How safe is it for a woman to travel alone in India?

女性朋友孤身一人在印度旅行安全吗？

QUORA网站读者评论：

Sharmila A, Original question : Can a girl travel alone in India?

 I have travelled alone to 17 states and 4 union territories of India. I started traveling when i was 22, its been 3 years. The answer is YES, a girl can definitely travel alone and stay in hotels alone in India.

 Suggestions :

1. Dressing plays an important role in safety of a woman traveller. Always cover your shoulders and legs. A girl wearing a jean & tshirt gets less attention than a girl wearing a shorts & a spaghetti. It's totally understood that whatever we wear is for comfort but when travelling alone we don't need unwanted attention. Keep a low profile, ensure you don't attract attention unless it is necessary.  Always watch what local woman wear. Jean and a modest tshirt is always a best option. Sometimes comfort can be compromised for safety. Keep it simple like dora but with little longer pants. 

我孤身一人去过印度的17个邦和4个联邦领地。我是22岁开始旅行的，至今已经3年了。我的回答是：是的，女孩也可以独自在印度旅行，独自住酒店。

我有一些建议:

1.衣着对女性旅客的安全而言作用很重要。一定要遮住肩膀和腿部。穿牛仔裤和T恤的女孩相较于穿短裤的女孩更不容易引起注意。我们的着装是为了让自己舒适，但当我们独自旅行时，我们不需要别人不必要的关注。保持低调，除非必要，否则不要引起别人的注意。一定要观察当地妇女的穿着。牛仔裤和朴素的T恤从来都是最好的选择。有时为了安全，可以牺牲一点舒适度。像朵拉一样简单就行，但裤子要穿稍微长一点的

2.Whatever you wear, ensure it has a pocket to carry a whistle, a small but bright torch and some cash. I am not comfortable wearing jean, i always wear salwar / kurta which normally don't come with a pocket, so i started customizing my clothes.  

2. 无论你穿什么，确保口袋里放一个哨子，一个小巧但够亮的手电筒还有一些现金。我不喜欢穿牛仔裤，我总是穿宽松的长裤和无领长袖衬衫，通常都没有口袋，所以我就定制衣服。

3. Choosing the mode of travel is very much important. I always opt for flight / train, i take buses only if i am on budget or the destination has no other travel mode than road. Most of the bus driver's here are on duty 24 hours, driving decades old buses which is quite unsafe. Unless you are sure about the reputation of the bus company don't take buses often. 
4. Always have a plan. Aimless travel is for groups not for a lone traveller. Keep updated on conflicts in areas nearby your travel route.

3.选择何种旅行方式也非常重要。我总是选择搭乘飞机/火车，只有手头拮据，或者目的地除了公路交通外没有其他交通方式的情况下，我才会乘坐公共汽车。这里的大多数公共汽车司机24小时轮班，驾驶着几十年车龄的老旧公共汽车，非常的不安全。除非你对公共汽车公司的信誉很有信心，否则不要经常乘坐公共汽车。

4. 心中时刻有计划。跟团旅行时才能漫无目的，独自旅行可不行。随时根据行程附近的情况作出调整。

5.Always make hotel bookings through trusted travel sites (Tripadvisor , expedia etc) and cab bookings through the hotel (which might be expensive) or mobile apps (Ola, meru etc). By this you are always leaving traces and people know you can always be tracked.

6. Get back to your hotel before 9pm. It's a personal choice, but its not always safe to roam in dark. Yes its fun to explore the new place in night, but safety is important than the adrenaline rush.
7. Be friendly with people. Say hotel clerk, the receptionist, bartender or cab driver. Build a rapport, have a smile, be nice. Its okay to establish to the hotel manager that you are staying alone and ho a safe stay, by this you are transfering a part of the responsibility of your safety to someone.
8. 通过可信的旅游网站(Tripadvisor、expedia等)预订酒店，通过酒店(可能很贵)或手机应用(Ola、meru等)预订出租车。通过这个方式你总能留下行踪，人们可以跟踪到你。
9. 晚上9点前返回酒店。这是个人的选择，但夜间在外闲逛并不安全。是的，在夜间探访新地方很有趣，但安全比肾上腺素激增更重要不是么。
10. 与人友好相处。比如酒店职员、接待员、酒保或出租车司机。跟他们友好相处，面带微笑，友善待人。跟酒店经理表明你独自一人，希望能有安全的住宿环境，这样做挺好的，可以把自己的一部分安全责任转移给别人。

8.Have an updated GPS app in your phone. Its better to have a stand alone GPS system, so that you can save on your phones battery. I have one.

