Solotraveling in India for a month…what am I in for?

The comments are depressing but unfortunately they are true. India has a lot of problems, is very unsanitary, and is a risky place for a solo female traveler.

There are plenty of other countries that the OP can visit that are interesting, cheap, and safe. Hopefully she chooses one of those other countries instead.

Yes, but the OP didn't ask about how successful Indians are in the United States. She asked about what she can expect if she goes to India, which is a completely different thing.

Nope, some are downright false and others gross exaggerations. The people there are healthier than Americans and what you may think is unsanitary is not making them sick nor will it make a tourist sick if they know to take simple water and food precautions while eating outside.

Exactly. There is a reason these immigrants left India (hint: it’s not because India is a clean)

It makes me sad that people think feeding/bathing captive animals is a good thing. It’s not.

Almost as bad a swimming in a tank with a dolphin, which is the most dumb ass thing a person can do.

That is doubtful. If you ever actually visited India, you would notice that "nice" places are walled off. Once you go outside those walls, you will not find many women out in public, unless they are prostitutes or beggars.

Running holiday in Spain sounds good.

Imagine taking a leak on a trail and a tiger jumps out at ya

False. Indian women work in both cities and rural areas, move outside freely on their own, drive two wheelers or take auto or cab rides on their own etc.

True rape stats are impossible to know, but women there are neither weak nor stupid. They dress and act more modestly and know how to operate in society so as to avoid potentially dangerous situations. What you hear about in news are the rare horrendous cases precisely because that makes them newsworthy.

This one is a tough one. I agree that where you are would make a big difference. In general, India is an amazing country that has so much to offer, yet one of the few countries out of the 65 I've been to that I would not whole heartedly recommend to a solo female traveller. Let me tell you a story: we hired a guy to drive us around in Rajasthan. People tend to go to similar places and we ended up in the same hotels several times with two solo female travelers. One was from the US who after Peace Cops in Thailand went to see India, the other one a Canadian girl. The American said that she was going back to Thailand because she was bothered by all the unwanted attention that she was getting. The Canadian said, that's just people being friendly. Yet a few days later we did not see her for breakfast. Turns out that the night before her driver and the hotel owner got drunk and were trying to break her door down to "show her a good time". Luckily the door held and once they were gone, so was she. Again, amazing country, but I would recommend to have a friend with you if you go. And for running, there is the air pollution that others mentioned.

No, you didn’t spend much time if any in India coz your claims are outrageous. The fraction of people who get “eaten by some animal” is practically zero. I would bet a greater fraction of stupid macho Americans get eaten by a grizzly (doesn’t exist in India) or gored by a bison in Yellowstone or eaten by an alligator in Florida.

We're still falling for the OP actually being a girl?

That's smart. There are a number of exotic, cheap destinations that are ideal for a solo female traveler, like Thailand. Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali, or the Philippines would also be good.

No point in dealing with all the problems and pollution of India when you can find another place to visit that is also exotic and cheap.

I'm sorry, but I can't take your views on India seriously when you voluntarily visited Pakistan. Way pre-9/11 (early 1990s) my Pakisatani-American friend said it was dangerous for his family to visit Pakistan because they would be killed if people found out they lived in America. Muslims there falsely accuse Christians of 'blasphemy' so that the Christians can be killed and the Muslims can steal their stuff.

There is a strong Islamist influence on their perpetually teetering government (thanks, Saudi funding!), and the world somehow let these nutjobs build their nuclear stockpile to 150+ weapons.

Not the kind of place I'm interested in visiting to see some 5,000 year old ruins.

Unfortunately...until it figures out its air quality, sanitation, over crowding, crime etc., India is a country better visited via a VR experience.

As many posters have mentioned:

1) You can't drink the water

2) The food will make you sick at some point

3) Traffic is a nightmare

4) Sanitation is poor

5) Air quality is poor

6) Petty crime is rampant

7) Chance of harassment (if you're female) is high

8) Nowhere to run on or near the streets

9) Beggars are everywhere

10) You'll draw unwanted attention as a foreigner

and more!

At this point, these seem to far outweigh the beauty of the country. Unless you're rich and you can get ferried everywhere, I'd reconsider.

Don't do it.

I've done extensive traveling all around the world - more like backpacking/bumming it and not as a tourist. My time in northern India was probably the highlight. But, I went on this one with a hodge-podge of 6 motorcycle riders from around the world guided by a local. New Delhi to Leh to the Nubra Valley (and an unofficial crossing into Tibet). You need to prearrange/hookup with a local guide who will meet you at your point of entry in India. THIS IS A MUST.

If you go running bring a bag of money so you can tip or bribe everyone you run past. At least if you have to poop you can poop on the street and nobody cares, kinda like in SF.

INDIA = I'll never do India again.

But seriously, there are some nice places - go to the Andaman Islands, go to Sikkim, go to Kerala and get out of the big cities where you'll be harassed.

Whoever gave the advice to not eat street food gave terrible advice. Where else can I get a deliciou thali for <$1USD. Amazing food.