‘Less like a tourist, more like family’: Russian woman says India changed her perception amid global stereotypes

A Russian traveller documenting her journey across India has drawn attention online after sharing a video that contrasts sharply with the cautionary advice she said she received before arriving in the country.

Anna, who is currently travelling across India, posted a video on Instagram compiling moments from her trip — conversations with locals, street food experiences, walks through busy neighbourhoods and unplanned interactions that, she said, came to define her understanding of the country.

 

 

The montage shows her moving through different cities, speaking with strangers, trying local dishes and spending time with families and children she met along the way.

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“Be careful with people in India”

In her caption, Anna recalled what she was told before travelling.

“Be careful with people in India,” they told me before I came here,” she wrote.

However, she said her experience told a different story. She described meeting “some of the kindest, most curious, and warm-hearted people” she had ever encountered.

During her travels, she said, locals often helped her navigate unfamiliar places, introduced her to food and culture, and extended hospitality without expecting anything in return.

Small gestures that stayed with her

Anna also highlighted everyday moments that left a lasting impression — strangers offering food, asking whether she had eaten, smiling without hesitation, and making her feel included in their routines.

Those interactions, she said, made her feel “less like a tourist and more like family”.

She ended her post simply: “Thank you, India.”

Online reactions

The video has since been widely shared, with users responding with unusually personal reflections rather than typical travel praise.

Some wrote about their own experiences with hospitality, while others reflected on how such everyday kindness often goes unnoticed.

“People here don’t just host you, they adopt you for a moment,” one user wrote.

Another said, “We grow up thinking this is normal, but seeing it through her eyes makes it feel different.”

“India is not perfect, but the warmth is something you can’t fake,” read one comment.

Another user added, “She didn’t just travel here, she experienced India the way it is meant to be lived.”