9. Always reconfirm the departure time and be informed about how long it takes to reach the bus / train station.
10. Always stay connected with home / friends / your significant other.
11. 在手机上安装最新的GPS应用程序。最好能有独立的GPS系统，这样你就可以节省手机电池的电量了。我就有一个。
12. 一定要再三确认出发时间，并知道去巴士/火车站需要多长时间。
13. 与家人/朋友/你的另一半保持联系。

11.Again its a personal choice. Always avoid travel during the time of the month you get your period. Even if you are at the most exotic place you can't enjoy yourself because of nausea and cramps.  Atleast avoid night travel during the time, because its really difficult to find a hygienic rest room to get changed.

12. Once you enter the Cab or Auto, call someone and read aloud the name of the driver & registration number of the vehicle. You can also tell them the pickup point, drop point and the expected time of arrival. Now its the responsibility of the driver to drop you safe. Couldn't reach anyone? its okay, just pretend as if you are talking to someone.
13. Don't hesitate to lie. There are several instances i have been hit upon by random men and i have told i am waiting for my boyfriend / my husband is waiting at the hotel and he is a professional karate teacher. There is no need to tell random stranger's that you are unmarried or travelling alone. (one of my friend wear a fake toe ring which indicates matrimony).
14. 这点也是我个人的选择。一定要避免在月经期间出行。就算你身处异国他乡，也会因为恶心和腹痛而无法好好享受。或者最起码要避免在月经期间夜间出行，因为你很难找到干净的洗手间。
15. 你上出租车或汽车后，就要打电话给某人，大声读出司机的名字和车辆的登记号码。你也可以告诉他们上车地点、目的地和预计到达时间。现在司机有义务把你安全送达。找不到人接电话？没关系，假装你在和别人通话也行。
16. 别怕撒谎。有几次我碰到男人，我告诉他我在酒店等我男友/丈夫，他是一名专业空手道老师。没有必要告诉陌生人你未婚或独自旅行。(我有个朋友戴了假的结婚戒指)。

Last but not least Always trust your instincts, if you feel like you are in danger, blow the whistle you carry or start screaming if the situation wants. Dont worry about overreacting or acting foolishly.

In my experience Indians are more kind, friendly and generous towards a woman. I'm tempted to say that I'm lucky that nothing terrible has happened to me so far. Have enough fear to keep yourself cautious, but not enough to stop you from travelling and don't think too much about risks, we can only take precautions as much as we can; rest is left to chance, risk is a part of life.

最后还有一点很重要，永远相信自己的直觉，如果你觉得自己有危险，就吹响你手中的哨子，如果情况需要，那就尖叫。不要担心自己反应过度或看着很蠢。

根据我的经验，印度人对女性更友善、友好、慷慨。我想说我很幸运，到目前为止我还没有发生什么可怕的事情。有足够的恐惧让自己保持谨慎，但还不足以阻止你旅行，不要想太多的风险，我们只能采取尽可能多的预防措施;休息留给机会，冒险是生活的一部分。

Rose Cruz

Very safe. I’ve done it.

I travelled solo to India, the whole country. I never would have gone alone, but my ex and I broke up; and it was go alone or go home. Best decision I ever made is to stay. A week before my flight, i was skeptical and had cold feet about India. But i decided to go anyway.

I made so many friends in the hostels I stayed in so I was only really alone when I chose to be. I was terrified at first because of everything I'd read, the rape cases and scams involving foreigners. I was overly cautious, whether necessary or not I don't know.

Take trains but check the times of departure/or arrival so that it's daylight and book 2AC class. Use Uber or taxs booked from the official stand at the airport or bus station, message someone when you're getting in the cab (local sims are cheap and easy to get). There's women only sections on the metro and on buses.

译文来源：三泰虎     http://www.santaihu.com/46924.html      译者：Joyceliu

非常安全。我就这么做了。

我独自去印度旅游，游历了整个国家。我本来不会一个人去的，但我和我的前任分手了；所以我要么一个人去，要么回家。我做过的最好的决定就是留下来。在我出发前一周，我对印度还持着怀疑的态度，不敢去。但我最终还是决定去了。

我在旅社里交了很多朋友，所以只有当我想要独处的时候，我才真的感到孤独。一开始因为读到过的一切，比如印度强奸案和针对外国人的骗局，我感到很害怕。我一度太过谨慎，我不知道是否有必要。

坐印度火车要确认出发或到达的时间，预订2等座。使用Uber或在机场或公交车站的官方站点预订出租车，上车时给别人发信息(当地sim卡很便宜，也很容易买到)。地铁和公共汽车上有女性专区。

If anyone gave you any hassle on public transport believe me if you kick up a fuss that guy will be in so much shit from the other people around you, Indians won't tolerate it. It can be overwhelming. Especially in Delhi. People will really call you ‘didi’/ sister and actually mean it. Pickpockets and molestors will get beaten up by public before being handed over to the cops. Especially in Delhi.

