Followed By Men in India (What to Do? Is India Safe for Females?) 

As an Indian woman, I would advice you to shout and ask them to get lost. And also threaten to call the police. I live in Mumbai which is pretty safe but even I have faced perverts and I have shouted, hit them, called them out. Thankfully most people around me have always asked me what happened. So make a scene, they would usually get scared and walk away.

Gurl give it up. India IS more dangerous than the US. I say this as an Indian. The people getting offended know you have a point.

Please be honest with female travellers... it’s a weird phenomenon in India.... curious to know why this is . I would worry less about being politically correct... let’s really be honest here ladies. India is dangerous for women... especially women travelling alone.

HOW can you compare USA with India? I live here in USA I have literally walked every night taking buses at midnight from New York City. Nothing happened. Try doing that in India!

Years ago I had a similar experience traveling in India on a train, sleeping class too. I woke up in the middle of the night and looked around and a guy (who had been looking at me very weirdly during day, following me to the loo, and so on) was next to me with his hands reaching to touch me. I yelled and threw a kick at him (missed him). Right away a Sadhu who was sleeping on a bunk bed across the alley came down, brandish his stick to the guy, yelled at him, others woke up and chased him away. However the guy was still on the train for the reminder of the trip (that lasted another 48 hours after the event). Luckily the kind Sadhu and other men kept the guy away or yelled or hit at him every time he attempted to come near me or even look at me. So yeah... yell... and help will come.

I spent almost 4 years in India & yes, that country is NOT for everyone! It's not even close to what we envision as far as safety, cleanliness, hygiene, living conditions, theft, endless manipulations "to invest money" into whatever they come up with, etc. Also remember, you'll never pay "local price" no matter what. You'll always be viewed as a walking dollar sign and will be paying only "foreigner prices" for everything... When I moved out, the renters demanded to keep my furniture, otherwise they threatened to murder me!!!! Sadly, the U.S. Embassy does not get involved much & the Indian Police is so corrupt, that there's no point to even ask for help.

Girls, India is ranked for the most dangerous country in the world for female solo travellers. Yes, India is more dangerous than USA /ranked 10th/ and much more dangerous than any Europian country. India is beautiful but is NOT for solo female travellers, especially without serious experience from these type of countries. Please don't encourage them. Stay safe and do serious research before travelling is the most important.

I wish all women could travel and feel safe.

No it's not safe in India. I grew up there, spent 27 years of my life there. It is just plain weird as a girl to even step out to go to the grocery store. It's just an uncomfortable vibe that hangs in air. No matter the area. Except if you are in a gated community or something. I know in developed countries it's not safe either but I am aware of those pockets and avoid those areas. The rest of the places I can just walk out and just be me without being hyper aware of surroundings. It's exhausting to get the sense you aren't supposed to be there, the mentality is women shouldn't be out and about and should be thought a lesson. This attitude plays out in mild to catastrophic levels.

I realize you're trying to be politically correct but it's complete and utter nonsense to say that India isn't more dangerous than the United States for women. The experiences you will have with groups of men in rural Andhra Pradesh as you get off the bus are NOTHING like what you will experience getting off a bus in Maine or Oregon or Utah or Iowa. No. Comparison. At. All. Obviously, every city on the planet has the occasional pervert hanging out at the public transport depot, but you can ride an Amtrak train anywhere in the US without having multiple men trying to stick their hands down your pants or follow you back to your hotel. Yes, you can encounter the odd loony in the US and UK or Germany or Japan or anywhere else too, but that's the difference- it's just once in a very great while and when it happens, it's noteworthy. In India, it's a daily occurrence when you're a woman out alone. Misogynist behavior is pervasive in the culture and rape is common and real, and it's local women who bear the brunt of it- don't forget that. As a solo female traveler, who is obviously a foreigner, you're just getting hints of it.

As an indian woman. I woudnt even be mad at you if you said this country is the worst when it comes to women. Its true.. its not safe for us women

This is a case where being too woke is a detriment to the point you're trying to make. Constantly trying to not insult India/ the Indian people and comparing harassment there with what you (or any western woman has) encountered in the US isn't quite right. It's known that India's rape statistics are through the roof. And some shocking cases have managed to trickle down to us, here in the West.

