19/04/2022
Delhi.
I was always apprehensive about visiting Delhi alone. My very first taste of the city was wandering through old Delhi with its mass of tangled up wiring that seemed to trail to the ground, narrow lanes that felt like a maze, and a mass of curious male eyes everywhere I turned.
Any research I'd done before hand about travelling in Delhi just told me about how many hundreds of scams there were, lectured me on female safety (or the lack of it) - and did nothing to reassure me.
Delhi had always felt overwhelming and difficult for me (in contrast with say Mumbai or Kolkata, which felt much easier).
For my first solo trip to India several years back, I deliberately left Delhi until last. I wanted to have my "India feet" under me first.
And so it was at the end of that particular 5 week solo trip around India that I finally arrived in Delhi. Armed with plenty of advice from fellow travellers and friends in India, I knew to avoid the Paharganj side of New Delhi railway station (hello touts and scams) and happily slid out un-noticed and un-hassled on the other side entrance.
It was the beginning of a totally different Delhi experience.
I knew which areas of the city to stay in. I happily spent my last couple of days in India on that trip wandering the Lodhi gardens and shopping in Khan market - instead of being taken on unwitting "shopping tours" by unscrupulous rickshaw drivers.
With not a scammer in sight.
Like everywhere, there are so many versions of Delhi - and India.
There's the high-hassle, hectic, dirty, scam-plagued version.
And there's the friendly, almost-serene welcoming and easy version.
(And of course, everything in between).
But the thing is, I needed to hear those tips from my friends. I needed to hear that friendly advice about which side exits to take and where to avoid.
I needed to hear from others who'd been there, done that, as women on their own in Delhi too.
So if you're reading this and thinking "I need that", that's exactly what my planning consultations offer.
The advice and support from someone who's been there, done that, and can share how to navigate India - so that you'll want to come back again and again for more - is exactly what I'm here to share.
Find out more and book your call with me here: https://calendly.com/elliecleary/india-travel-consultation