I got stared at a lot and asked for photos by mostly curious people. I learned to judge when this was innocent and when it was creepy, but this was mostly at tourist attractions and I wasn't afraid to go tell security if I didn't feel safe. I'm not pretending to be an expert or being naive and suggesting that no one has any problems, but I was considering not going and I'm really glad that I went to India! Best decision ever.

As foreigner; I really love India.

Some tips that might come in handy:

如果有人在公共交通上给你找麻烦，相信我，如果你反应激烈，那家伙会被你周围的人修理的，印度人不会容忍。尤其是在德里。扒手和猥亵者在被交给警察之前会遭到公众的殴打。尤其是在德里。

很多好奇的人盯着我看，要跟我合影。我已学会判断哪种情况没关系，哪种情况不安全，但这种事大部分发生在旅游景点，如果我觉得不安全，我不怕告诉保安。我不会假装自己是专家或天真地认为所有人都不会遇到问题，但我当时曾考虑不去印度，但我真的很高兴我最终去了！这是我这辈子最好的决定。

作为外国人；我真的热爱印度。

可能会派上用场的一些技巧:

1.Don’t hitchhike. I wouldn’t recommend hitchhiking. Use public transports like buses, train, ola cabs, meru cabs, or auto instead. Its cheap and accesible too- the public transport in India.

2.Use your common sense and don’t announce to shady strangers that you’re single woman doing solo. Lie about your marital status if you have to. But I didn’t.

3.Don’t stay/spend overnight with strangers. I would always recommend Airbnb or hostels. They are safe. Maybe you could meet Tinder guys, to catch a cup over coffee but DO NOT crash at their place if you’re a female doing solo.

4.Don’t get shit drunk and party wild. Skip drinking if you’re doing solo to any new places, as a matter of fact. You need to be sober all the time.

5.Know your location through google maps. Use MAPS.ME app for navigation without wifi. Be vigilant of your surroundings. Update your location and travel plans to your friends/family all the time.

1.不要搭便车。我不建议你搭便车。乘坐公共交通工具，如公共汽车、火车、ola出租车、meru出租车或汽车。印度的公共交通很便宜也很方便。

2.要有常识，不要跟陌生人说你是单身女子。如果有必要，可以在婚姻状态上撒个谎。但是我没有。

3.不要和陌生人一起过夜。我推荐Airbnb或者青年旅社。这些地方是安全的。也许你可以和Tinder上的网友见面，一起喝杯咖啡，但如果你是一个单身女性，不要在他们的住所过夜。

4.别喝得烂醉如泥，尽情狂欢。事实上，如果你要独自去一个新的地方，不要喝酒。你需要时刻保持清醒。

5.通过谷歌地图了解你所处的位置。在没有wifi的时候用 MAPS.ME应用导航。注意你周围的环境。随时向你的朋友/家人汇报你的位置和旅行计划。

6.Wifi is not common in India. Having sufficient mobile net pack is VERY important. Get an Indian sim card with adequate net pack according to your usage.

7.I carried powerbank and one extra phone with fully charged battery, earbuds, lighter, torchlight, travel guide books and paper map for emergency use.

8.Don’t roam out after 10 pm onwards. Preferably, return to dorm/ room after it gets dark outside at 7 pm. Wear a wristwatch.

9.Although I wouldn’t emphasize this; dress modestly. Cover your shoulders and knees. Have a scarf with you at all times, it will help you to cover yourself in temples. Avoid spaghetti tops, miniskirts, bikini and shorts. Ditch the make ups and try to blend in with the local.

10.Street food- gave me severe diarrhea. I would suggest packing some breads or simple snacks before embarking on a journey. I stuffed my bag with instant noodles and coffee sachets, peanuts and lots of snacks.

