Dear NomadHers,  

Today, I would like to share my story travelling solo in India for 3 months and a half.  Travelling alone above all is never travelling alone: all possible and imaginable places (sometimes unimaginable) can be the place of a meeting.

When you travel to an Asian country, and when you are physically different from other locals, you are easily recognizable and you are stared at by the locals, but on the other you quickly recognize yourself as a stranger. And then the contact is easy, fast, a bit like sharing a secret, something strong in common.  

I thus made pretty meetings in the youth hostels especially, but also in the buses, in the street, in cafes, restaurants, ashrams, Ayurvedic centers, travel agency ... in short everywhere I went,  I have met people. And most of the time the people we meet have the same program as me (namely the main tourist schedules, so it is not difficult to have the same travel schedule!

So in summary, the moments when I am alone (and therefore potentially feeling insecure) are rare. As soon as I travel with someone whom I met during my journey, "I feel it well", and therefore I feel serene.

As a woman, my rule N ° 1 is to follow my intuition. So if I don't feel the right intuition from someone, whether that is someone that I met on the road or through a rickshaw driver, I don’t follow them.

We are on a trip, so, therefore, we don’t need to bother the reasons with great explanations or polite expressions, just say “no” and that's the end of the story. So I feel zero associated guilt.  Also as a woman, I take care to cover my body well (to respect the local customs): a t-shirt that covers the arms and wide pants, all bought in India, it is more local and therefore necessarily more suitable.

I never go out alone at night. Ok, if I have met and I am not alone (and again, not late). Even if it is early night I always make sure I get back to my hotel or hostel during the day. Also, understand the local stress culture. It took me a while to understand that if men stared at me so much it's just because they rarely see white women. Women do the same!  I think my state of mind can affect the situation.

When I feel concentrated and fine, nobody comes to bother me. If I am in a worse state of mind (be in fear, worry, too much anger or too tired) then I will be "harassed" by street vendors and rickshaw drivers. I think we attract what we are (literally and in the present moment) and I find this particularly true in India.  

Also being a woman, it has allowed me moments of grace especially with children (and their mom), surely because being a woman facilitates contact with youth. I also had wonderful meetings, I was invited to an Indian family to live with them for a week. Would I have received the same invitation and the same welcome if I had been a man? I do not think so.  In conclusion, India, which is not a country that welcomes women easily, has only given me wonderful surprises until today. Being a woman who travels alone has advantages and disadvantages, as with any medal, there is a downside. It's up to everyone to make the bright side shine!  

From, Carole