Whenever I canvas social media for tips, it inevitably leads to introductions to friends-of-friends. I’ve hung out with people in Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, and Jaipur through social media introductions, and was even invited to a friend’s friend’s sister’s home for biryani in the suburbs of Kochi. (This was also how I wound up getting invited to that party in the Andamans, in one of the coolest houses I’ve ever been to.) But use social media wisely—I always later-gram my posts, even my Instagram Stories, after I’ve left a place.
Use a local SIM card
SIM cards are incredibly cheap in India—I paid $7 to get unlimited calling, texting, and 1.5GB of data per day for three months—and having a local number makes it easier to connect with drivers. Plus, while airports and restaurants often have free Wi-Fi, which is key for staying in touch and plotting your next steps, you often need a local number to log in. Look for stands from providers like Airtel, Vodafone, and Jio at the airport.
Keep your guard up
This goes without saying and applies anywhere. Every person and every place is different, so you should stick to your comfort zone and extricate yourself from any situation that doesn’t feel right for you. I’ll be honest: A lot of my comfort level in traveling solo in India comes from the fact that I look Indian, dress Indian, and speak Hindi, so I don’t stand out as much as other travelers might. Mariellen Ward, a Canadian travel writer who blogs at Breathedreamgo, currently lives in Rishikesh and often shares her tips for traveling solo in India, gleaned from more than a decade of travel across the region. “Foreign women, perhaps especially blonde women like me, are a major attraction in India and you sometimes draw a lot of attention. It can be unnerving,” she says. “Most of the time, it's just innocent curiosity.” She encourages women to back out of any situation that doesn’t feel right, even if you have to be abrupt, and I agree: My intuition is my most important defense—even if a situation most likely seems fine, if I don’t feel good about it, I turn around and leave.
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