Going solo: More Indian women travelling alone

Gurgaon/Mumbai, Jan 21: Throw caution to the wind! Casting aside their doubts about safety and all the nuances of planning a holiday, more and more Indian women are now choosing to travel alone. The reason for going solo: the freedom to explore a new destination at one's own pace and re-discover oneself in the face of new experiences and even challenging situations. Safety, of course, is the topmost priority for solo women travellers and they do their homework well before setting out to a particular destination. "For women, travelling with a male partner, or in a group, ensures safety, and safety is a priority for any traveller. That being taken care of, one would feel much more confident in taking a journey alone," says Arushi Kher, a Mumbai-based student who takes at least two trips a year by herself. Piya Bose, who traded her career as a successful corporate lawyer to start Girls On the Go (GOG), a women-only travel club in 2008, feels that it is a misconception that Indian women are not into travelling as much as their Western counterparts, although it may seem so. Since they are doing everything on their own, solo women travellers also manage their finances by themselves.