6.Wifi在印度并不普遍。拥有足够的移动网络流量包是非常重要的。购买一张印度sim卡，并根据你的使用情况选择合适的网络套餐。

7.我随身携带了移动电源和另外一部手机，手机电池充满电，还有耳塞、打火机、手电筒、旅游指南和纸质地图，以备不时之需。

8.晚上10点以后不要在外面闲逛。最好在晚上7点天黑后就回宿舍/房间。戴上手表。

9.虽然我不会强调这一点；穿着要得体。遮住肩膀和膝盖。时刻带着围巾，这样在寺庙中可以遮挡身体。不要穿吊带上衣、迷你裙、比基尼和短裤。不要化妆，试着融入当地人的生活。

10.街边小吃——让我严重腹泻。我建议在旅行前带上一些面包或简单的零食。我在旅行包里塞满了方便面、咖啡袋、花生和许多零食。

11.Avoid some grim areas. You gotta research the areas prior to travelling. Upgrade your accommodations, don't stay in grim and pop operations, especially not in remote area. Make sure your hotels are facing the main road. Try not to go to secluded places at night.

12.Transportation- When traveling in trains, try to book for upper berth for privacy. Instead of buying normal railway ticket, buy a 3rd AC tier compartment ticket. I find 2nd tier AC and 1st AC compartment a little secluded. Tie your luggage to train seat hooks with a metal chain locker.

11.避免去一些可怕的地方。你必须在旅行前研究一下这些地区。升级你的住宿，不要呆在严酷的和流行的业务，特别是在偏远地区。确保你的旅馆面对大路。晚上尽量不要去僻静的地方。

12.交通——坐火车旅行时，尽量预订上铺，以保护隐私。与其买普通的火车票，不如买三等车厢的车票。我发现二等车厢的空调和一等车厢有点僻静。把你的行李用金属链条锁在火车座位挂钩上。

So far that’s about it. Have fun. Happy travelling.

就这样。玩得开心。旅行愉快。

Charlotte Tottenham, Travel Writer, wanderer, avid reader, Indophile. Currently living in Delhi

I lived in Delhi for two years and regularly travelled alone, taking buses, boats, trains and planes to wherever I wanted or needed to be.

There are some guidelines to make it easier for yourself:

On trains, travel in women's only carriages, or in ac3, where people give each other a bit more privacy and you can draw a curtain round your cabin.

Clothing: whilst part of me hates to say this, as I believe a woman should be able to wear whatever she chooses, on public transport it is best to keep covered up. A kurta (long tunic top and churidar) or jeans and tshirt, but nothing too revealing. Remember on public transport especially, it is pretty crowded and it's nice to have a shawl to pull over your cleavage so that it's not being eyeballed from the bunk above.

Avoid arriving somewhere you don't know in the dark.

我在德里住了两年，经常独自旅行，搭乘公交车、轮船、火车和飞机去任何我想去或需要去的地方。

以下有一些指导方针，可以让你出行便利一些：

坐火车时，呆在女性专用车厢，或呆在三等车厢，人们会给彼此更多的隐私，你还可以在你的位置周围拉上窗帘。

衣服：虽然我不喜欢这么说，因为我相信女人可以穿她们想穿的任何衣服，但是在公共交通工具上最好不要衣着暴露。长束腰上衣或牛仔裤加T恤。尤其是在公共交通工具上，非常拥挤，最好用围巾遮住乳沟，这样就不会被人从上铺瞧见了。

不要在夜间抵达你不知道的新地方。

Have a phone - everyone in India relies on their phones and 3G and top up is exceptionally cheap. When you arrive somewhere, especially if it is after dark, be sure that you know where it is you're going. If you have booked a hotel/hostel most of them will offer to pick you up. Although this is sometimes for a fee, it is often more reliable than an auto wallah.

Buy an extendable combination padlock and strap your bag to some part of the carriage, or even your leg if necessary, to avoid waking up in the morning with no back pack!

As I said, broadly speaking these are all precautions I would take anywhere in the world. The international press has gone to town on the fact that India is 'unsafe for women'. Whilst I don't dispute that there is a major problem in India with gender equality and sexual violence, this is not something in itself that should deter you from visiting this beautiful country. Be cautious and aware and you will have a fantastic time!

要有手机——在印度，每个人都依赖手机和3G，话费非常便宜。当你抵达某个地方时，尤其是天黑后，一定要知道你要去哪里。如果你订了旅馆/招待所，他们大多会主动来接你。虽然有时这种服务是要收费的，但基本上也更可靠。

买个可伸缩的组合挂锁，把包锁在车厢的某个地方，如果有必要，甚至绑在你的腿上，才不会早上一觉醒来找不到背包!

