These 5 Indian Women Travel Solo. What Are You Waiting For?

As an Indian woman, telling your parents you want to travel solo is like telling them you’ve decided to jump off a cliff. Watch, as a look of pure horror passes across their faces and they exclaim “Hayee, pagal ho gayee ho kya! Log kya kahenge?”

I know, I know, it’s not easy convincing them to let you travel solo, but it’s not impossible either. Here are 5 women solo travelers who have not only broken stereotypes, but have travelled solo to some of the most stunning destinations in India and abroad.

Scroll down for some inspiration!

Shivya Nath

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Shivya Nath is truly an inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamt of travelling solo. Formerly employed by the Singapore Tourism Board, Shivya quit her job at the age of 23 in 2011 and has since been travelling solo around the world. Some of the countries she has travelled to include Hong Kong, Canada, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Nicargua, Honduras, Australia, South Africa, Latin America and many others. Shivya’s advice to aspiring solo travelers is to do thorough research before you head out so you feel confident enough, though be flexible enough to chance upon adventure! She strongly believes that it is only after you’ve travelled solo that you realize that the world isn’t that bad a place after all.

Jai Bharathi

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Jai’s journey is unique in the sense that she travelled solo to all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and Nepal in a single calendar year. What began as a challenge soon became a way for her to improve her travel planning skills.  Some of the World Heritage Sites visited by Jai include Sunderbans National Park (West Bengal), The Jantar Mantar (Jaipur), Buddhist Monuments (Sanchi), the Taj Mahal (Agra) and the Group of Monuments (Hampi), including many others. After having travelled solo extensively, Jai believes that once you’re on the way you’ll learn how to make your journey more enjoyable and intuitive. Jai’s advise to women travelling solo is to travel during the night to avoid staying at dodgy hotels in unfamiliar places. This is also a great way to save time and money.

Renuka Singh

A travel and photography enthusiast, Renuka lives to travel. After her first solo trip to Udaipur, Renuka has travelled to many destinations across India like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Kasauli, Matheran, Dandeli, Chail, Sikkim and Ladakh to name a few. Renuka’s advice to first time solo women travelers is to pick a touristy destination so that in case you don’t feel safe in your hotel at any given point of time, you can move out and there will be plenty of hotels you can choose from. She also advises solo women travellers to do thorough research and plan ahead before embarking on their journey. Renuka encourages women to travel solo as she believes that it is a great way to boost your self-confidence and make you a smarter person.

 

Elita Almeida​

Elita (very aptly) lives by the mantra “Have feet, will travel”. Having being bitten by the travel bug as a child, Elita quit her desk job and started travelling solo full time in December 2014 and there has been no looking back since then. Some of the destinations Elita has travelled to include The Rann of Kutch, Madurai, Goa and Himachal Pradesh. Elita believes that solo travel is a great way not only to disconnect from the world, but is also a great way to learn how to think on your feet and plan your travel budget better.

 

Amrita Das

Amrita Das is a freelance travel blogger who quit her corporate job in April 2014 and has been travelling full time since. Some of the destinations Amrita has travelled to include Himachal, the Andamans, Goa, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Italy including others. Das believes that there is much to be learned from travel and the more she has travelled, she has begun to believe that most people are essentially kind and warm hearted. Amrita’s advice to first time women solo travellers is to decide on a favourite destination and just go!

Inspired much? Then what are you waiting for? Start packing those bags now. You go girl!