Im afraid.......am I alone?

One big thing that you had was youth.There was no life to pack up.That was life!!!! Bravery ,you did'ent know what it was.You just done it.you wern't worried about loseing anything,you wern't worried about being robbed.you dident have anything worth loseing!!!worried about getting in a decent hotel.What hotel.you would sleep where you could(if you could). If you needed a bit of help ask another longhair and you would (hopefully )get some.
Bom shankar
P.S i never made it passed the midle east,doing the last bit know

Can't speak for others, but I can let you know that most of my circle of friends was totally zonked on drugs, and looking forward to high quality dope that was too cheap to meter! I wouldn't call that bravery . . .

Also, with the alternative being to get drafted and die in a ditch in Nam, it was just common sense to get the F*ck out of America, which was engaged in a sensless war, with a republican president persisting in the folly of an unwinnable war, with schools and social services being cut, and the average american seemingly too distracted to do anything, being more worried about their own security that the insanity caused by local decay.
wait, . . . what year is it now? aaaaaa flashback, bad acid, take me outa here!!!!

Ha ha, who was it said 'Drugs have done good things for us, if you don't believe they have.......'?

>>I'd like to hear from some of the older members who first travelled back in the 60's and 70's to India - did you share the same fears as more recent travellers to India, or is it the wealth of information available that fans the flames of fear?
Sometimes I think the likes of Lonely Planet actually add to the fear, rather than reassure you. Since there were no guide books back then, or internet, what were your pre-conceived ideas of India?<<

Although it was a terribly long trip, going overland was much more gentle than flying into Delhi as we do now. Once we left Istanbul, it was like being in a time machine that slowly brought us back to earlier days... where somewhere in the middle of Iran, an ox dragged a millstone over a pile of grain which veiled women then blugh into the air to separate wheat from chaff. Sheesh, it was like being smack in the middle of "The Book of Esther " -- nothing had changed since the Old Testament was a new book!

Pakistan was a bit hairy in those days, and there was that "psychic female customs officer" who had us all quaking in our boots. Delhi was a smaller, quieter, friendlier town.

Fear? Well, going to India. for me, is always like jumping off a cliff into the unknown.

>>Id be interested to hear suggestions on avoiding dehli belly <<

Drink only bottled water, do not eat "Western" food, avoid strawberries like the plague. Only eat at busy restaurants. That will help a great deal.

Carry immodium for when you've got the runs and still want to get out of your hotel.

Most "Delhi belly" is temporary and not life-threatening. If you need to be hospitalized whenever you travel, consider not going.

Hey i'm new here and i'm off to india in 4 days for 3 months travelling solo, and I kinda have some poo on my underwear too. Arriving in delhi at midnite as a first timer and alone kinda freaks me out, but I guess it's all part of the story, isn't it?

I'm preparing to leave on a trip to Ladakh for a 5 day trek. I am excited but also apprehensive. I'm leaving my family home (husband and two sons) and going with a group of women friends. I'm scared, sure. I worry that it is irresponsible for me to go off like this and leave my family at home, what if something should happen to me?? Of course, the logical person in me realizes that anything can happen anywhere, and this is a life-changing trip, totally worthwhile. I am thrilled to have the chance to do this, but yeah, scared too. It is pretty reassuring to see so many other folks admitting they are scared. I went to Korea last summer and was scared before leaving, went anyway and had a fabulous time. It is about conquering fear, eh? Oh, and having a good time....

What I fear most in any outing is haggling with taxi-auto drivers?
THey scare me even more than my wife and my boss :-)

...Don't scare them even more!

But, even in that first trip from the airport, the worst that is likely to happen to you is that you get ripped off and over-charged!

Getting your hotel or guest house to send a car for you is a great way of getting over that fear of the first few minutes, and I strongly recommend it.

Anyway, I always rather enjoy seeing someone waving a board with my name on it! I guess it makes me feel important .

I think the fear of the unknown may not be always confused with the fear of India

Confession time .I'm an old hand at packing your bag and getting moving , but about a month before i leave for the next trip ,i'm of down to the doc's for some Valium . Once you are moving and on the road ,no problem ,but those few weeks before i always get so wound up .

...heck... show me one guy who is not afraid and I shall gift you Bihar (not a very non-controversial gesture though) !!

PS: For me, if the thread was "I am alone...I am afraid" would be more appropriate

I don't think I have ever been afraid of going to India. I always stay with family, travel around with my wife or family, etc. I have shown up at the airport alone a few times but I am always met by someone, and I have been on my own on foot in New Delhi only a few times, and I have wandered around Noida a little by myself (less fun now since beggars have re-located to Noida, they appeared after the McDonalds opened).

However, I know on every trip there will come a time when something happens (typically, treated badly by someone, somewhere) and I am ready to go home.

Travel nerves are more from the stress of getting everything packed, worry that I will forget something, and getting to the airport on time, with all my documents, etc.

Afraid? Hmmm.... yes...

Thing is, afraid of what?

Stomach upsets and malaria? Quite reasonable, but no more so than many places outside the 'developed' world.

I don't think there is any doubt that India is a challenging destination, but a dangerous one? Almost certainly a lot less dangerous than many.

I am sure it is more a fear of the unknown for me rather than a fear of India, per se. I never got travel nerves when I was a wee lass, but I guess in middle age things change. Glad to know I'm not unusual or silly, and it makes me feel much better that even the most seasoned travelers get nervous. I will just keep working out and thinking positively. And coming back to this fun website to see what everyone else is doing/thinking. Great site!