The dislikers were the Indian men who stalk women. Lol

Anytime, if anyone of you feel uncomfortable in INDIA....... Ask for help around or make a noise. People will come and help you from any situation. Or call 100 immediately for cops

Life By Tayla just painted a totally different view. Solo young woman was mobbed by 20 men, and that was just the beginning.

Okay don’t let that “empowerment” cost you your life or virtue

It's a big red flag when people have to come out and give numerous tips about how to stay safe and handle inappropriate situations from the men there.

People doesn’t want to accept that india is dangerous place for women’s Yeah other places are not save either but in India so many places is like this Before u hate on my comment supporting ur country If u luv ur country keep it clean It happened to me so many times they touch and follow u and look very bad at u So people who will travel is okay but if u want to stay u will understand the problem And the worst part is police will not help at all

I'm sorry but this makes no sense... you have the right to say no ... Great but clearly this is not respected! You don't want to engage ... who cares... I'm going to follow you! You should not be giving this kind of advice, there might be young people who want to go travelling and you making it seem as if this would be somewhat safe. When really it is not!

oh my gosh. your being too nice and naive.

They are talking about real experiences, very similar to what I have experienced, but it's MUCH easier to deal with this with a travel partner... As a fellow experienced traveler of India, and an intermediate Hindi speaker I do not recommend traveling to India alone for any Western guy or girl. You don't need to be a hero and empowerment like this may lead to people making stupid travel decisions beyond their travel ability. Traveling in India alone is really tough. So many things can go wrong. Things you couldn't imagine happening until they happen, things you can not plan for. Getting "hit on" in India for a Westerner is something that will happen everyday multiple times a day, it's NOT the same as being in the USA whether it's in NYC or Rural America. Traveling in India alone can be exhausting, scary, and these situations can detract from what you are there to see. Especially for girls younger than the two of you. Traveling in USA and INDIA should not be compared. I mean look at the Indians commenting below of how they wouldn't travel around in their own country alone, how their parents wouldn't allow them walking alone even in their own villages or cities . When you have food poisoning (like the serious kind you can get in India or Asia) as most Western travelers contract at some point in their adventure.... you may not even be strong enough to go out to get the medication and when you do, you might be disoriented while in this more vulnerable position. OR like me, I got hit by a car as a pedestrian. I wasn't even crossing the road, I was walking WITH traffic off the road and an auto rickshaw went off the road around cars and hit me at 15-20mph... Then having to deal with a head injury ALONE... The embassy couldn't assist me beyond directing me to a recommended hospital list. They aren't going to show up in a black limo and comfort you over milk and cookies while you tell them your story... Being alone in any 3rd world country is risky and not ideal. I can't express enough that I am an EXPERIENCED Asian traveler and a wilderness backpacker. India was my first time alone in 2015 and 2017(the car accident) and even though I love the solitude.... I have to say, travel with someone and make time for yourself to just spend a day/time alone, but travel with SOMEONE.. It's even cheaper to share expenses/rooms... resources.... The potential trauma from an assault, injury, or burden you have to put on family and friends at home is not worth it. When you are with someone, these incidents become laughable memories, when you deal with it alone it can easily become trauma. India's beautiful and interesting! Go there... but don't go alone.

Hollywood movies really give people a strange impression of the west. There are so many weird exchanges in movies that happen, that end up with two in bed. Indians get the idea that this is the way things happen in real life. But if that were the case Indians would be breaking out onto song and dance all over the place!

I travel in India all the time alone. I try and latch onto families. If I am on a train, I talk with and sit with a family, in the day time. I often stay in family homes as well. I am glad that you acknowledge that these things can happen anywhere in the world.

