On my own: How safe is the single woman traveller?

‘Where’s your husband?’ was the first question people asked Nedine M whenever she travelled alone.

A woman travelling alone has never been accepted in our society and generally the fairer sex travelling without male company is frowned upon.

However, things have changed over the years as more and more women have given up going by safety in numbers and are travelling the length and breadth either for personal or professional reasons.

“Individual travellers are increasing in numbers today — be it women or men — everyone wants to holiday at their own pace and get away from it all. This year, we have arranged trips for 3,500 people going on individual trips, in India and aboard. This is a 75% jump from the previous year,” says Prasad Pallival, head of inbound and domestic tours at Raj Travels.

Travelling alone maybe popular with the independent urban woman, but the recent incident of a MNC executive being raped in a resort in Lonavla has raised quite and alarm. So how safe is a single female traveller?

“Travelling alone should be safe for everyone. Unfortunately, it is not for a woman in India, it is tricky to travel alone, especially at night. Crimes against women are increasing all over the country. Latest figures show that Madhya Pradesh is the state with the highest rape cases. Also, New Delhi continues to be the ‘rape capital’ of India,” says Zubin Driver, founder of the Fight-back movement.

Monika Shah, a 27-year-old student, knows the feeling of being alone at night in another city. “After dark, the chances of harassment — eve-teasing, groping — increases manifold. I have been through such an incident in the past and it has made me very cautious of going out alone,” say Shah, who has to travel alone for work to cities like Bhopal, Bangalore, Amethi and Lucknow to name a few.

Many women while travelling alone find it convenient to have everything planned and booked in advance. “I make sure that either my office or I have booked a car from a reputed car service provider. Travelling during the day is no hassle, but post 9pm I avoid public transport in cities other than Mumbai,” says Tiana Quinny, a 27-year-old manager who travelled to Bangalore and Hyderabad last week on a business trip.

Even for tour operators safety of their clients is the utmost importance. “We make sure that all the arrangements like car rental, hotel booking are made in a reputed and trusted companies. In most cases, we even include breakfast and dinner in the hotel so that women travellers are not stranded in an unknown place at night,” says Pallival.

Shireen Mehra, the director of a Delhi-based travel company, Woman on Clouds, which offers all-women holiday trips says, “Woman while making all the booking should make sure that she is involved in the procedure and should try and do a background check of the vendors, hotels, etc. One cannot depend on travel companies alone.”

“As long as you are alert and don’t show obvious signs of looking lost, there are less chances of being a soft target,” says Roshni D, a 25-year-old media professional. Apart from being vigilant, many women have a checklist and make sure they carry a pepper spray, a cellphone and local emergency numbers in their handbags.

Driver gives more tips and says, “Woman should avoid deserted roads or areas. Don’t accept a lift from strangers or even acquaintances that you don’t know well enough.”

For Samira N, a 28-year-old American Indian, coming to India was a dream, but it turned into a nightmare when she was groped in a local train as she unknowingly entered the general compartment.

“It was my biggest mistake, and since then I haven’t travelled by train. Mumbai is supposed to be the safest city in India. I even dread to imagine what can happen in other places with notorious reputations.”

YP Singh, a former police commissioner, feels that today things have improved for the better. “Unlike few years ago, today woman even in two-tier cities can go out in the night without fear. Cities across the country are becoming safer for woman. However, mental inhibitions still exist.” He adds, “The chances of a woman being sexually harassed are more when the victim is known by the culprit.”

Mehra feels that there is safety in numbers, but many others feel that fear of being alone shouldn’t stop a woman from exploring the world. Many feel that women should fight back and travel whenever they want to and exercise their democratic freedom on their own terms.