Let this vacation not just be a time to take quick selfies in front of hundreds of monuments, but one that brings you close to nature and your inner self. With holidaying taking on a whole new meaning now, how about awakening to the spirit of adventure in a holistic manner as you cleanse your soul and celebrate life to the fullest? Picture this: R‘Oum’ing or meditating in the wilderness, hiking along with a group of like minded trekkers, running marathons in a foreign land, indulging in dance sessions, cultural trips, tasting some yummy bites and participating in other offbeat activities that no one else has ever done before; and all this in the company of like-minded folks from all walks of life. All of us have that need to get away and find ourselves. At the onset of the holiday season, these ingenious entrepreneurs are crafting tailor-made holidays with a twist to give your travel a whole new meaning with yoga, spirituality, trekking, fitness, quirky activities and so much more thrown in to add that extra jazz to your much required break. If you’re planning your next holiday and want to do something different this time, then our holiday guide might be just what you’ve been dreaming of.
Text: Namita Gupta
Gauri Jayaram’s Activ Holiday Company, as the name suggests is all about integrating your travel discoveries with your favourite way to stay active. Fact is that travelling by foot or on a bicycle can take you places no bus and car can. So Gauri believes that it is not just about doing things you really enjoy but also discovering destinations in a deeper way. She says, “We put in a lot of research into our trips – access, safety, beauty quotient and so many things come into play. Sometimes we visit places on our own but we also listen to our travellers. Travelling active is also at times about ticking things off your bucket list so a variety of things come into play when it comes to picking locations. Some of the popular ones we have done include: – Annapurna in Nepal, Bali for guided cycling, Israel for running a unique marathon (Jerusalem Marathon), Tuscany for self-guided cycling, Peru for the Inca Trail Trek,
Botswana for Wildlife Camping, Grand Canyon for rafting besides so many other incredible places. At most of these locations, we go for small, locally owned, boutique style places that offer the experiences of the destination. For example each trip to Jordan will include a stay at a Bedouin Camp, in Morocco we include at least one Riad and in Tuscany B&Bs. In Nepal we stay at Tea Houses owned by the Sherpas. This is one of the joys of traveling active – you can get really into the heart of the action, enjoy the outdoors but also experience authentic local places where owners cook your breakfast etc. Including airfare the trips range from around Rs 50,000 for Nepal all the way to probably Rs 3,00,000 but we also have a trip to the North Pole that is priced at 18,00,000 excluding airfare, so it really varies. Milind Soman has travelled with us. He recently participated in the Jerusalem Marathon in Israel and said that he had always wanted to visit Israel but the fact that there was a marathon to run sweetened the deal for him allowing him to explore the destination as well as do something he loves – run! The outdoors has that effect on many people – irrespective of their preference of activity – hiking, rafting, cycling, running, camping etc.”
Contact:
Ph: +91 98862 83441.
Email: gauri@actiholidaycompany.com
