In many Indian homes, freedom comes with strings attached: ‘You can go out… but only with someone we know’ or ‘Enjoy the trip… but call us every hour.’ Growing up, the memories associated with travel are filled with carefully curated temple visits, where the little excitement of stepping into a bustling festival or a temple courtyard was always under adult supervision. Solo travel or even a trip with friends was rarely on the table, often dismissed as a distant, impractical fantasy.
Today, a new wave of travel is quietly challenging these boundaries. Strangers’ travel communities are creating spaces where solo travellers or a couple of friends who are looking for a change, can step onto trains, buses, and planes with nothing but curiosity and the courage to travel with complete strangers.
Unknown to Known
The idea of venturing out with complete strangers initially provokes anxiety for many. ‘What if I don’t get along with them? What if it feels unsafe?’ Ask those who have taken such trips and you’ll hear about friendships formed overnight during travel, spontaneous jam sessions around campfires, and the quiet comfort of knowing you’re never truly alone on the road.
Swaminathan, who co-founded Exoticamp, a start-up focusing on outdoor camping experience in 2015, began with a small camping trip. It has now grown into an organised travel community that has hosted over 60,000 solo travellers in 13 states. At its heart, Exoticamp focuses on the idea of accessible, undiscovered outdoor camping. Swaminathan recalls how the community found its rhythm in camping experiences where strangers, hesitant at first, slowly opened up to one another. Safety, he notes, is the cornerstone of every trip. From carefully chosen campsites to guides on hand, every element is designed to make a first-timer, especially women, feel at ease. “Once that initial barrier is broken, the experience becomes transformative,” he says.
For Priya Dharsini, co-founder of Dream On Travel (DOT), the idea was born from her own longing. “When I was 18, I wanted to take a solo trip,” she says. “There was fear — how would I survive alone? I searched for communities, especially for women, but there were very few options in India. I found a couple in north India but the language barrier made me rethink.”
She then launched DOT with her friend RJ Santhosh in 2022, which was envisioned as a Tamil travel community that prioritised people over destinations. Their very first trip, an all-girls getaway to Varkala, filled up instantly, proving to them that many others were waiting for exactly this space. Over time, DOT became more than an itinerary; it became a safe circle for strangers who often shared not only laughter but also their struggles with anxiety or burnout, returning home lighter than they arrived.
Jefin Manojline took a different path. His community, My Rafiky, began as a wellness circle in Chennai. Soon, members from within the cirle began asking if the group could travel together. Their first trip, to Chikkamagalur in November 2024, remains etched in his memory. “By the end of the first night, strangers were laughing together, sharing stories around a bonfire, and even organising future get-togethers,” he recalls. What started as a wellness circle evolved into Rafiky Getaways, a platform where lantern-lighting nights and gratitude circles eventually became the highlight.
Though their beginnings differ, all three organisers echo the same sentiment: travel is no longer just about ticking off destinations, but about the people you meet along the way.
Rediscovering life
The transformative potential of these journeys becomes most evident when travellers share their experiences. For those who step aboard buses or trains with strangers, the first moments can be filled with uncertainty, but as the trip unfolds, that initial hesitation gives way to connection.
For Tharini M, a 30-year-old business analyst, her first DOT trip to Rajasthan came at a time when life felt like it was going downhill. The thought of joining a group of strangers triggered a wave of self-doubt. “I kept asking myself, ‘Who are you trusting of? How can you go on a trip with strangers?’,” she says. But, by the end of the journey, she had rediscovered a part of herself that she thought she had lost. “It felt like being back in college — meeting new people, sharing stories, and forming meaningful connections,” she says.
For Nithya Arunachalam, a yoga instructor, the numbers speak for themselves — over 25 trips across India. Each one, she says, taught her something new. “Each trip brings together different people yet creates a sense of belonging,” she reflects. Stargazing nights, spontaneous jam sessions, and the quiet of a forest trail transformed the way she saw both travel and herself. These journeys, she adds, have nurtured her sense of gratitude and acceptance.
More than a trend
Organisers highlight that building such communities comes with challenges. Priya says that curating itineraries after personally recceing the place for a month is the most challenging part. Jefin notes that logistics is their main challenge. But theyall agree that the reviews and personal stories from the trip keep them motivated.
The common thread is that strangers’ travel is no longer a passing curiosity. For many, it has become a form of social networking, an antidote to isolation, and a safe bridge to experiences once out of reach. Jefin says, “One traveller was very skeptical about joining, saying he was extremely introverted. Over time, he not only attended seven of our trips but recently even became a trip captain, leading new trips and helping others open up,” he says.
Adding that the bond between travellers extends past the trip, Priya says that in each batch comprising of 18 travellers, people first bond as friends, and sometime they even turn into each others’ family.
Swaminathan concurs, “We had one autistic kid who went on a trek with a mixed group of travelers. The kid’s father reported that the doctors have suggested that he take the kid on more such trips since it had helped.”
In a world where digital connections often feel shallow, these journeys offer something elemental: the comfort of being seen and heard by people you’ve only just met.
The road ahead
Rafiky is exploring international trips, DOT is seeing its Tamil community grow niche categories for all age groups to explore the world, and Exoticamp continues to expand camping to amateurs who never thought they would spend a night outdoors.
And across these organising teams, individual participants’ experiences have remained gratifying and different, but what remains constant is the truth that connections often begin with a daring first step.