Tash, I definitely recommend putting India on your travel wishlist. It is such a fascinating place with its rich culture, history, cuisine, and more. Sometimes just walking down a busy street in India can lead to sensory overload as there is always so much to take in and learn. As a first time international solo traveler being with a small group can be helpful for the reasons listed above. And, to meet other likeminded solo travelers like yourself. We’re still friends years later with many of the people we’ve met on our trips 🙂

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and your perspective traveling in India solo and with a group. I can imagine the challenges and some of the uncomfortable situations you found yourself in with all of that intense male energy. Not fun in the least. Glad to hear that the G Adventures tour was a great experience and that you had a great tour leader/CEO who was able to make everyone in the group feel comfortable, engaged and still have a great time.

The rest of the time, I was being called “sir” and generally feeling all of the male energy in a very negative way. India is a male-focussed and male-dominated culture and when you are constantly being bombarded by it, it takes a toll. I had one woman in Mumbai tell me “You look like a man!”. I still don’t know why and she pissed me off so bad, I told her off. So, while I can appreciate your perspective, as a person who is queer and not super femme presenting, India was an utter shit show when I was out and about on my own. The last time I had been in India was nine years ago and I was more femme presenting….completely different experience!

I highly recommend G Adventures and have been telling all of my friends who are interested in India to go with them.

Manisha, agree with you that if you have a tight schedule a tour in India will allow you to fit in more with that limited time. Distances are big and sometimes you can wait a long time for transfers if you are relying only on local buses. In addition, a tour with a guide provides the history and cultural background to help put everything you are seeing and experiencing into context and better understanding.

Completely agree that India is not a dangerous country, and we were careful to explain that above so people wouldn’t be scared off by this fascinating country. It sounds like you have had some great experiences traveling as a solo female throughout your country, and we know many other female travelers who have as well. However, we also know quite a few who found traveling through India on their own a bit challenging because the attention given to women, especially those with light skin and hair, can be intense and sometimes uncomfortable. Even as a married woman who is over 40 I’ve experienced this. That’s why we wanted to share the pros and cons of traveling in a group with a local guide.

Each traveler is different so some may find India very easy and others may find it a bit intense or challenging. For us, it’s a bit of both, which is one of the things that makes it one of our favorite countries 🙂