Are you nervous thinking about an all-girls trip?

Well, having been there done that, I am telling you it’s not as difficult and unsafe as you think. Moreover, with several travel groups playing cupid to girls’ traveling plans, life has become easier. So get over your traveling solo woes because these all-women groups design their itineraries to provide utmost enjoyment to female travelers and make them feel uber safe at the same time.

To know what destinations women are flying to, we spoke to Soul Purpose Founder-Director, Vidya Deshpande.

Suggest a few travel hacks for women.

Considering the crime rate in our country, I suggest one shouldn’t scrimp on budget of accommodation. If you have to stay in a hotel that’s not so reputed, make sure you pick one that’s on the main road. Also carefully check the room and bathroom for peeping toms.

Secondly, hire a car from a reputed agency and get the driver’s details a little in advance before you begin your trip so that you can check out his credentials.

Also, don’t get into unnecessary arguments with waiters/drivers etc. It’s best to maintain a friendly demeanor.

Lastly, while traveling, add tags like a husband, best friend, emergency contact in your contact list so that just in case someone else needs to call for help from your phone, they can easily do it. Also, make sure you have shared your travel details with your closed ones.

What are a few must-haves every woman should have in her travel bag?

• Hand sanitizer
• Spare handy pack of tampons & STs
• A small pack of wet wipes
• A spare tee shirt
• A large shopping bag that can be rolled into a small size, so that it can be pulled out when you do some unexpected shopping, is a must for women!

Suggest offbeat destinations for the following:

Teenagers: Diving trip to Andamans, Diving in Indonesia.

Bachelorette: Driving trip to Thailand, Hire a beach house in Mauritius and spend a week there.

Mother-daughter: Explore Spiti Valley through home stays, Great migration in Masai Mara.

Elderly women: Homestay on a coffee estate in Coorg, Wine tour in France.

Solo travelers: Trek to Hampta Pass, River trip in Amazon.

What are a few safety apps you would recommend for women?

Himmat, Stay Secure and Safetipin are great apps.

On it, already!

What are the most preferred travel destinations for women this year?

This year, most preferred destinations are Eastern Europe, Jordan, and Bali for beach babies!

What are a few rural destinations that can be discovered by women activists and volunteers?

I would list the three places mentioned below for volunteering:

Ladakh: Volunteer program with 17000ft to make playgrounds and tech kids.

Spiti: Volunteer with Eco-Traveler on recycling garbage.

Kipling Camp, Kanha: Volunteer with Wildlife Protection Society of India.

What are those few things that we should be aware of while making travel reservations online?

While booking online, you should never go by the pictures on websites. What you see is generally a photoshopped version! Cautiously read the reviews posted by travelers and then decide.

Search for the best deal by looking through different search engines and attentively read the fine print as to what is included and what is not in the packages you choose.

So are you ready?

Pictures are taken from Soul Purpose’s facebook handle. 

This article was first published on October 18, 2017.