Tag: women’s history

The Unspoken Rules Women Still Follow While Traveling Alone

Solo travel is marketed as liberation — just you, a bag, and the open road. And it is freeing. But talk to almost any woman who’s traveled alone, and you’ll find a second, invisible itinerary running alongside the visible one: a set of quiet rules she follows without even fully realizing it.

Checking In Before It Feels Necessary

Many women share their live location with a friend or family member the moment they land somewhere new — not because something is wrong, but as a default habit. A quick “reached safely” text isn’t paranoia; it’s just part of how the trip is planned from the start.

Choosing Accommodation by Safety First, Aesthetics Second

That beautifully photographed homestay with no reviews? Often skipped — not because it isn’t tempting, but because women disproportionately factor in things like well-lit entrances, women-only hostels, or 24-hour reception before booking anything.

Timing the Day Around Daylight

Sightseeing schedules often quietly shift around when the sun sets. Plans to “wander and see where the evening takes me” get replaced with being back at the stay before dark, especially in unfamiliar cities.

Dressing for the Place, Not Just the Weather

Packing lists for solo women travelers often include an extra layer of thought: what will draw less attention here, what’s locally appropriate, what won’t invite unwanted comments — decisions made well before the trip even begins.

Having a Ready Exit Line

“I’m meeting my husband/friend/group in five minutes” is a sentence many women keep on standby, even when it’s not true, simply because it’s often the fastest way to end an uncomfortable conversation without confrontation.

Scanning the Room, Every Room

Walking into a café, train compartment, or hotel lobby and quickly noting the exits, the crowd, who’s watching — it’s such a fast, automatic habit that many women don’t even register they’re doing it anymore.

Why This Matters

None of this means women shouldn’t travel alone — millions do, and love it. But the extra layer of planning is real, and largely invisible to anyone who hasn’t had to carry it. Naming these unspoken rules doesn’t take away the joy of solo travel; it just makes visible the quiet work that goes into making that joy feel safe.

Women Who Are Changing the Environment Movement in India

India’s environmental movement has been shaped by women at every stage — from centuries-old sacrifice to present-day grassroots leadership. Here are a few whose work deserves to be known better.

Amrita Devi Bishnoi (18th century)
Long before “environmentalism” was a word, Amrita Devi gave her life protecting Khejri trees in her Rajasthan village from being cut down for royal construction — her three daughters followed her example. Her sacrifice remains one of the earliest known acts of environmental resistance in India.

Vimla Bahuguna
A key organizer of the Chipko Movement in the 1970s, Vimla worked closely with rural women across the Himalayan region to mobilize the tree-hugging protests that stopped commercial logging — a movement that became a global symbol of grassroots environmental action.

Medha Patkar
Founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan in 1989, Medha Patkar has spent decades opposing large dam projects that displaced hundreds of thousands of people, using hunger strikes and sustained public advocacy to bring the issue to national attention.

Vandana Shiva
A leading voice in the global ecofeminist movement, Vandana Shiva has long advocated for farming systems that center women’s roles in agriculture, challenging exclusionary practices in how land and resources are managed.

Radha Bhatt
A Gandhian social worker connected to the Chipko movement, Radha Bhatt has spent decades on environmental conservation and women’s empowerment work in Uttarakhand, and was honored with the Padma Shri in 2025 for her contributions.

These stories span centuries, but the thread connecting them is the same — women showing up, again and again, for causes that often didn’t credit them enough at the time. Worth remembering, and worth continuing.