The physical, emotional and mental care work that is the lot of most women often leaves them with no time to pursue their interests, passions, hobbies and curiosities. In countries like India where stepping out from your daily routine is questioned, restricted or frowned upon, travelling on one's own feels like a luxury. The unsafe nature of travelling within one own's city resigns many women to setting aside their dreams of going somewhere else unaccompanied.
This International Women's Day, we encourage women and femme folks to seek out travel agencies that will allow them to live their travel dreams while being sensitive and inclusive of their needs. Here are five of them.
Shireen Mehra started Women on Clouds (WoC) after she went on a camping trip to Uttarakhand with her female friends. The joy she got from organising the trip sparked the idea to launch a travel company that catered to women. According to Mehra, her agency is for "women who want to travel, explore places, have fun [and] reconnect with themselves but are restricted due to factors like safe[ty], busy family and friends, approval from family, etc."
WoC offers three kinds of trips: luxury travel, where visitors stay in 5-star properties and enjoy bespoke experiences; classic trips, where a female coordinator joins the group and accommodation is restricted to 3- and 4-star properties; and "light pocket" trips, which are budget-friendly and feature 2- to 3-star accommodation. Upcoming trips involve travelling to places like Kerala, Bhutan, Ladakh and North Sikkim.
This travel agency is handy for first-time travellers looking to live their travel dreams, and 90 per cent of The Flapper Life's (TFL) clientele fits that profile. TFL focuses on experiential, cultural and adventurous travel in India and Asia. They hire local residents, known as 'coaches', to guide travellers around their city and town. The agency also hosts a podcast called Brewing Traval Shots which interviews women from all sorts of backgrounds—archaeologists, bikers, wildlife naturalists—on their travels and experiences.
TFL's itinerary for the next few months includes tours to Madhya Pradesh, Thailand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Vietnam, Japan and the Andamans.
This women-led company was formed in 2013 for crafting unforgettable women-only group tours that were both comfortable and luxurious. Group sizes are small and are capped at just 12 travellers to generate a sense of camaraderie. According to the WeGoBond (WGB), tour packages prioritise women's safety above all else. Their clientele spans a range of ages, but most of them are in their thirties and sixties. WGB is open to bringing children along on trips, but this is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Trips to Bhutan, Himachal Pradesh, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Croatia, Uzbekistan, Tibet, Kenya and Turkey are open for bookings.
F5 Escapes has a four-fold mission: one, to encourage women to get outside of their comfort zone and travel in groups; two, to highlight the best homestays, boutique hotels and heritage stays across the country; three, to design itineraries that cater to women's needs and be with them every step of the way on their travels; and four, to promote responsible tourism by hosting community interactions, educating travellers on the local conditions and implementing no-littering policies.
In addition to group tours, F5 Escapes also conducts activities within cities such as travel meetups, workshops to educate women on travel safety, sustainable menstruation, motorbiking, etc. Trips to Amritsar, Kolkata and the Sundarbans, the Tirthan valley, Kutch and Madurai are open to bookings.
The name of this travel company means female firefly, and it was started by two Delhi men. Jugni caters to groups of solo women travellers but no-one is forced to do anything they aren’t interested in. According to their website, their tour packages serve the party animal as well as the nature lover. Jugni only organises fixed departures, which range from weekend getaways to international tours. Furthermore, the group size is limited to 12-15 spots to keep travel experiences authentic.
Kotgarh in Himachal Pradesh is an upcoming weekend trip. Trips to Pondicherry, the Andamans, Meghalaya, Bali and Gili Island, Japan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and Arunachal Pradesh are open for bookings.