Pretending to be married

julsf

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend and I will be traveling to India for the first time, starting in September. People have told me that we should say that we're married, since unmarried couples traveling together and sharing rooms is somewhat taboo in India.

Is this really true? Has anyone had negative experiences related to this issue? Will pretending to be married really make things easier? Will people even ask about our marital status?

Thanks for sharing your input!
Julia

ps--I'm new to this site, so please let me know if this has been discussed in another thread (I couldn't find one after doing some searching.)

LuAnnandJawahar

No hotel is going to question you.

Sure people will enquire about your marital status--and everything else about you!

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wonderwomanusa

I don't recall any hotel asking marital status when I checked in with a fellow. and that goes back 30-some years and four long visits to India.

If you're travelling alone, it's okay to invent a mythical "husband" who is going to meet you in the next town (prevents a certain amount of harrassment) but if you're travelling with someone, the hotel folks don't care.

As Namaste India Tours says, many people will ask if you're married. If you're going to tell stories, keep them simple, so you can remember them.

SHIMLA

Agree with both the above posters.

Better not to invent stories, as it is then difficult remembering them!! One lie leads to another and so on. In any case, your passports will show different surnames, so how will you convince anyone you are married?

Keep it straight and simple - you are two friends travelling through India together, that's it!

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radz

I think hotels or any places they dont bother about
marital status,its commmon ppl travelling with travel partners.
If you mingle with locals or fellow travellers(local),they will ask definitely the first question ,marital status,kids and job lastly weather ))in your country.
I think its just way of introduction to start talking, you can tell what it come up that time.No need to worry .
Happy travelling.

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rab

If it's not an issue for you it's not an issue for anyone else... unless you want to be married .. go for it - you don't (I presume) know what you're missing!

I last travelled in India with my wife and to be honest I seem to recall that when we phoned up to book hotels I asked for a double room and then just gave them my name.

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volga_volga

here is chance for me to ask an embarassing question that's been haunting me for a while: on which finger is a married woman supposed to wear the wedding ring?

i am asking because the tradition is diffirent in my home country (different from the West)... and i am always getting confused about this rings business with different types: engagement ring, wedding ring etc (we don't have, or didn't have, engagement rings in Russia).

so, as a F travelling solo, i would like to pretend to be married, and i want to wear some sort of a ring that would make me look like i am married short of getting some guy to propose and then put the ring on my finger (i only have two weeks left before my trip) i would like to know what kind of a ring and how i should wear to look like i am married

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guerik

Volga: a plain band on the left-hand ring finger should do the trick

volga_volga

guerik, WHICH is the RING finger? do you see my point??

i learnt English in a Russian school and the only finger name i remember is the index finger

steven_ber

"Third finger, left hand" - as the record says.

It's third finger from the thumb, or the one next to your little finger.

Engagement, Wedding and Eternity rings are all worn on the same finger. (in England)

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volga_volga

thanks Steven!! alles claar.

if i may sum up, it then goes like this:
little finger, ring finger, middle finger (?), index finger, thumb.

correct me if i am wrong!

steven_ber

Little finger, expensive finger, insult finger, pointing finger and thumb.....

Sorry, I have no idea of the names of fingers, never thought it worthwhile knowing.

volga_volga

for completeness shall i mention that in India married women wear toe rings on the two toes which are next to the big toe... (now, whadayacall'em) one plain band on the ring finger may not be enough evidence of your marital status

SHIMLA

volga,
If you want to portray the married look in India, then you need to wear a "mangalsutra", not a ring ! It is worn round the neck; start practising wearing one now !

And yes, your classification of the fingers is correct! And the index finger is also called the pointer, for obvious reasons!!!

guerik

Sorry Volga, even the third finger on my right hand is a ring finger over here

If you're going to wear one finger ring, two toe rings and a mangalsutra you may as well just find a husband between now and then, I think!