Thoughtful post ladies, great stuff. I'm a former solo female traveller in countries such as Mexico, South Africa, Egypt, Jordan, Zimbabwe, Guatemala where I have encountered some dodgy situations. In a very vulnerable situation in Guatemala in Lake Atitlan I was so scared and convinced I was un danger...these men drove me one hour from their town....I thought for bad intentions but they were actually trying to help me. My bus hadn't turned up so they worked for a transfer company...they were hired to take me to next town to meet my bus...my bus never showed...so they drove me for one hour to the next town with their boss calling to see where they were....their van broke down in the town...they got out and pushed. When we got to my hostel....I wanted to go get them some money....they refused...and said hope you can do the same for someone someday! So thank you to my friends in Lake Atitlan Guatemala 💗

Don't go out in India at night at all. And don't go to a remote quite area at all where you are on your own in total strangers. Xx

A lot of Indian men act like they've never seen a woman before. It's disgusting. It's a bit irresponsible to promote this false sense of solo women traveling in India "you'll be fine!" There's a lot more to consider.

I live in the US, had a guy follow me in a store. I made small talk about boring stuff and I stayed around the people working there. Eventually he left and I high tailed out of there

Some Indian guys are very aggressive. My wife non-Indian wife was walking back to my parents house house when one guy grabbed her arm. I saw that and accosted him. He was ready to fight. Many Indian men think that western women are loose or easy.

No, India is NOT safer than the US, LOL! I`ve been traveling solo for more than 15 years and there is nothing like India. I mean, in Delhi, I wasn`t even alone, I was there with two men, both big, athletic fellows, and men were still following me and trying to grab at my clothes anywhere they had an opening. This was at 3pm on a Monday, not even at night, No, it`s an awful, backwards country for women, travelers and locals alike, so I would recommend visiting wit a tour group.

@3.24 I am from Jaipur and lives in Thailand and have a Dutch Girlfriend. I was with my gf in Pushkar for this Holi festival and it was her first time in India and believe me the men are real creeps and God knows if she's not with me then the way they stop and look at white girls makes them feel so uncomfortable and also for this fest they were trying to touch her too much so yeah be careful. But on the other note I was with her in Pattaya and the so called white western men behaved the same with her which made her uncomfortable too.

Honestly thank you all the Indian peeps being honest about how they feel in India, I think its important to be honest so we can stay safe, I would definitely still love to go especially with these safety tips!!

Hi Lillie I love your channel! As an experienced solo female travel who's travelled to over 25 countries, I was a bit intimidated by India. Your videos have given me the confidence to conquer India on my own.I will be backpacking for two weeks, I leave this Friday and would love to link up with you!

I am enjoying your videos. I plan to visit India soon and it's nice to see from fellow countryman your experience. Blessings and safe travels.

Hi Roman & Kerry, Please take my apologies for what you have encountered in India, We strongly believe safety is of prime importance when you visit any other place as a tourist, As a leading Indian Travel channel we believe it is our responsibility to educate Indian masses that it is a tourist's right to feel safe in our country, In the view of the same we have made a video that takes a reference from your video also(WHY FOREIGNERS AVOID INDIA), We would be glad to have your and your viewer's inputs on the video. (It has subtitles in English also.) Let us create a better world for everyone, Love and Regards from India...

It seems to me that India has become a dangerous place for women, as I was there on my own as a 19 year old back in 1984, I wasn't confronted with cat-callers or men following me...only once I got molested on a train but I threatened him with my knife with the words "Make my day" and that was it. That encounter was in the North-West were most Muslims are, which is generally more dangerous for women.

How can one enjoy time in India when one continously has to rely on various strategies to dodge the perves/creepers? No thanks, I'll pass.

I as a girl who has lived in India her whole life don't feel safe then one can only imagine how foreign women feel.

Saying "no" & being positive isn't going to protect women in India. India's extremely dangerous for women especially traveling solo.

I love how Indian people in the comments are aware and admit the issue and warning and raising awareness.

most underrated channel, your blogs are good.

I'm glad you both found each other!!! Safety in numbers!!

