Safety Travel for Solo Women Travel in Goa

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Ghoomophiro

Goa has a laid back culture which attracts both international tourists as well as the nation’s youth – thus making it tourist capital of India.  Still, it presents some challenges to solo familiar travelers. For one thing, there are drug and excessive drinking issues. For the second, there is news of increasing frequency of crimes against women. There are also some reported cases of burglary.

Goa is worth all those risks especially since most risks can be put off if you take measures against them and the risks mentioned above are no more prevalent than any other major international tourist destination.

We have already shared some tips that can come handy for a female solo traveler in general. Today Ghoomophiro brings you some safety tips for solo female travelers in Goa in particular:

Smile, be nice but also be assertive

While we must never forget to smile and be nice to those we talk; we must also be assertive about our rights. A foreknowledge of our rights help. Do not be taken by the aggressiveness of others who might try to intimate you.

 Airport and taxis

Goa’s airport is as safe as you might expect an airport to be. Taxi services are readily available at the airport and can be considered fairly safe. That said, we recommend using the Uber app to order a taxi. The charges for such taxis are fixed and they have taken safety precautions of their own. Google has recently launched a new service which will warm you if your driver was to get off his route.

Beaches and Beach Huts

Goa’s beaches are it’s the biggest attraction.  As far as female safety go, the beaches are the safest one can find in India. Women can roam around in two-piece without getting stares or get far fewer stares than elsewhere. There might though be robbery issues. We recommend putting your belongings in custody of some friend you made at the place. Avoid carrying too many valuables to the beach.

Beach Huts are one of the biggest attractions of the beaches of Goa. These pretty houses are made of a variety of materials including bamboo or banana leaves, wood or concrete. However, there might be chances of theft if safety measures are not taken. If you are a solo female traveler, we highly recommend avoiding huts made entirely of bamboo or banana leaves. We recommend sticking to ones that are made of harder material like wood or concrete and that can be locked properly. We recommend traveling lightly – such facilities as ATMs are readily available in Goa.

Night Life

While Goa has the best of night Life you can find anywhere in India, this also means lots of drinking and drugs. We recommend making friends at your hotel or guest house and enjoy your nightlife with them. Do not accept drinks except those served by the stuff at the club – as people are in habit of putting stuff into drinks. Avoid arguing with drunken men as they tend to grow aggressively. Don’t get into a taxi if you find that the driver is drunk.

Rentable scooters

Rentable scooters are the best way to roam around in Goa. They cost about 300 bucks for a day and if you rent them for multiple days 150 bucks a day. However, if you are a solo woman traveler or foreigner or both, you might be considered an easy target and the renters might try to charge you more.

Make sure to use helmets or you are liable to be penalized by local police.

Mobile phones

Mobile phones are the biggest weapons in the hands of solo female travelers. We recommend keeping them sharpened, metaphorically speaking.

We recommend getting your hands on a local sim and use it. The local telecom services offer cheap plans giving free unlimited local calls and good amounts of daily data quota. Use the internet to make your international calls.

Keep apps like Google Maps and Uber Service on your mobile. Use mobile banking to do your transactions as far as possible.

Some useful telephone numbers are given below:

100 police

102 Ambulance

1091 Women Crisis Response

1078 Coast Guard Control Room

1033 Emergency Relief Center on National Highway

Make sure your mobile devices are always charged. You can carry power banks for additional support.

Don’t accept invitations to unknown places

Don’t accept invitations to beach parties and clubs from unknown people if you are not too sure.

Conclusion

There have been rumors declaring Goa unsafe for women after crimes against women in Goa have recently hit the news lines, but we find Goa as safe a place as an international tourist destination with a laid-back lifestyle. The state has dedicated government bodies trying to make it even safer. With a bit of caution, Goa can be safely enjoyed.  We hope these safety tips will help you gain confidence and consider traveling alone to Goa. J