Girls trip in India: where to go, how to plan it, and staying safe

Hills: Kasol and Tosh, McLeodganj, Jibhi and the Tirthan Valley, Mussoorie and Landour. Cafe towns with short walks and plenty of homestays.

Beaches: South Goa, Gokarna and Pondicherry for a slower pace than North Goa, with sunsets that do the work.

Culture and food: Udaipur, Jaipur, Pushkar and Rishikesh, all easy to explore on foot and full of rooftop cafes.

Bigger trips: Meghalaya, Kerala, Ladakh and Spiti for 6 days or more. They need a proper plan, not just a weekend.

Agree on three things first: dates, a per-person budget and the one thing everyone wants to do. Most group trips fall apart on those three, not on the destination.

Pick one person to hold bookings and money, and share a single itinerary in the group chat so nobody is chasing screenshots. That is also exactly what we do for groups: one plan and one contact.

Stay in well-reviewed homestays or hotels in the main area of town, and check in before dark on travel days.

Book cabs through the hotel or a known operator, and share live location with someone at home for every long drive.

Save India's emergency number, 112, and the women helpline, 181 in most states or 1091, before you leave.

Keep one copy of IDs and bookings offline on every phone, since mountain towns often lose signal.

October to March suits Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala and the south. March to June and September to November suit the Himalayan cafe towns. Avoid the hills in heavy monsoon, roughly July and August, when landslides can close roads.