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Journalism of Courage
Bharati 1shroff, an advertising consultant from Chennai, was surfing the Net when she came across a blog entry on Women on Wanderlust WOW, an all-woman travelling club based in Delhi. Bharati8217;s husband was busy at work and she was desperately looking for a break. So, she dialled WOW8217;s number and immediately signed on for their trip to Egypt. 8220;I8217;d never intended to go on holiday only with women, but it was wonderfully liberating. We chatted about everything, from lipsticks to shopping. It was my time, and I came back making friends with most everyone on the trip,8221; she says.nbsp; nbsp;
Gayathri Upadhya from Manipal had a similar experience. A single mother of a six-year-old and an inveterate traveller, she has travelled alone, with family and with friends, but nothing compares with her trip to Egypt last year. Ditto for Lubeina Shahpurwala, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Mumbai, who says: 8220;I did things that I8217;d never imagined I8217;d do. Like belly dancing with a scarf tied around my hips, shopping for silly trifles, interacting with the local people and trying the local cuisine, and generally having a whale of a time with all the girls,8221; says Gayathri.
So, what is a 8220;girlfriend getaway8221;? A trip filled with lots of shopping 8212; without men sulking in the background 8212; relaxing at spas, gossip sessions and girl bonding.
A popular concept abroad, especially in the US and western Europe, it is fast catching up in India. The average ages of women on these trips ranges from 20 to 60; most are professionals, from corporate executives to entrepreneurs. Sumitra Senapaty, founder of WOW and a travel writer by profession, came across this trend on her many jaunts abroad. 8220;I just knew that there were many women like me who were keen to get away, but because of logistical restriction, they could not,8221; she says. As a woman, she thinks it8217;s easier for her to cater to women8217;s tastes. Men, she says, prefer a structured itinerary when on holiday, while women are more spontaneous. 8220;They are more keen to explore and discover the local flavours.8221; nbsp;
The first trip she organised was to Ladakh, with a group of 15 women. And now, there are packages for women that have options for sightseeing, trekking, pilgrimages and historical and cultural trips. Sumitra8217;s WOW, may be one of the earliest firms to have started, but now other travel companies are jumping into the fray. Like Kesari Tours of Mumbai, which offers My Fair Lady, a 8220;ladies only8221; package. Introduced last year, the trips so far have only been to destinations in Southeast Asia. But this year, a holiday to Switzerland is in the offing. 8220;We have queries from women of all age groups turning up who want to travel abroad, but either don8217;t feel safe alone or cannot find someone to accompany them. Which is why, we8217;ve had great success with this package,8221; says Poonam Dande, product manager at Kesari Tours.
A lot of these rips are specially marketed as gift packages, from a husband to a wife, or a son presenting a holiday to his mother. 8220;On one of our trips we had an eight-year-old, who was with her mother, and we had a retired lady who was 80. Every woman in the group tried the hookah and danced on the deck of the ship. When women are together, they always bond,8221; says Sumitra.
