KOCHI: It is an age-old saying that camaraderie knows no boundaries. The story of SoulMovers, a travel planning platform founded by Aswin V of Kerala and Abhisheka Singh from Dehradun, is a living testimony to this. Despite hailing from two extreme corners of the country and having lived different lives, they met each other from Spiti Valley during a bike expedition, and that was the beginning of more than just a friendship.
When the trip started, they were in separate vehicles. However, due to some emergencies, Abhisheka ended up becoming Aswin’s pillion rider. They rode through one of the toughest routes where they had to push through slushes and rough patches. They also ran out of fuel, which is probably a rider’s worst nightmare. And times of trouble did bring the duo closer, eventually giving birth to a business venture.
Combining their collective love for travel, they started travelling together and soon came up with SoulMovers—a platform that plans trips to least explored locations in the Himalayan region at affordable prices. They plan bike trips, road trips, camping, trekking and family vacations in parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Sri Lanka, and Leh Ladhak.
“We took up many adventures together. As the size of our groups increased, we learned how to manage them. After making a few group-trips to Dyara Bugyal, Kedarkantha, Madmaheshwar, and Nag Tibba, we decided to start SoulMovers,” Aswin said.
Though their friendship took off despite a bitter start, the couple now feels that SoulMovers became a reality only because they are from different parts of the country. “He is well aware of the rules, culture, and life in Northern India and I know about South. And this helps when we work together,” Aswin said. Though their main aim is to promote less-explored locations in the country, they also find it important to provide employment opportunities to the residents of villages where they set up base camps. “We have facilities in villages like Chopta Tungnath where there is a higher rate of migration. People migrate to Delhi and Dehradun in search of jobs. So, we make sure to include them. Employing them as guides make the work easier as they know more about the place, the pros and cons, the climatic changes and several stories related to the place,” Aswin added.
Apart from travel planning, they also provide the required equipment and gears needed for treks and rides on difficult terrains and high altitudes. “Promoting responsible tourism, we have initiated a project that aims to clean up the Himalayas. We always make sure to clean the areas we camp at,” Aswin concludes.
Wanderlusts can know more about them on their Instagram handle @soulmoversofficial.