16 March,2025 03:37 PM IST | Mumbai | Arpika Bhosale
Sharanya Iyer. Pic/Ashish Raje; Siddhartha Joshi, solo traveller; German national Lili Dreikhausen and her Italian partner Aire Parani travel with their dog Shnuck; Sarah Saroshh and Reet Jakharia are a couple who travel together
We are the descendants of wanderers. The silk route etched our lands even as our sailors sailed uncharted seas. It's this wanderlust that seems to have revived since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Indians taking to solo trips, travel-vlogging, hikes and even the growing popularity of van-life.
A November 2024 report by Booking.com and Mckinsey, titled How India Travels, estimates that Indians' total travel expenditure will hit $410 billion by 2030. This will make the country the fourth-largest tourism spender globally. This number was a much lower $150 billion in the pre-COVID era.
The travel bug seems to have bitten women particularly hard, with Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel's Women's Travel Trend Report 2025 revealing a 35 per cent increase in demand among female travellers. Interestingly, the report also marks a 17 per cent rise in interest in solo travel among women.
But our renewed appetite for travel is tainted by the sobering reality of the risks that go with it.
The Hampi gang rape 10 days ago has raked up harsh questions that have remained unanswered for decades - Is India safe for travellers, particularly for women making a go of it on their own? Or is the country's travel culture still too nascent when compared to Europe or even other Asian countries?
Sunday mid-day reached out to travellers - women, men and couples - who have traversed the length and breadth of the country and asked them how they ensure their safety. Each one has a unique take. Some say violence is everywhere, while others say it all depends on where you're travelling to, but all agree that the Hampi incident is nothing but "bone-chilling".
"When I read about the Hampi incident, it hit too close to home. My first ever solo trip back in 2016 was in Hampi and I have been in the area where the survivors were stargazing," says Sharanya Iyer, solo traveller, master scuba diver and digital creator (@trulynomadly) from Chembur.
She refuses to indulge in the narrative of "What could they have done differently?"
Safety for a woman traveller still depends on the luck of the draw. "You're only travelling solo successfully until something happens," she says, adding that when she goes abroad, most foreigners tell her that India is on their bucket list, but they are concerned about the safety all the same.
Iyer has always been a cheerleader for women travelling solo in India, especially Hampi, but right now "While I will continue to travel solo, I am trying to figure how to keep advocating for it," says Iyer.
"Women, especially, often ask me about the Spanish woman who was gang-raped [in Jharkhand in March 2024], as well as the Kolkata [RG Kar Hospital] rape case. I cannot dismiss their concerns, but I also want to encourage them to come to India," she adds. Last year, a Brazilian-Spanish couple, on a motorbike journey through Asia, was camping in the forest in Dumka, Jharkhand. The woman alleged that she was raped by seven men while her husband was held down and thrashed. The incident had sparked
national outrage.
Around the same time, German national Lili Dreikhausen, 32, and her Italian partner Aire Parani, 29, too were cycling across the country with their indie dog, Schnuck, in tow.
Dreikhausen, who was raised in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, counts herself as an Indian in every way possible, but to a stranger's eye, her blonde hair and Caucasian features set her apart. Despite this, Dreikhausen says they had a very pleasant 11 months cycling from her hometown in Tamil Nadu to Parani's village Rasai in Italy.
"Maybe because Schnuck was with us, and her trailer was attached to our bicycles - people reacted to us with laughter throughout our journey in India. I always felt safe," says Dreikhausen.
One trick that she suspects contributed to their safety is where and when they set up their tent. "Since we were on bicycles, we couldn't venture into overly remote spots, and we stayed close to the roads. Even though we had to stay near roads we felt safe, outside the headlights. We quickly learned that we must set up our tent after dark; if people saw us set up our tent, their curiousity would draw them to us," Dreikhausen tells us over a phone call from Italy.
