5 Things I wish I knew before travelling India for the first time (as a solo female traveller)
1 Unless you're in Mumbai book all your rides on apps like Uber to avoid haggling. You will need internet access for this (bonus tip: buy a local sim, internet is cheap), but the amount of time you save not having to haggle is tremendous. Also I feel it's safer than getting into a random car. If you don't have app availability you can ask the locals at your hotel/home stay what reasonable prices are, but then still you'll be charged 20-30% extra as a foreigner tourist. Accept it and move on instead of wasting time on saving $2.
2 Eating food with your hands is not only part of the culture but aids in digestion. According to ayurveda, next to smelling and tasting your food, now by adding physical touch your digestion gets one more signal that food is coming. Isn't that fascinating!
3 Homestays are more fun if you're travelling solo. First of all make sure to always stay in safe place, even if you have to pay a bit extra. But next to that, home stays offer extra safety if you're a solo female traveller staying with a family. I'm still a massive fan of Immanuel Homestay in Fort Kochi, and whenever I return to Ladakh I'll def go back to @skalzangspaldon because they both always took care of me as family. It's an extra safety measure, especially for solo female travellers, when someone is looking out for you.
4 Train tickets must be booked at least 3-2 months in advance. Don't wait for the tourist quota or tatkal tickets as they get sold out too. Book your tickets in advance, and if you need help you can always get help on @fiverr from locals helping you book the tickets.
5 If you're trying to travel India for free, you're robbing the locals of an income. Weird that I even have to mention this, but surprisingly many tourists search this specifically for India. Travel is a luxury. If you can't afford it, stay home instead of burdening locals to take care of you.
For more foreigner travel in India check out my YouTube channel with 1000's of travel vlogs, linked in bio.
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Ivana Perkovic