I recently took a solo trip to India last month. I was excited but also nervous because I never realized how many men are usually traveling by plane to India (I usually travel with my parents and so you don't really notice these things, or at least I did not). It was intimidating and I got a lot of stares from the men,( and also from some Indian families!) I'm 25, and been told I look 16 a lot so for them to see someone like me just traveling alone must have been curious. Thankfully, when I was coming back from India, it was the time to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and there were lots of muslim families traveling so I tried to sit or at least be near mostly female passengers.

I just found your channel, and I really appreciated how you covered this sensitive subject. Probably the first thing I really loved was how you covered up. Western women travelers often fail to follow local traditions and present themselves in a way that is respectful to the culture. I'm lucky that my family taught me safety at a young age. So many women are not raised with this awareness. Thank you for adding to the conversation!

Taking self-defense classes I believe would be helpful when traveling alone as a woman. Men will assume that women are weak and can't defend themselves, but in the states, we are taking self-defense and martial arts classes. I will not be one to ever travel alone, only in groups, but I also have children, 4 boys and 1 daughter who I will travel with. In most cultures, we as women travel with some sort of male in the family of a certain age to steer away these types of individuals.

Just shout at him and you will see what people do with that man.

Wow....great to watch you gals delve on this important subject for solo female travelers!! I often wondered about the safety issue despite being from India!!! I am glad that the experience has been positive barring those 'few' assholes.

I was traveling alone in Tiruvannamalai, during 2 months stay in India (alone, one month traveling) and on a mostly empty street where my boarding house was in the middle of the day, a guy came up behind and groped me inappropriately. I yelled at him at the top of my lungs for a while until he left, but he certainly didn't rush!. There are plenty of ways for women to travel safely in India, using driver services, not traveling at night, but women were definitely not respected in some places. I met some of the nicest people ever in Tiru and Rishikesh, but in bigger public places women were treated like crap especially men just going in front of all of the women on lines waiting to pay for things. Also, someone told me to only get on rickshaws with the statues on them (Hindu) and the only time I did not, was the only time I had problems with the driver trying to bring a friend (on a ride that was 2 blocks away!) and then be slightly inappropriate with me, though I deflected and threatened to jump off the rickshaw and then tried to! When I realized my friend was not going to make it on the trip and I was going to travel alone, I cancelled some of the cities I had planned to visit such as Varanasi and Hardiwar to which I knew that traveling alone would be more dangerous.

North Indians tend to be hornier and less cultured than the south. Sad but true.

That self-pleasuring thing once happened to me on a flight from SF to Chicago. It was an elderly guy next to me and I was very young at that time and had no idea how to react, so I tried to ignore it. Now older and wiser I would definitely say something. But yeah, it can happen anywhere. And it is wrong, very wrong, anywhere!

I travelled India alone as a woman and it was a disaster. Please don't go by yourself.

Thanks for sharing Roman and inviting a wonderful speaker. It was very informative.

Eve teasing is huge huge problem in India, which can become aggressive and almost violent at times and have lot of bad experience with this!! And BTW i am Indian and have lived in USA and in Europe i have encountered hello or beautiful or what's your name or even Indian but never felt threatened.

2 beautiful ladies with great advice,may all your journeys be safe.

hey, girl..thanks for these vids...this is actually my second time watching your solo female traveler in India vids..this one and the other that you did..love that you included other women to get multiple perspectives... I am actually planning a trip to India and even though I've heard tons of great things and stories about India from other solo female travelers throughout my own travels... I recently watched another large female travel vlogger on this platform with a really scary story of something that happened to her while in India and honestly it gave me pause...that and after reading all the comments of ppl saying stay out of india..even from other Indians..it kind of freaked me out...and of course I know these things happen all over the world unfortunately...but you have restored my bucket list dream...even-though I was never going to let fear stop me anyway...just good to hear..also I'm not taking anything away from what she went through and I'm happy she spoke out, because of her letting the world know what happened to her, along with other women who reported the same thing...the place she was staying got shut down, so that's good but I do think it gave a lot of ppl pause about inda, so thanks again...cheers.

Don't spend your time and money in India. Come to Southeast Asia and East Asia. We have beautiful temples, gorgeous beaches, and good food. Our countries are safe and we treat tourists with respect. Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Korea.

