Women travel safety is becoming an important topic of discussion, thanks to many women traveling alone, especially in India. F5 Escapes has been doing quite a bit of work in promoting safe, responsible India travel. This workshop is the latest offering from our stable. Team F5 Escapes, team Durga India and a few women had gathered at Sasken Technologies auditorium on Saturday, 23rd June for what promised to be an exciting start to the weekend. The attendees were full of curiosity and questions.
“...importance of bystander engagement – how crucial it is for each one of us to stand up for another person in trouble.”
Women Travelling alone in India: Safety and Defence workshop
Our Speaker
Priya Varadarajan, Founder of Durga India was there to share her knowledge on personal safety, especially in the travel context.
Ice breakers
The audience was initially apprehensive, but the well-facilitated icebreaker did wonders to the comfort levels in the room.
The women in the room opened up about the typical apprehensions they have when they travel. Deriving from those apprehensions, Priya made amazing use of theatre techniques to recreate a couple of such scenarios and encouraged the audience to come up with solutions of their own. This worked brilliantly, as the entire group collectively worked hard to up their confidence levels.
Bystander engagement
Priya also emphasised the importance of bystander engagement – how crucial it is for each one of us to stand up for another person in trouble. The session concluded with a primer on physical self defence when the perpetrator is stronger than the victim.
(Also read: Body language as a technique for self defence while travelling)
The group at the Safety and Self Defence workshop by F5 Escapes in association with Durga India
The five principles of Durga
– Safety first – ALWAYS.
– Awareness – ALWAYS.
– Believe your gut / intuition.
– Engage/Escalate only if required
– Not here to teach a lesson.
Malini Gowrishankar, Founder of F5 Escapes.
Practical Travel Safety Tips
This was followed by a few practical travel scenarios and travel safety tips for women traveling alone by Malini Gowrishankar, Founder of F5 Escapes.
– Travel in groups – the perception of safety is also in numbers.
– Befriend locals – communicate respectfully without coming across as too friendly.
– Having a single point of contact is advisable when undertaking planned trips.
– Panic and anxiety are the worst enemies of a solo traveller.
– Travel is intangible. Embrace uncertainty. Plans are what they are – plans; not always the reality.
– Have just enough cash in hand. Try avoiding carrying valuables.
– Know your destination – do your homework.
– It is a good idea to learn some local language phrases. Express respect for local traditions and customs.
– Drivers can make or break your trip.
– Use public transport wherever possible.
– The importance of packing light cannot be undermined.
(Do check out our travel packing strategies for women travellers!)
Workshop in progress
The outcome
The workshop was very well received by the audience. Each one said she felt more confident as a result of the workshop. We at F5 Escapes, look forward to more such impactful collaborations in the future!
It was a Saturday morning well spent, indeed. Women traveling alone is the future of travel scenario in India. We are more than happy to be playing enablers!
If you think you want to begin your travel journeys, join us on our group travels for women across India. We move in small group sizes, across both the touristy and offbeat destinations, stay in homestays, boutique hotels and fancy stays, and wrap every trip with a smile and happy memories. Come join us.
Just Go! Travel
Blog update: August 2026. Images, links, headers, and minor text.
