do not leave the house at Holi. Yeah, bummer isn’t it? You want to party? Try it and see what happens. While you are busy protecting your body bits take the time to notice that there are no Indian women in the crowd.
- Be conscious of who you allow into your room. Absolutely no one is perfectly sound if you are in a budget hotel. In hotels with room service you should be fine, just keep the door open while the house boy is in your room
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