Just out of curiosity, has being black made you less or more vulnerable in India compared to white women?

why take the risk to travel there in the first place if a lady has to take so many measures? far better countries out there.

When my friend went to India she contracted a terrible ameoba . Just saying ... She never mentioned harassment from men but she became very sick with this thing in her system.

You are full of positive vibe... 😊

I have never been to India but tbh from what I’ve read and seen in travel vlogs it kinda scares me and does not appeal to me at all. I kinda feel though like you were kinda making a little light of it. Kinda hippie dippie and naive. I do agree with a lot you said as well though.

Perfect, yes this can happen anywhere in the world, it's sad to see some people from India itself demonize India saying India is not safe, blah blah, but no, India is safe. But always in any country, there are bad and good areas, so just gather as much info as you can about a place you are visiting before you jump. It's not just for females, its also for males, in fact even Indians don't prefer to visit some places and most of the Indian men don't go out if it's too late in the night.

Thank you guys for giving such positive feedback about my India. It really makes an awesome impact on how the West views India. Thank you once again. God bless you forever.

You telling this so mature. I like it.. rather than bashing india like it’s not worth it.. I never been to india but i’m sure this kind of problem is everywhere. When you are a foreigner who know nothing about the place you visit, some people will take advantage of you.

Hi. I'm glad to have seen your video. The kind of experience you two had is something that has happened to me (local Indian) as well. What makes more people look at you is the color. They will come up to touch or approach to take pictures. Most people in this country have no exposure to other cultures including their own country.

Oh! The points you are talking about in this video are so informative & spot-on!!! Thanks for sharing!!!❤

Enjoying the channel! How fun to be able to travel all around the world. Big thumbs up from one Creator to another :)Jen

Loving these interviews! Thank you for sharing :)

I think we need to be real here and be honest, India is NOT comparable to countries like the US in regards to safety for women. And you'll hear that from any Indian. I wouldn't be demonizing India by saying this, it's just a plain fact.

Ask for help, or yell loud. people will help you. Certainly.

There are two parts of India and Indians. North India and south India. All these creepy experiences you speak of are indigenous to the north. Go to south india (starting from Maharashtra and downward) your experiences will be entirely different in a pleasant way.

There is a "huge fear" because there are so many unresolved rape cases in India (forget unresolved, the courts can't even begin to process them) that they will not be resolved in our lifetime. Ladies... I respect your deference for the culture but there are dangerous men everywhere and by sheer numbers the likelihood of this happening in India is much higher with their higher population. This is without even considering the larger cultural problem. It's a complicated place. It is beautiful and advanced as a country AND it is dangerous.

I wish I knew you and that you were freely traveling around India. I would have definitely made my way there. Went to Hyderabad a couple of years ago for a conference and my trip was way too short. I've been drawn to India since a young child and that conference was my first experience there. I definitely can't wait to return and I do plan to travel solo. Your videos are great. Thank you.

I have been followed in the US -- in NYC. He followed me for blocks and I felt really threatened. I finally went into a building and told the door man there that I was being followed. The doorman went out and chased the guy away. I also had a guy get into my car in San Francisco and put his hand around my neck. I talked him into getting out of my car -- to this day I don't know how.

A general suggestion would be, if you can afford it, please take higher class trains, you're likely to face more problems if you take the travel mode of the poorest of poor.

if u look at the the henois acts as a percentage it's quite large compared to the west

Hi! You're really a nice and beautiful person... But India is definitely not safe for women! I'm born n brought up in this country and there are perv's everywhere n they don't care what age a female is... So be careful while travelling in India especially the north India is worst for women, atleast south is a bit safer... Anyways I would suggest you to be in a crowd or look for a crowded place to stay or for any activities you want to do outdoor. Wish you a safe travelling ❤️😊

What do You think we could do to prevent these things not just to tourists but also to all our country women?? A Genuine Suggestion would save someone from such Harassment. Because all Indians know just awareness is not enough to change Dirty mindset. Girls are not allowed to do basic things by parents in such fear of coming in the eyes of such men or believe even such small acts like dancing, being joyful, talkative or smiling i.e. "hasee toh fasee" could be provocative to them. They haunt & chase women like predators. *Please if you guys do have a solution, then reply & suggest.* We all can be a family because humanity in before castism, rasicm, or sexism.

