Solo Travel In India – EVERYTHING To Know!

Are you thinking of travelling solo to India? I’m guessing if you’re reading this, the answer is yes! Before my first solo trip, I was pretty nervous so I can imagine you may be feeling apprehensive, excited or even both. I’ve been exactly where you are, hence I put together these India solo travel tips to help and guide you.

It may seem overwhelming to start with but, after 3 successful trips, I’m proof you can have a rewarding and trouble-free trip to India with a little planning.

INDIA SOLO TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

India Lonely Planet

Accommodation: Booking.com / Hostelworld

Activities: GetYourGuide

Getting around: flight (Skyscanner) / bus / train (12Go)

e-SIM: Airalo India e-SIM card / Asia (inc India) e-SIM

Travel insurance: True Traveller (European travellers) / Hey Mundo (other nationalities) / Safety Wing (digital nomads)

Read next: the ultimate guide to travelling alone as a woman

I first visited India in 2015 with a friend, and plucked up the courage to return for 2 months solo in 2019. I was nervous about what it would be like alone but I managed to overcome any challenges and have a fantastic time! Then, I returned again in 2023 to host my first group tour with readers of this blog.

All in all, India is not for everywhere and it’s not the best first-time solo travel destination. It may be best to build your confidence up in other places first.

If you hate crowds and getting stared at, it may never be your place!

But I love it. We all know the best things in life don’t come from taking the easy route. If India appeals, you owe it to yourself to experience this culturally-rich, contradictory wonderland that’s like nowhere else on earth!

Overall, it is safe to travel alone in India provided you stay cautious and follow the right advice. I’ve broken down my tips in the order you’ll need them…

Read next: the downsides to solo travel and how to overcome them

Stay on grid

Travelling solo in India is very different from travelling Southeast Asia alone. When I offer advice for backpacking Europe alone, I’ll tell you to get off-grid and escape the tourist trail as it’s safe and easy.

However, I wouldn’t recommend this for India because attitudes to women vary considerably when you get out of more progressive cities where they’re used to seeing tourists.

Small, non-touristic towns in India are where you don’t want to be. Stick to places with solid tourist infrastructure, recommended by reputable publications or other foreign travellers with first-hand experience.

Plan, plan, plan

This is my number one solo travel tip for India, and in fact any country. Life’s surprises can be great but you don’t want any nasty ones when travelling alone in India. Research how you’ll get from the train station to your accommodation and be aware of common scams for each destination. Pushkar has a few, as does Delhi airport.

Don’t pack too much into your itinerary

Since life in India can be hot and hectic, you run the risk of getting exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed if you’re constantly on the go with no downtime. The other thing you need to prepare for: getting sick and having to spend a couple of days recovering!

For this reason, I’d suggest not booking too much non-refundable accommodation just in case. Booking.com usually have a generous refund policy, and Hostelworld lets you pay a very small deposit to ensure you can cancel close to the time!

Safety tips for India solo travel

There’s no point sugarcoating it: personal safety is most people’s biggest concern when travelling to India. These are my tried and tested travel tips to stay safe while travelling solo as a woman.

Arrive by day

This is an obvious but important safety tip. As a general rule, I’d recommend arriving in places during daylight hours.

If you DO have to arrive at night due to public transport schedules, there are workarounds. If you have a local SIM, you can call an Uber in most larger towns and cities. In smaller places, ask your accommodation to send someone to meet you or pre-book a taxi.

Charge your phone and power bank

These days, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to travel without technology. For all its pros and cons, tech makes it so much easier and safer to travel solo in India. I ensure my phone doesn’t die on me when I need it by travelling with a power bank. I usually charge it overnight and boost my camera and phone off it during the day.

Get a SIM card

Insurance

It goes without saying you shouldn’t be travelling anywhere without insurance especially India where health and safety isn’t always the greatest, plus it’s common to experience gastro problems.

Personally, I use True Traveller (for European residents including the UK) since it’s affordable but covers everything you need including valuables and pre-existing health conditions. The last time I claimed, they paid out within 2 days which I’ve never experienced with any other company! Get a quote now.

For travel insurance for other nationalities, I recommend Hey Mundo and for long-term digital nomad travellers, I suggest Safety Wing.

Internet security

This isn’t your typical solo India tip but it’s very important… When my card was copied and I had to deal with hackers stealing hundreds of pounds from my account, let’s just say I wasn’t a happy bunny!

This could happen anywhere, not just India, so I would always recommend using a VPN when travelling, especially when it comes to paying for things online or typing in passwords and usernames. Nord VPN is my provider of choice; their plans start from $3 a month.

Advice for getting around India alone

Travelling around safely is another point of concern for many travellers preparing for their first solo trip to India.

