2 Females Travelling to India - December 2011

Hi all,
I am a resident of delhi.
If any one is travelling India from 22 Dec 2011 to 2 Jan 2012, i can provide with my place to stay.
with Amenities like Food, Maid, Laundry etc. Also if someone needs travelling assistance I would be helpfull.
contact me

Hi Rachel & Luc,

I travelled to India with my husband in 2009, and yes, even with him around, i didn't feel "safe" from time to time. I got some randome men rubbing against me or getting into my personal space, and I didn't feel very comfortable. Maybe I was used to the American "personal space", sometimes I just didn't know if they did it on purpose or I was a bit too sensitive...

Always lock your hotel door very very well. If you live in cheap guesthouses, try to aviod pedlock doors, you never know if they keep an extra key to themselves...If you take bus/local train, use the female seat section...Always make sure the cab driver knows exactly where to drop you off, and don't let them recommend "their friends' good place" for you. Don't follow strangers no matter how nice they seem to be by offering to guide you to your destinations...

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Rach & Luc,

Your travel plans- India, Nepal, BKK, NZ - sounds like fun. I have been to all places except Nepal.

I live in Mumbai and I would just like to add- its not as unsafe, as you may perceive it to be :-)..just that you have to understand that things like public transport like local buses are for masses and they are usually very crowded. So its best to take a pvt transport which is dirt cheap compared to western standarnds. For Example- A cab ride from Mumbai airport to lets say Colaba (where most of the backpackers stay) will cost you US$ 10-15 and since you are 2 ppl its hardly US$ 5-7.5 per head.

All the places you mentioned are really good choices.

(New Delhi to perhaps Jaipur, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Kerala)

New Delhi- has a lot of history..u will get places to see ranging from forts, tombs, parliament, etc

Jaipur- you can enjoy desert, old palaces, you can check out some best in class hotels for a lunch or dinner, see a bit of country side

Surat- is more like a small city..

Mumbai- very vibrant and i can say safe :-)....many places to party..and u would love the sea...take a walk at marine drive, see mani bhawan (residence of Gandhi), etc

Goa- enjoy the beach and party hard...again very safe...u would find ample fellow travellers during this time

Kerala- very nice and green...enjoy the back water

Let me know if you need any specific help with India, NZ or BKK.

Wish you the best.

Prince B

Hey Rachel & Luc,

Great travel plans. Like my fellow travellers I am reassuring you that India is safe. Just be careful.

I suggest that you spend more time in Rajasthan (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar) Its a beautiful place. Dessert and palaces!

Also more than Surat Ahmedabad is a good option. You can visit the Akshardham Temple and Sabarmati Ashram (Gandhi's Ashram)

Do not miss Mumbai and Goa! Mumbai is definitely the city of dreams!
And party as hard as you can in Goa. Its one of the most safest places for tourists.

I stay around 150 kms from Mumbai so let me know incase you need anything or anyone to show you around

I have been to Nepal and the Thamel area in Kathmandu is good for tourists. There are good and cheap backpackers hotels.

Hey Rachel & Luc
I am new here and I am from Kerala.
looking for friends.......let me know incase you need anything ,

Quoting rachelcr

Hi

We are two female travellers from Scotland who are looking to head to India (arriving in New Delhi) on December 14th. We then plan on travelling around India by train using an Indrail pass for a month. We are still working on the finer detail of the exact locations as we know we have to book trains in advance, but we are looking to go south from New Delhi to perhaps Jaipur, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Kerala and head north from there to kolkata if we have the time etc.

I am reading some very mixed reviews on whether its safe enough for female travellers to do this alone as i keep reading that the men are a nightmare, groping, leching etc. having blonde hair, i am aware i will stand out regardless and we are a bit concerned that it will ruin the trip. Obviously we will be dressing appropriately and behaving ourselves so not to draw any unwanted attention but we would like to know how safe this is to do this trip and if there's any good recommendations on where to stay in New Delhi to meet fellow travellers etc that might want to come along with us too! We are also hoping to head to Nepal after a month in India for 2 weeks then from there to Bangkok on the 24th Jan where we will make our way to Singapore a month later (route to be determined) then it's on to New Zealand at the end of February for a year.

Anyone else planning a similar route around this time or has done similar, any advice would be greatly appreciated as we have been saving and are now pricing flights, insurance and planning our route but the options seem endless and the flights are pretty expensive. Also has anyone used Travel Nation, they seem very good price-wise. Sorry i could ask a million questions but best stop there.

Thanks

Rach & Luc

dear Rach and luc,

nothing to worry so much. men will be men always. but in last four or five years, we have seen drastic change in safety of foreign tourists in india, particularly in rajasthan. they are more safer now. as far as udaipur is concerned, its the most safe place for any tourist. nobody dares to come near you unless you allow it . moreover with tourist police hanging around at tourist attractions I think udaipur is the safest place.

hey rachel and luc,
well my tarveller buddies have already given u a lot of info about where to stay...what to do and what not to do..
i just want to say that..come to india...its a beautiul place.....be confident ....
...and of course travelling by train is a good option...
i am also planning to go to goa at the start of january...and you people are most welcome to come along....
i live in delhi