Before coming to India, I was genuinely scared. Everything online made it feel like pure chaos — traffic, scams, noise, crowds, stress — and as a solo female traveler I had no idea if I was even going to handle it well. And to be fair, some parts of India ARE overwhelming. But Kerala completely surprised me. Fort Kochi was the first place where I actually relaxed into India instead of feeling constantly overstimulated. It felt slower, calmer, easier to navigate, and much softer than what I expected India to feel like. So if someone asked me what I think is the best place for solo travel in India, especially…

I flew into Kochi as my very first stop in India, planning to stay for just a few days. Almost three months later, I was still there. I arrived nervous because India had built itself up in my head as this overwhelming, chaotic place where everything would be difficult. Kochi turned out to be the complete opposite of what I expected. Fort Kochi felt calm, easy to navigate, tourist-friendly and much less intense than the India I had imagined before arriving. That’s a big reason why I think Kochi is such a good place to start if it’s your first time in India. It gives you time to adjust without…