Solo female traveller lists India among countries where she felt most unsafe: ‘When I was alone in the North…’

A solo traveller who’s visited 102 countries named India among the places she felt most unsafe, citing discomfort and constant fear of being stared at.

Sarah Woodard, a solo traveller who has explored over 102 countries, often shares her travel experiences and insights with her Instagram community. In an April 10 post, she opened up about the countries where she felt the most unsafe while travelling alone. Among the countries on her list was India, which she described as particularly uncomfortable due to the constant feeling of being watched.

“I loved visiting all 5 countries and would travel to them again if given the chance,” she wrote in the caption. “But I also had situations that made me feel uncomfortable and know my experiences weren’t necessarily unusual.” Here’s a closer look at the countries that made her list:

1. Namibia

Sarah called her experience in Namibia “one of the scariest” of her travels. A tour guide allegedly tried to cheat her out of hundreds of dollars, and she often felt unwelcome. “The whole time I was in Namibia I felt like the locals were annoyed by my presence at best.”

2. India

India was a country Sarah had always planned to visit on a group tour, but when she found herself nearby, she went ahead, opting to hire a private driver for safety. “When I was alone in the North, I always felt like someone was watching me,” she said, adding that she was even warned by her driver to return to the car when people began staring. “I was uncomfortable having my phone out and didn’t feel safe alone.”

3. Türkiye

While she spent six weeks in Türkiye and felt safe for the most part, her final week coincided with a U.S. travel advisory about kidnappings of Americans in the region. “Something about the threat increasing while I was there made me feel different and uncomfortable,” she shared.

4. United States

Sarah pointed out that most women have felt unsafe in the U.S. at some point, usually because of unwanted male attention. Her scariest moment occurred early in the morning while walking to the subway with luggage. “A man wouldn’t stop trying to talk to me… it escalated until he got angry and started asking for sex,” she wrote.

5. Tanzania

She visited Tanzania in 2020 during a time of economic difficulty. Her experiences included being followed into a hotel by a stranger who stared menacingly until staff intervened. “People would cross the street to ask me for money, and I was singled out at the land border for extra paperwork no one else needed.”