Offbeat and the Upscale – Shalini Raj

There’s nothing more exciting than a hassle-free, stress-free, and completely curated getaway. With Journey Weavers, you can tick off all of that.

Having planned over 123 destinations across India, Journey Weavers curates exclusive itineraries as per one’s budget and interest. So whether it’s a special day you’re craving to celebrate or a simple weekend holiday towards the offbeat (attach this link please: https://peaklife.in/towards-the-offbeat-in-the-himalayas/ ), Journey Weavers knows how to close the gap.

The brainchild behind it, Shalini Raj has been on the go ever since associated with Coke. Keen on her inner voice and following her passion for traveling, she now fully operates journey Weavers as her dream.

In a colloquy with PEAKLIFE, here’s what we discovered…

1.) Give us a little insight into Journey Weavers. How did the journey begin?

When I decided of taking a sabbatical from my nine-year-old corporate career, one thing was clear; I did not want to sit at home. I was an avid traveler and would advise family and friends on the places to visit. While I was posted at various locations when I was working with Coke, on holidays and short weekends, I would discover offbeat places around the country. Traveling to these new places helped me discover my passion which led to the formation of Journey Weavers.

2.) What kind of experiences do you curate for your clients?

Journey Weavers curates and designs journeys as per our clients’ interest, occasion and budget. Our journeys are curated for individuals, mixed-groups, senior citizens, and all-women groups. We started with offbeat locations, but soon realized that travelers would not be interested only for such locations, so we started diversifying into curating combination travel to attract our customers. This worked exponentially well for us and we have earned the trust of our customers.

3.) Do you plan both luxury travel as well as local?

Shalini Raj, Founder, Journey Weavers

We are a travel designer specializing in providing a rich experience to our customers. We curate local and global travel with luxury. Our team takes an active interest in what is our client is looking for and we strive to fulfill their demands effectively ensuring a memorable experience for them.

4.) So, how exactly do you create this itinerary? What is the process behind it?

We weave our client’s dreams and plans into a journey by mixing it with happiness. We curate itineraries with a lot of love and care according to a traveler’s taste and incorporate destinations that genuinely capture the essence of the place.

Many a time our client has a destination in mind and we help him create the itinerary using our experience and network keeping in mind his best interests. Every place has a typical itinerary, so what sets us apart – is extensive research which our team does on the quaint, unexplored areas in and around the countryside that could be of interest to our customers and can be covered. We guide and include information on the famous eateries, shopping options, offbeat site seeing locations and unique attractions of the place which is not common knowledge.

5.) Do you have any tie-ups with any specific hotel chains as well?

For offbeat locations – yes, the company has tie-ups with several hotels and for traveling to other places we try to find out what our customers prefer. The company understands the need and demand of our customers and then prepares a plan that is best for them.

6.) In your clientele, which category takes up the majority? Is it more of corporate or wellness or leisure?

Our journeys are curated for everyone, fulfilling their needs. Among our clientele, leisure takes up 80%, corporate 20% and we are looking forward to growing this vertical.

7.) Today more and more people want to explore the underrated destinations rather than the popular ones. What growth do you see in this shift in traveling?

Travelling is always pleasant whether a traveler is exploring an underrated destination or a popular one. But with a change in time, today, many people want to explore the underrated destinations, and there is a 50% growth in this trend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6TH7a3Ay58/

8.) What are your thoughts on India gaining prominence as a wedding destination?

India with its heritage and diversity is a land of unexplored beauty and it’s on us as destination wedding planners to promote India as one of the most popular destinations in the world. Gone are the days when people used to get married at their homes and in this second decade of the 21st century, people are keen on destination weddings, inviting limited guests to their unique mesmerizing destination and enjoying it peacefully. We, at Journey Weavers, make it look beautiful and memorable for them while ensuring a hassle-free and comfortable journey and stay.

9.) What are the trending destinations right now, and what trends do you see in travel for 2020 ahead?

Travel trends come and go, but exploring the world more responsibly is the approach to tourism that is here to stay. If I were to mention the trending destinations in India currently, it would be Goa, Kovalam, Mysore, Puri, Tiger reserves like Panna, Pench, Bandhavgarh which are more in demand. Outside India, it would be Italy, Europe, Spain and South East Asia.

10.) Lastly, what is the future plans for Journey Weavers?

Journey Weavers strives to create personalized and unique experiences for our audience and for this we are continually innovating and exploring to be able to give a variety of attractive options to them. The organization believes that when a guest approaches us, they should enjoy the travel experience and leave the hassles of planning that to us. We also aim to be a leader in creating experiences for wedding, corporate and leisure occasion-based travel.