正如我之前所说，总的来说，我在全球任何地方都会采取这样的预防措施。国际媒体纷纷指责印度“对女性不安全”。虽然我不否认印度存在性别平等和性暴力等大问题，但这本身并不能阻拦你来这个美丽的国家游玩。谨慎一点，你就能享受一段美妙的时间了!

Anuradha Sharma,

Yes, its safe. Or rather, I'd say, no place on earth is safe, whether it's India or any other country.

• Just keep in mind to have a rough idea of bus routes, map, timings arrival n departure.
• Travel during the day and avoid travelling at night.
• Act little smart. Pretend that you travel often and it's a cake walk for you.
• And, take the first step, you'll get through once you make up your mind, and trust me, you won't regret it.

是的，很安全。或更确切地说，无论是印度或其他国家，地球上没有哪个地方是绝对安全的。

• 记住，要大致了解公交路线、地图、到达时间和出发时间。
• 白天才出门旅行，不要夜间出门旅行。
• 要表现得有点聪明。假装你是经常出门旅行的，这对你来说简直是小菜一碟。
• 而且要迈出第一步，一旦你下定决心，你就可以度过难关，相信我，你不会后悔的。

I personally traveled alone from Delhi to spiti because I dated a dumb guy who didn't have the balls to take me to spiti. Later, i realized that there are brave and humble people out there, I just had to take the first step..

PS: few of my journey flashbacks that can give you some motivation.

I was so much naive that I went to the Chandigarh bus stop and asked people where can i get tickets for spiti bus. And people were like, there's no direct bus to spiti, are you alright madam?

Also, when i reached tabo, a small village at spiti, everyone in the bus discouraged me for coming unplanned and said that there less probability of finding a hotel or home stay. Out of no where, a kind lady got up, and ended the conversation by saying if you'll not find any place to stay, I'll take you to my home and you can be with my family to you get the next bus.

我独自一人从德里去了斯皮蒂，因为那时我跟一个笨蛋约会，他没胆量带我去斯皮蒂。后来，我意识到那儿就有勇敢而谦虚的人，我只需要迈出第一步就行。

附言：我的点滴旅行记忆可能会给你一点动力。

我太天真了，我去昌迪加尔公交车站，问哪里可以买到斯皮蒂的巴士票。人们说，没有直达斯皮蒂的巴士，你没事吧，女士?

还有，当我抵达斯皮蒂的小村庄塔波时，车上的每个人都劝我不要毫无计划地来这里，说我找到旅馆或寄宿家庭的可能性很小。突然，一位好心的女士站了起来，结束了谈话，她说如果你找不到地方住，我带你去我家吧，你可以和我家人住在一起，等下一班车。

Pankaj Thomas

Dear Madam, it is not even safe for a man to travel alone in India. I'm ashamed to be telling you this about my own country but that's the bitter truth. At least backpack travelling alone is not safe for either males or females. They might dupe you, rob you, harass you, molest you, rape you and even murder you. But if you have loads of money and have planned your travels in such a way as to have bookings only in reputed five star hotels/resorts and have arranged for their hospitality wing to organise your tours and sight seeing itinerary with an employee of theirs accompanying you as a personal guide of sorts then you could be relatively safe. Otherwise it all depends on your luck and fortune, you might have the time of your life traveling alone or may have a traumatic experience which would scar you for life. As for convincing your parents it will be an impossible task. They know what happens in our country to women and children so how could they let you go off alone. The only way possible is to rebel against them or lie that you are traveling with a group of friends they are familiar with. Good luck with that...

亲爱的女士，一个人在印度旅行是不安全的。我羞于告诉你关于我祖国的事，但这确是残酷的事实。独自背包旅行对男女来说都不安全。他们可能欺骗你，抢劫你，骚扰你，骚扰你，强奸你，甚至谋害你。但是如果你经费充足，好好规划你的旅程，只预订五星级酒店/度假村，用他们的热情好客妥善安排你的观光行程,让他们的员工像个人向导陪伴你，那么你可能还是安全的。否则，一切都取决于你的运气，你可能会有时间独自旅行，或可能遭遇惨痛的经历，给你的生活留下创伤。至于说服你的父母，那会是一项不可能的任务。他们知道妇女和儿童在我们国家的遭遇，所以他们怎么可能放你独自出发。唯一可能的方法就是反抗他们，或者谎称你和一群他们熟悉的朋友一起旅行。祝你好运了……

 外文链接：https://www.quora.com/How-safe-is-it-for-a-woman-to-travel-alone-in-India