KOCHI: Techie and travel influencer Geethu Mohandas has made a mark as a boundless spirit in Kerala’s tourism circuit. Wanderlust led her to launch the startup named ‘Let’s Go For a Camp’ a few years ago, and it has been a smash hit.
Recently, the startup won the International Centre for Responsible Tourism Award 2022 in the “Increasing diversity in Tourism” category. Let’s Go For a Camp has so far organised over 350 tours, including foreign ones, says Geethu, 30, who hails from Aluva in Ernakulam.
“My husband Aadish Ajay and friend Sankeerth Sreeshan are the co-founders,” she adds. “The travel bug bit me quite early, in Class IV or V. Teachers used to take us to nature camps, in association with NGOs and the forest department. I remember the very first trip that I went on. I recall going with my Sanskrit teacher, Sarada, to Nilambur for a nature camp. It was a memorable journey.”
It was her first train journey, and there were about 30 participants from across India, she says. “We stayed in an old house. It was fun getting to know people from different cultures and backgrounds,” recalls Geethu, who earlier worked as a hardware design engineer in Bengaluru.
That camp, she adds, planted a seed that finally took shape as a travel startup. And it was while living in Bengaluru that she realised the “gap” between trips arranged by tour operators and what the people actually sought from getaways.
“An increasing number of people have been looking for meaningful, wholesome experiences, but are often offered typical tourist ‘packages’,” says Geethu. “So, we began as a small-scale, short and private holiday group. Slowly, we ventured into longer trips as more and more people began to sign up for the treks, camps, picnics and holidays, especially to offbeat locations.”
Geethu’s fledgling startup took its first group to Agasthi, which is also known as the Mini Gavi, in Nilambur. “I prefer to go personally, visit the places, experience the culture and identify the spots,” she says. “Recently, I went to Ladakh; spent two months there.”
Ladakh, she notes, has been trending among women these days. “The place is not just about men and motorcycles. There is much more to it, and women are just loving it,” she smiles. Notably, Geethu says, “women empowerment” is one of her startup’s key goals. “My parents gave me a free rein, and that helped me develop the courage to go solo anywhere,” she says. “I would also like to thank my husband for supporting my endeavours.”
Geethu says her startup offers “special tours” exclusively for women. “Many women hold themselves back due to the lack of ‘company’. We have created a section named Srishti for such women. Another section is for children called Ammayum Kunjatayum — for mothers and children. Then, another interesting category is Itihasa — for history buffs. We do fruit forest trips, too, for nature-lovers interested in good health and farming.” Geethu believes trips should not be just about “clicking pics or selfies”. People should be able to take away something that “transforms” them into a nature-lover.
Trending destinations
Kashmir, Ladakh, Andamans
Offbeat picks
Agumbe (Karnataka), Vattavada, Kanthalloor, Kalyanathandu (all in Idukki), Janakikkadu (Kozhikode), Josegiri (Kannur), Ranipuram (Kasaragod).