Women who wander

“I wanted to travel on my own when I had time on my hands. I would talk to my friends, and plan but nothing worked,” says Rewa* who is based in Pune. It was then that she started looking for women’s only groups and found Jugni Travels.

Rewa got in touch with the founder of the group, Nitesh Chauhan, who not only assuaged her doubts and convinced her husband but also handheld Rewa through her visa and air ticket process. Rewa was then all set to travel to Europe for the first time ever, on her own!

Travelling alone was difficult, and in some cases, downright impossible for many women even about a decade ago but not any more. Thanks to the presence of travel companies catering exclusively to small groups of women and taking them across the country and around the globe, it isn’t just possible but also immensely liberating and full of fun. 

Idea behind these groups

Interestingly, many of these travel groups were started because the idea resonated with the founders at a personal level. Shibani Vig, a NIFT graduate and an avid traveller says, “I used to travel alone a lot and was often asked how I managed to do that. This made me think about women who also wanted to travel alone but couldn’t.” Learning about boutique-travel abroad gave her the idea of founding WeGoBond, her women’s-only travel company, which has been conducting tours to places as diverse as the ancient ruins of Hampi, the breathtaking valleys of Spiti, and the unearthly magic of the Northern lights. 

If it was Shibani’s empathy for those who couldn’t travel alone that led to WeGoBond, Jugni Travels was founded when Nitesh, a former corporate employee, heard his female colleagues complaining about the difficulty of women travelling alone in India.

For Anuj Jain, it was watching at close hand the frustration he felt watching his sister plan several trips and cancel them that led to Wander Womaniya. “Women across all age-groups, from 17 to 70, join us,” says Ananya Desai, Operations and Strategy Manager at Wander Womaniya. “Women have always wanted to travel alone but the fear of the unknown often has held them back. The reasons have ranged from safety concerns to planning the nitty-gritties of stays and commutes,” she explains. While package tours have been around for ages, they didn’t necessarily address the concerns faced by women travelling on their own, and this gap was filled by women-only travel groups.

However, all these companies had to contend with doubts at the fledgling stage. “We started small,” Ananya says, adding, “the women were unsure about long trips so we started with weekend getaways. It was only when they realised how impeccably everything was planned that we started conducting longer tours.”

Building trust

“Building trust was crucial,” agrees Nitesh, who was discouraged by many, adding, “especially as I was a man to be in charge of a women’s only trips,” he adds. Suman*, who hails from Oman, recently travelled to Slovenia and Kazakhstan with Jugni, and found the trip well-planned and hassle-free. Poorly maintained toilets is a major pain point for women travellers, and Nitesh had to personally take up the task of cleaning of a toilet on one of the trips he organised. 

“Once the mental block around travelling alone is removed,” Shibani says, “it gives one wings! Solo travel is all about transformation.” “When travelling solo, women are able to leave behind the responsibilities of home and work and let their hair down and re-discover themselves! I’ve seen spontaneous laughter connecting strangers on these trips.” 

Shibani adds that WeGoBond makes these trips unique by ensuring that the women on the trips get a taste of local cuisine and culture. “In Japan, we take our guests on a geisha walk,” she points out, adding that in Odisha they introduced their guests to the sweet-dish chenna poda, unheard of outside the state — helping women travellers form lasting memories. “We also maintain an unhurried pace so that the trip actually does feel like a holiday not a chore,” she adds. Mira Desai, who travelled with WeGoBond to Ajanta and Ellora remembers the relaxed feel of the trip.

Each group has its own USP. As Ananya of Wander Womaniya says, “We make sure that the hotels are not just centrally located, clean and spacious, we actually get a questionnaire done and ensure that room-mates gel well.” All these groups entrust responsible, well-informed and mature team leaders to ensure hassle-free trips and in the end, it all works out. The women’s-only travel groups also help solo travellers form new bonds, sometimes reconnect with old aquaintances and travel more frequently. 

(*Some names have been changed to protect identity.)