E-Paper
Foreigner warned about ‘harassment, robbery, stares’ shares her experience of meeting Indian men
Ana is on a journey to hitchhike from Portugal to Australia and visited India as a part of her trip.
Prefer HTon Google
Solo traveller Ana, currently hitchhiking across India, shared an inspiring Instagram update about how her initial fears were quickly dispelled by local kindness. Despite being warned about safety risks before arriving, the 24-year-old Portuguese creator said that she experienced overwhelming helpfulness from people everywhere she went.
“Before landing in India, everyone warned me about harassment, robbery, and stares. I was genuinely a bit afraid of going there and completely avoided hitchhiking for my entire first month in the country,” Ana wrote on Instagram.
Also Read: ‘I’ll never forget’: Foreigner recalls giving Indian rickshaw driver ₹2,000 after he refused fare
However, with time, her perception of the country and its people changed. She stated, “But as time went by, the reality turned out to be completely different: Everywhere I went, I kept meeting the kindest, funniest, and most helpful people. From strangers on the street randomly spending two hours helping me fix a phone issue, to making lifelong friends—the men I met completely changed my perspective.”
She was also quick to clarify that she is not encouraging complete recklessness when travelling alone. Her overall message is to balance smart safety measures with an open heart toward the culture.
“Obviously, I’m not saying it’s 100% safe, that you can be careless, or minimizing the experiences of other women. You should definitely take precautions, especially in the big cities. But don’t let fear stop you from experiencing the beautiful energy of India.”
Her post was accompanied by a video where she captured her interactions with men in India. From dancing with her to a person helping her tie her shoe, the clip captures various snippets of her journey. Till now, she has visited Haryana, Punjab, Kashmir and Ladakh.
How did social media react?
An individual commented, “Thank you, dear, for showing the other side of the story.” Another expressed, “Glad you met some of the good men in your journey, but what you have heard is not baseless, be careful and have the best experience here...coming from a girl living in India.”
A third posted, “My theory is: approaching people with openness and kindness leads to receiving that same warmth in return… Of all the countries you’ve travelled to, where have you felt the least safe in your interactions with men?” Ana replied, “Love that, and totally agree!! You attract the energy you carry. And I’d say Georgia… my first bad experience with hitchhiking was there and many of the rides didn’t feel so comfortable either… incredible country still.”
A fourth wrote, “Thanks, and yeah, there are every type of people in the world and most of the men are good in India.”
Who is Ana?
According to her YouTube bio, she is a 24-year-old from Portugal “who likes to solo travel and volunteer.”
She wrote, “I did my first solo trip at 19 yo, where I spent 1 month volunteering in Poland. One year after, I did the same in Greece, and at 21 yo, I took a ‘gap year’ to travel full-time. That gap year quickly turned into a "gap life"... After that year, I spent 5 months working at home to earn some money to start my Big Trip: Hitchhiking from Portugal to Australia!! This trip has been on my mind since June 2024, so it feels so good to be living it now!”
Her visit to India is a part of her hitchhiking trip. She will be hitchhiking across India and Nepal for the next 1.5 years.
