No single supplement guide
If you are travelling solo and get a little put out at the concept of a ‘single supplement’, read on.
Solo travel in India
On my first morning in Mumbai, I was on a mission. I wanted to see the local art scene, wander around some independent galleries and meet some artists and curators.
I was craving insight; I had just arrived, my first time in South Asia, into this city of cricket players and chaat sellers, with its trees filled with roosting bats and its long and blisteringly hot seafront.
A solo female traveller in India, I thought I might have felt alone and adrift among its 12 million people. I did not. I found so many people willing to speak with me. I came away with a load of recommendations handwritten out for me in my notebook – of books to read, and names of up-and-coming poets and creators.
It’s surprising, the lack of loneliness, when you’re solo somewhere new that’s welcoming. In this amazing country, the fellow-feeling can be incredibly strong.
“Travelling alone in India was transformative. When I landed, I felt both trepidation and wonder – I was alone, but not really,” says Ellie Rodriguez from Responsible Travel. “India’s spiritual essence touched me deeply, from the serenity of an ashram where I found peace and introspection, to the wisdom of strangers who guided me in unexpected ways: like the families on the trains who shared their food with me.”
I was craving insight; I had just arrived, my first time in South Asia, into this city of cricket players and chaat sellers, with its trees filled with roosting bats and its long and blisteringly hot seafront.
A solo female traveller in India, I thought I might have felt alone and adrift among its 12 million people. I did not. I found so many people willing to speak with me. I came away with a load of recommendations handwritten out for me in my notebook – of books to read, and names of up-and-coming poets and creators.
It’s surprising, the lack of loneliness, when you’re solo somewhere new that’s welcoming. In this amazing country, the fellow-feeling can be incredibly strong.
“Travelling alone in India was transformative. When I landed, I felt both trepidation and wonder – I was alone, but not really,” says Ellie Rodriguez from Responsible Travel. “India’s spiritual essence touched me deeply, from the serenity of an ashram where I found peace and introspection, to the wisdom of strangers who guided me in unexpected ways: like the families on the trains who shared their food with me.”
My parents went to India before I did. My mum hated it. My dad loved it. He’ll likely go again alone – the country’s ability to divide opinion is all the more reason to go.![]()
I was on a mission that first Mumbai morning because that evening I was joining a small group tour of India, and I wanted to squeeze in my independent wanderings before it started. I was worried that I wouldn’t feel the same sense of discovery in a tour. After all, going solo seems to give you heightened powers of observation – I didn’t want to run out of notebook fodder.
But I was wrong to worry; just as when we travel solo, we aren’t always alone, when we travel in a group, we aren’t always in company. Solo travel in India is often fantastic when it takes place in part within the structure of a tour. You get the independence of being a single unit, but the reassurance and company of fellow travellers or a guide when you need it.
Read on for our guide to choosing tailor made and small group tours for solo travellers in India.
But I was wrong to worry; just as when we travel solo, we aren’t always alone, when we travel in a group, we aren’t always in company. Solo travel in India is often fantastic when it takes place in part within the structure of a tour. You get the independence of being a single unit, but the reassurance and company of fellow travellers or a guide when you need it.
Read on for our guide to choosing tailor made and small group tours for solo travellers in India.
Golden Triangle small group holiday, India
India's 3 most popular destinations, Delhi, Agra & Jaipur
From
£572 to £865
8 days
ex flights
Rajasthan tours by rail, India
Discover the evocative northern province of Rajasthan
From
£1042 to £1495
15 days
ex flights
South India holiday, small group
Classic south Indian tour of Kerala from Chennai to Kovalam
From
£1135 to £1530
9 days
ex flights
South India tour by bus & rail
Head to the beaches and backwaters of southern India.