If you’re unsure whether to travel by bus or train, I would suggest the train where possible. It feels like a more authentic Indian travel experience compared to buses which you can take in any country, plus it’s more spacious and you can get up and walk around.

However, there are some places – like the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh (including destinations like Dharamshala) – where there are no trains, only buses.

How to book tickets

Thankfully, the complicated old system of booking train tickets (the official IRCTC ticket website which required receiving a text to an Indian SIM, or emailing your passport scan) is no longer necessary because you can now book tickets on the 12go website.

Booking bus tickets is also easy with 12go.

Tips for riding the train

Ride Uber or Ola

Within big cities, it’s easy to call Uber or Ola to get around. It’s very affordable: I paid 400 rupees ($5) to travel for an hour halfway across Delhi! It feels like a safe way to travel because there’s a panic/emergency service option on the Uber app.

Prepare your airport transport in advance

Annoyingly, Indian airports usually only let you use the Wi-Fi if you have an Indian phone number. You can get a SIM card in Delhi airport but it can take hours to activate. This means you won’t be able to use the internet between landing and getting to your accommodation, so you need to plan the journey in advance.

2024 UPDATE – now you can get an Airalo e-SIM so you can connect right away. Game changer!

I would suggest getting your hotel or hostel to pre-book a taxi to meet you at arrivals. Make sure the driver knows your name and hotel as there are common scams where guys will pretend to be your driver (sometimes involving third parties to confuse you) then try and take you to a different hotel.

If you haven’t booked already, head to the official taxi stand walking past any touts who try to get your attention. You pre-pay (card accepted) before getting in.

Tips for health and wellness

There’s nowhere I’ve been quite as sick as India! While it shouldn’t stop you from going, I would recommend that you prepare well. Of the various pros and cons of travelling solo, the numero uno con is getting sick without anyone to help. So do your best to prep in advance!

Take probiotics

I highly recommend preparing your stomach for your India trip. Probiotic tablets are your best bet because you can take them to India with you. Eating other gut-healthy foods like kimchi and kombucha in the weeks before your trip is also a good idea.

Water & sanitation

You probably already know not to drink the tap water in India. Most backpacker hostels offer free fill-ups so you simply need a reusable water bottle. However, on my most recent (more flashpacky) trip, I realised that unfortunately, hotels make you buy plastic bottles which is a real shame.

For better sustainability, bring a filtering water bottle that makes any water safe to drink.

Have rehydration sachets ready

Being sick while travelling by yourself in India does suck, I can’t lie. Find something good to binge on Netflix and wait for it to pass while dosing up on electrolytes to restore your body’s natural balance. These can be bought cheaply from any pharmacy.

Money tips for a solo India trip

Fee-free bank accounts

Although ATMs in India usually charge a fee you can’t avoid, you can dodge further charges by travelling with a card that doesn’t charge fees of its own.

My favourites for UK travellers are Starling and Monzo, but other nationalities can apply for Revolut and Wise cards (Wise is also a great platform for transferring money between currencies with minimal fees).

Split up & have spare bank cards

This is a great tip for any destination! Losing your bank card abroad can be a nightmare. I travel with all the bank cards listed above partly because they’re great generally, but also because I have backups if one gets lost.

Also, don’t carry all your cards at once. Just take out one and leave the others at your accommodation. When travelling between destinations on a train or bus, keep them all close to your person in your most secure bag.

ATMs

ATMs in India charge between 150 and 300 rupees as a fee. For this reason, I take out the max amount each time of 10,000 rupees ($120). One thing to note is that ATMs are often out of cash so don’t wait until you’re totally out otherwise you may end up walking around all the ATMs in town hungry and thirsty!

Tips for making friends during solo travel in India

Just because you’re travelling solo in India (or anywhere) that doesn’t mean you have to spend every moment alone! There are lots of ways to meet people when travelling alone including…

Stay in hostels

This is the numero uno way to meet people backpacking in India! There are lots of great hostels including the Moustache, Madpackers and Hosteller chains. You can meet people in the dorms, in the social area, or during social events held at the hostel such as food tours and shared dinner nights.

Do tours & activities

Meet like-minded people during activities you both enjoy. I recommend both GetYourGuide and Viator who offer sightseeing tours as well as fun activities like street food tours.

Stares and selfies

One thing to prepare yourself for is lots of stares from locals and copious selfie requests. The first thing to note is that 99% of the stares are purely curiosity, coming from not just from men but also women and children.

Of course, there’s the odd occasion when men are being creepy. In this case, all I can recommend is ignoring them and getting on with your day. Of course, if you are feeling unsafe, stay in busy, public places and call a taxi to get away safely.

In terms of photo requests, it may seem novel to start but will probably become an annoyance after the 100th one! Just know it is ok to say no if you’re not feeling it.