Travel Tips for Women: What Should I Pack to Wear in India?

Here is my opinion of what women should wear in India based on my personal experience. Women should wear whatever they want in India; dress so you feel comfortable. Except at a temple, disrespect is not really an issue. What you should pack for your trip to India depends on where you go. Trance parties in Goa call for your favorite sexy outfit that holds up well after rolling it up into a ball and stuffing it in your backpack. However, in other parts of India, reduce staring and unpleasant interactions with Indian men by covering up.

Should I Pack Sexy Outfits for India? In places like the beach towns of Goa you can wear sexy outfits in India. In these ex-pat vacation havens an eclectic group of alternative women wear short leather mini-skirts, mid-riff revealing tank tops, tight pants and other fun accessories like boots or big jewelry. On the Indian beaches in Goa and Karnataka foreign women and the cool Indian chicks from Mumbai wear bikinis and some go topless. Indian women usually wear saris or pants and a t-shirt in the water.

Some beaches in India dominated by foreigners, like Spaghetti Beach in Goa, require a short stroll through Indian dominated beach territory to get there. Indian guys go to the beach in large groups - like ten or more - and gawk whilst perhaps snapping a photo with their cell phone to be used later at their discretion. Not to be negative, it's just true. Some may try to talk to you or follow you. This is usually harmless and if you keep walking they don't follow for too long. Play your favorite "get away from me" card: humor, I don't speak English and mildly assertive behavior work well.

Can I Wear Shorts and Tank Tops in India? Indian women generally do not walk around in shorts and tank-tops, so if you do you will stand out. If that is cool with you then, fine. When visiting India hot-spots popular with tourists and some yoga environments, shorts or tank tops are the norm. The thing is...many places in India have hot weather with strong sun and covering up with long sleeves, pants and a scarf on your head feels much cooler and you have more energy.

What Shoes Should I Pack for India? I brought one pair of Keen all-purpose, athletic sandals to India and I could not have been more pleased - the kind that cover your toes. 'Nuff said, I promise you will thank me later.

*Please feel free to post a link to this article in your blog or on your website. Check out my other travel articles on India by clicking my name "Tesl Goddess" at the top of the page.

References: Goa Hub, India Mike