From
£835 to £1045
16 days
ex flights
South India & Kerala holiday
Fishing villages and seaside communities plus iconic train journeys
From
£1305 to £1720
15 days
ex flights
India small group tour, temples and palaces
India's Golden Triangle and the holy city of Varanasi
From
£1299 to £1379
11 days
ex flights
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Joining a small group tour as a solo traveller in India
Think a small group tour is a cop out? Even solo travellers going independently invariably end up banding together with other travellers from their hostel.![]()
“Small group trips often come with better pricing than tailor made tours, especially if you choose to share a room,” says Sanjay Oberoi from our partner Bespoke India Travel. Usually less expensive than tailor made tours, small group tours give you experiences that you’d likely not be able to organise alone.
Our small group trips employ local guides and choose locally-owned accommodation where possible. You'll get an authentic measure of India, one that you might not grasp if you go completely alone and stay in a hostel with a very international set of travellers. “Joining a small group enhances the travel experience through shared moments and the support of an accompanying guide,” Sanjay explains, “Your guide ensures the trip runs smoothly, but also acts as a storyteller.”
Whilst you’ve joined a small group cohort, as a solo traveller you are still a single unit within that cohort, and there’s down time and free time built into tours. Our bestselling tour of Rajasthan includes a free day in Jaipur where you can take yourself to the sights – or treat yourself to a Bollywood film at the cinema. On our top selling South India tour you get a free day in Varkala, Kerala – where you could rent a windsurf or chill on the beach with a book.
Our small group trips employ local guides and choose locally-owned accommodation where possible. You'll get an authentic measure of India, one that you might not grasp if you go completely alone and stay in a hostel with a very international set of travellers. “Joining a small group enhances the travel experience through shared moments and the support of an accompanying guide,” Sanjay explains, “Your guide ensures the trip runs smoothly, but also acts as a storyteller.”
Whilst you’ve joined a small group cohort, as a solo traveller you are still a single unit within that cohort, and there’s down time and free time built into tours. Our bestselling tour of Rajasthan includes a free day in Jaipur where you can take yourself to the sights – or treat yourself to a Bollywood film at the cinema. On our top selling South India tour you get a free day in Varkala, Kerala – where you could rent a windsurf or chill on the beach with a book.
Choosing a tailor made tour as a solo traveller in India
Taking a tailor made tour as a solo traveller gives you amazing perks – you can focus on your particular interests, and get unrivalled access to the knowledge of your driver and guide.
Over a four-hour drive back to Mumbai, my driver and I spoke a lot. He had the same name as one of my best friends – that kicked off the camaraderie. We stopped for chai and food at a roadside restaurant and complained about the traffic going into the city. Over the course of a longer holiday, the relationship builds. “In Rajasthan, a local tour operator welcomed me into their home with unmatched generosity,” says Ellie. Our travellers speak of talking religion, culture, politics and karma with their drivers and guides, and even being invited for home-cooked lunch.
Gaurav Bhatnagar is director of our partner, The Folk Tales. He describes how a recent solo traveller chose tailor made because she wanted a very specific kind of tour. “She was a photographer and she wanted someone to explain the culture of the nomads of Ladakh,” he says. It meant she wanted a full-time tour guide with her for the trip. “Since she didn’t have anybody sharing the tour it affected the budget,” Gaurav says. He notes that most of his solo travellers don’t want to share accommodation or stay in a dorm. “We reassure them that they will have a private room and bathroom,” he says.
With no one sharing the cost of rooms, drivers and tour guide, you should expect to pay more, though most people find daily expenses in India (like food and drink) lower than at home.
Over a four-hour drive back to Mumbai, my driver and I spoke a lot. He had the same name as one of my best friends – that kicked off the camaraderie. We stopped for chai and food at a roadside restaurant and complained about the traffic going into the city. Over the course of a longer holiday, the relationship builds. “In Rajasthan, a local tour operator welcomed me into their home with unmatched generosity,” says Ellie. Our travellers speak of talking religion, culture, politics and karma with their drivers and guides, and even being invited for home-cooked lunch.