Having Shnuck gave them another advantage, since Indians have a "healthy respect for dogs", she says. "In fact, one night a man approached us while we were getting into our tent, but kept his distance when Schnuck barked. We later realised that he had probably come to tell us that they were burning the stubble on the field, so it was good that we packed up and moved on," she adds.
Safety should also be viewed in the context of where one is travelling, Dreikhausen says. "While I believe you must be open to the people and experience, you cannot be gullible either. In India, not just the language, but the culture too changes from state to state, so you have to be aware of the context of the place you are travelling in," she says. "But that is true no matter where you travel in the world," she adds as an afterthought.
Siddhartha Joshi, 44, grew up in Uttrakhand and resides between Bengaluru and everywhere. Joshi has been travelling solo for the past 22 years - long before the term was popularised - and has successfully monetised his wanderings through his social media and photography.
Joshi admits that there is a vast difference in the experience when he's on his own versus with his female partner. "Male privilege allows me to take more risks alone than when I'm travelling with a woman. I also book our hotel in advance to reduce risks," he says, "On the other hand, I just returned from a 15-day trip with a guy friend, and we'd book our rooms on the spot thinking âWhat's the worst that can happen?'"
Are women solo travellers robbed of the footloose and fancy-free experience? "II don't think you can say that as a blanket statement. But, yes, I can strike a conversation with a stranger on the bus or join someone for a drink at the hotel bar without a second thought," says Joshi, "On the other hand, many women solo travellers too find a way to make the best out of their trip, though I do think they sometimes have to work a bit harder for it." he says.
It's much the same with Mumbai-based Saroshh and Reet Jakharia, a couple that found love over travel. Since they started travelling together, Jakharia has realised just how much his partner has to plan ahead. "Things I used to never think of - like booking a hotel in advance, or seeing that our flights don't land at odd hours, or being thorough in reading the hotel reviews - are now a must when I travel with Sarah," he says.
"Not that men don't get into trouble; I have had issues with people who drunk. But I can't imagine how scary it must be for a woman traveller," he adds. Saroshh recounts her experience in Goa last year, where she and her friend were harassed. "I rented a scooter so in case things got weird, my girlfriend and I could just hop on and get out of that situation," she recalls.
Does she feel short-changed compared to male travellers? "Yes. I can never be bindass and travel. I am a Type-A personality; I book hotels in advance, I do my homework and I don't go to remote places or go out after dark in a new place. This was an adjustment for Reet, but he has been very understanding," she tells us from Norway, where she is on another solo trip.
It's because of Jakharia that she has tried to take more trips in India recently, she admits. "Reet likes to travel in India, so I'm trying to be more open to it. But I feel that the government needs to step in and make safety a priority for those who want to experience the country," she says. "When I went to Meghalaya, I realised there was hardly any police patrolling at known tourist areas. Lights and sanitation are missing at even the famous mountaintops. India is a great place to travel, but the government is unable to bridge the gap between the demand and infrastructure," she adds.
Ahmedabad-based Hardi Patel had started her travel business Velvet Escapes, when she was 21. Now 39, she has both men and women in her clientele, but she specialises in women's group trips. Patel talks about the changing trends she has witnessed in the last 16 years. "We are seeing younger women coming to us - some as young as 15 - and they want to experience it all. There are still some cases of anxious husbands asking about the itinerary and the safety of their wives on these trips, but it comes from a place of love. The fact is, travel is still a big deal for women, which is why I love what I do. I wanted to ensure that women travellers have another woman guiding them on where they can go and where they shouldn't," she adds.
The concerns over safety and lack of adequate infrastructure notwithstanding, women travellers are determined to make the world - and the country - their oyster.
"Travel is the best way to know yourself," says Iyer. "I cannot imagine not doing it," she adds.
$410 bn
Estimated travel expenditure by Indians by 2030
'source: Booking.com and Mckinsey report
Two women, including one Israeli national, were gang-raped on the night of March 6 while they were stargazing near Hampi. One out of the three men accompanying them died after being pushed into the Tungabhadra River canal. Three men have been arrested in the case.
