{"id":94613,"date":"2026-07-03T04:28:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=94613"},"modified":"2026-07-03T04:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:28:33","slug":"what-i-wish-i-knew-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-i-wish-i-knew-india\/","title":{"rendered":"What I wish I knew before going to India (especially as a woman)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Travelling on a Women’s Expedition in India taught Liz how to navigate everything from crossing the road to eating communally thanks to guidance from her local leader.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing I learned from my trip in India<\/a>: it isn\u2019t really a place you fully figure out. You experience it, little by little \u2013 from erratic traffic and midday heat to streets that never seem to sleep and the warmth of total strangers \u2013 usually with a few surprises along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s 35.5 million people in Delhi<\/a> and judging by the traffic when I landed at 11 pm, every single one of them was awake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before going to India, I did what I always do before a big trip. I read every article about what to know before visiting and watched countless videos about what to pack. I bought the linen pants (and the matching linen shirts).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after all of that, I landed feeling wildly unprepared. Diwali celebrations were around the corner. Delhi, already alive with festivities, left me reeling with culture shock \u2013 a phrase I\u2019ve heard often, but never fully understood. I spent my first few days gripping the rickshaw seat every time we merged into traffic, only to realise there\u2019s actually a rhythm to it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pretty quickly, I was glad not to be figuring all of this out alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I travelled on Intrepid\u2019s Women\u2019s Expedition in Rajasthan<\/a>. Our local leader, Parul, ended up becoming the person we relied on for pretty much everything. At various points, she acted as our translator, crossing guard, food-safety expert, cultural decoder, unofficial group therapist and Hindu deity encyclopedia. But she also just felt like the kind of local friend who can navigate anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I feel so privileged to share Indian culture and I’ve heard many times from travellers their perspective changes after visiting,\u2019 Parul says. \u2018Helping shift peoples\u2019 perception of my country is an honour.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s different experiencing India as a solo female traveller<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

India is one of those places people from North America seem to have extreme opinions about. As a solo female traveller<\/a>, I arrived with my senses dialled up, constantly trying to separate real caution from the anxiety other people had projected on me before I even boarded the plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parul\u2019s perspective helped a lot. \u2018India has genuine safety concerns, just like many countries, but international media sometimes creates the impression that women cannot travel independently here,\u2019 she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At our welcome meeting, a few women admitted they hadn\u2019t left the hotel yet because they simply didn\u2019t know where to begin. How do you hail a ride safely? What\u2019s considered disrespectful to wear? Are there any places women shouldn\u2019t go alone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parul suggests focusing on familiarising yourself with local culture and religion and to stay aware when exploring. \u2018Have an open mind and expect the unexpected,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily, travelling in a group created an immediate sense of safety and ease. I was able to rely on fairly universal advice most of the time: be aware of your surroundings, respect local customs, trust your instincts and stay connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few other things that were useful during my trip in India:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n