Is India is a Safe Country?? | With Essential Tips and Tricks for Travel

India is a buzzing, vibrant country steeped in history and culture that is on most people’s bucket lists. However, its reputation in terms of safety and chaos often proceeds it! While there are some infamous scams and you’re bound to have some sense of culture shock when visiting India for the first time, you shouldn’t let fear stop you from exploring this magical country! Read on to discover more about safety in India, what scams and situations to avoid, and the best places to visit for your first Indian adventure…

Is India is a Safe Country?

This question assumes that everywhere in India is the same and that the country, on the whole, can be considered either safe or unsafe. In actual fact, your safety while travelling in India totally depends on where you visit, how much common sense you use while travelling and, to a certain extent, luck (or perhaps lack thereof).

On the whole, people in India are friendly, helpful and welcoming and want you to have a fantastic time in the country they call home.

It is possible that scams and security issues may happen wherever you are in the world, but as long as you keep your wits about you, you should have a thoroughly enjoyable trip! India is totally unique, so you’ll be in for a whole host of new experiences. Ensure you do plenty of research about the places you want to visit before travelling to India, so you know all about the customs, traditions, transport, and safety of the area.

Here are some points to help keep you (and your money) safe in India:

Don't walk around after dark, especially if you’re travelling solo or are staying near a quiet part of a beach.
Do your research about places you want to visit in advance, so you know the prices and protocols involved.
Ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing (especially if you are female) - knees and shoulders covered for churches and temples and bikinis and beachwear only at the beach.
As with anywhere in the world, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is – while prices for food and clothing are surprisingly low, you want to be careful with tours and taxis, ensuring you agree on a price before booking.

Is India Safe for Female Travellers?

While it’s likely you will be stared at (especially by men) when travelling as a female in India, it is not often that men will actually act on their curiosity. If you feel uncomfortable, try to remove yourself from the situation, stay in open, public places and use reputable transport links to get yourself back to your accommodation. If you are dressed in loose, appropriate clothing, particularly in a local style, you are less likely to receive unwanted attention while travelling solo in India. It can also be a good idea to wear a wedding ring as this may help to lessen unwelcome advances.

If you’re worried about travelling to India as a female solo traveller, you can easily join a group tour or stay in hostels to ensure you are surrounded by other travellers.

In Goa, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation has set up a Women’s Taxi Service that is run by women drivers, for women travellers to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort. This is a great initiative that will hopefully catch on elsewhere in the country and is one that you can use if you feel nervous.

Is Public Transport Safe in India?

On the whole, the public transport systems in India are fantastic, with buses, trains, boats, tuk-tuks, and taxis available across the country. Generally, public transport links are busy with locals who are just looking to get from A to B rather than doing anything untoward against travellers. Many locals, transport conductors, and even taxi drivers will help you get to the bus or train you are looking for without even asking for anything but a thank you!

Buses are mega cheap, give you a real slice of local life and let you watch the world go by, so if you feel comfortable catching a local bus you definitely should!

Finally, if you can, avoid taking transport that arrives at your destination during hours of darkness. If this is unavoidable try to have someone meet you at the station or airport such as a hotel representative, so you don’t have to worry about taxis, cash machines etc.

Will I Be Scammed in India?

This question kind of depends on what you class as being scammed. It is definitely likely that you will pay over the odds for tuk-tuks and souvenirs compared to the locals. It’s also likely you will have to pay if you take photos of adorned cows or elephants in the street, are offered a ‘free’ bracelet or take part in a holy ceremony. However, these ‘scams’ will only set you back a few cents, or at the most, a couple of dollars so aren’t the end of the world. Large-scale scams aren’t actually that common in India, but you should be a little warier when travelling in major cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

Unless you’re in a popular tourist spot like the beaches of Goa, it’s a good idea to have accommodation booked before you arrive. This avoids the age-old ‘taxi driver taking you to their family shop/hotel/travel agent scam.’ This scam usually starts with “your hotel has moved/been shut down” so take that as a warning sign! If you can have the address, phone number and an offline map handy you should be able to avoid this scam and arrive safely at your accommodation.

Other top tips to avoid scams are to carry low denomination notes to avoid the common “I have no change” scenario. Make sure you know what the hotel or restaurant you’re going to looks like to ensure the taxi driver takes you to the right place and remember to ask for a receipt whenever you pay for accommodation or tours so the operator can’t come back to you and say you never paid.

Unfortunately, due to a number of severe cases of violence against women in India, including some rapes against tourists, the country’s reputation and, by proxy, its people have been tarred with a negative brush that is very hard to dismantle. These violent actions are undertaken by a minority, and most people will visit India without any trouble, but it is sometimes hard to shake the fear-mongering stance of the media.

India is certainly chaotic, confusing and at some points stressful but at the same time, it oozes charm, warmth, colour, and beauty that will make any awkward stares or nervous moments worthwhile!

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Hannah Champion

Hannah was bitten by the travel bug early in life with numerous family holidays to the south of France and even an epic round-the-world voyage to visit family friends at just the age of six. Ever since then her wanderlust has continued to be the focal point of her life. Although she studied French and European Film at university, Hannah moved straight into the world of travel when it came to getting a job. She began her career by helping people organise their gap year adventures before moving on to content and communications for a luxury safari company. Hannah has now combined her passion for travel with freelance work so that she can travel around the globe working as she goes. Her main loves are beaches, food, temples and wildlife and if she can find somewhere that ticks all those boxes, even better! Having travelled to 40 countries so far Hannah has been lucky enough to have a taster into a huge range of cultures and communities, but there are still so many to uncover. Each time she meets a new person on the road it seems there is yet another destination to add to her never-ending bucket list!

Is India is a Safe Country?? | With Essential Tips and Tricks for Travel