Gaurav Bhatnagar is director of our partner, The Folk Tales. He describes how a recent solo traveller chose tailor made because she wanted a very specific kind of tour. “She was a photographer and she wanted someone to explain the culture of the nomads of Ladakh,” he says. It meant she wanted a full-time tour guide with her for the trip. “Since she didn’t have anybody sharing the tour it affected the budget,” Gaurav says. He notes that most of his solo travellers don’t want to share accommodation or stay in a dorm. “We reassure them that they will have a private room and bathroom,” he says.
With no one sharing the cost of rooms, drivers and tour guide, you should expect to pay more, though most people find daily expenses in India (like food and drink) lower than at home.
Tips for booking our solo tours in India
Beating the overwhelm
“Our guests, often solo travellers or first-time visitors, may find India overwhelming,” says Sanjay. “Not because of the country itself, but due to the vast array of activities and options available.” He suggests solo travellers beat the overwhelm that comes with deciding to ‘go to India’ – the seventh largest, and most populous country in the world, by picking a themed tour – something that suits your interest, whether that’s a textile tour of Gujarat, cycling in Kerala, or eating your way around the cities.Asking questions & doing your research
A cursory browse of the internet will surface reassuring stories of solo travellers who’ve loved India. Our partners can help you with your trip research – for one thing, they’ll probably give you a stack of trip notes to read.I used Responsible Travel to book my India trip and they had advice that I would never have found for myself – like booking into third class when I was travelling unaccompanied by overnight train so that there were more people around and I felt safer.
One of the best things you can do before you go is ask lots of questions. “Whenever we have a solo traveller, the questions they ask us are very different from travellers who come in a group,” says Gaurav. “We recently had a Korean woman who travelled with us. This was her first trip outside Korea. Her main questions were about safety.”
Speaking to our partners – many of whom are local and have decades of experience – can give you the reassurance you need about your wellbeing, so you can focus on enjoying your trip. If you’re worried about where you’ll be spending the night, they can help you look them up. “We share the names of the properties where you will stay, so you can research them ahead of time,” says Sanjay.
Arriving in style
“I was very nervous being a single traveller, and arriving in Delhi,” says Kate Lintott, one of our travellers, “I would highly recommend pre-booking a taxi with the operator to your hotel, once I attended our welcome meeting that evening all my troubles were put down.”After the conveyor-belt sense of travelling through airports, it can be a rude awakening being spat out the other end, on the pavement with a giant bag. Having your airport transfer arranged can be a massive reassurance when you travel solo. Our partners often have great relationships with small business taxi drivers who can give you a memorable, personal introduction to your gateway city. After all you only arrive for the first time in India once.
Accepting cultural difference
In Mumbai, I was followed, questioned, and had people asking for photos. In Delhi you might be overwhelmed by crowds, scale and sprawl. In rural areas, I knew I was drawing attention as someone who looked distinctly non-Indian. Being aware of cultural differences can help you adjust to them when you’re there. A guide can help, but you may also need to accept some elements of the country for what it is and go with the flow – who knows where it might take you.
There’s a wedge of crumpled pages now in my notebook from my solo trip to India – a stack of paper into which I poured observations, drawings, a diary, phone numbers and book recommendations, and, once, accidentally, a few drops of chai. I spent parts independently, parts with just me and a guide, and parts as a small group. I was solo, but never alone. And, in researching others’ experiences for this page, I know I’m not alone in thinking it was one of the best trips I ever took.
There’s a wedge of crumpled pages now in my notebook from my solo trip to India – a stack of paper into which I poured observations, drawings, a diary, phone numbers and book recommendations, and, once, accidentally, a few drops of chai. I spent parts independently, parts with just me and a guide, and parts as a small group. I was solo, but never alone. And, in researching others’ experiences for this page, I know I’m not alone in thinking it was one of the best trips I ever took.
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