Im so sad too because i have always wanted to visit india but with how i look and my stature i wouldn't be safe at all. :(

This video is great and solo women travellers need to watch this video,these rules are pretty much it to be safe in india and anywhere in this world, if I can add the rules also matter which part of India you are visiting and different in the smaller cities of india vs a bigger city,In a smaller city night life or cultural differences influence ppl and women need to watch out,bigger cities it's the area you stay in that usually makes a difference.

I can truly see you doing your own travel channel show.. 👍👍

I was anxious to see how difficult life is in those dirty places. Without human value or unhygienic life! it's a lot to suffer

best thing to do is draw attention of the crowd even other men or if no one is there,then just call your friend and just show them you are talking to someone and someone knows about you and he could be in troble.

I think the problem with some/a lot of Indian men is that their perception about foreigners. these men think foreigners are kind of porn stars, who do not mind... & if you make first move they are ok with it!! ( most Indian men get to see only porn movies/some dinosaur movies/ rambo type movies. that's it. so you can imagine what kind of perception it build in their mind otherwise they are not as bad as it can be in most foreign countries.). keeping a little bit of precaution is always good no matter where!!

Here's a solution... PARKOUR!!! Lol XD

Only one word.--If your body speaks confidence nothing happens and you can face thousands.If your body speaks weakness they will exploit.

What has been your experience in particular to being a Black woman in India? Also, is there anything important I should know about dressing my one year old daughter when we travel in India?

I think women sadly have to be cautious anywhere around the globe including the US. I've had so many experiences of men either harassing me or following me right in my own country. I don't dress wearing real revealing type clothes either. Basically I agree with someone else's comment, make a scene so anyone around will know someone is invading your personal boundaries, and you're feeling threatened. Just a few weeks ago I had a man make a comment to me about how he loved my hair, and I didn't think much of it until he didn't stop at that, then he was trying to follow me around the grocery store harassing me, and I found a manager and made him aware of the guy harassing me. It was put to a stop real quick, and I had an escort to my vehicle when I was done shopping. It's not a safe world we live in these days weather your woman, a man, and especially children. Perverts everywhere unfortunately.

It's called Eve Teasing and is a bahut issue there. Be aware and be safe.

Hi this is Sanjay your videos are very educative and truthful keep up the good work.

I hate when people in India gets in to your private life questions

Just like in the west, when you bring up sexist attitudes and everyday issues, men are trying to silence you. It's the same in India, apparently. I think that's something to think about. The west has a lot to work to do still regarding how women are perceived, objectified, sexualized and the India has barely even started.

Hilarious how she started the video saying that she once made a video about the dangers of India and people went after her about outing India. Now she actually said this isn't outing India solely and people are now after her not saying India is more dangerous. Always going to have haters no matter what side of the argument your on.

Oh yes approaching other women do help. That's women power. Happy women's Day.

Hi Lillie! So I immigrated From Romania to the United States about 2 years ago with my Husband FOR THE FIRST TIME (He's American) We traveled to California to visit his parents but we didn't stay there long, And in 2016 i traveled to New York (Alone) And i lived there for a couple of days and it was a very beautiful state, But there's something i need help with, Can you give me by any chance some tips on How to be an American citizen? I wanna start a new life! I wanna live like you guys! How can i do that?

wow! Kerry is awesome in the looks department can't imagine what she was like in her younger days

The tips are great even for travel in America. Although obviously there are different problems in some countries. I especially like shaming people if you're in a public space.

Moment of realization for "Roman Around The World" about her own country at 5:27. She was totally not prepared for that. The lady in the black/blue dress just burst the bubble.

you guys are really brave.

They aren't defaming India have you watched the video

India is not safe to tourists But if you Don't snooze don't loose