KOCHI:They make an odd medley of women, an interesting potpourri of ages, professions and perspectives. But they are bound together by a common passion- the wanderlust in their veins. And, this herd of ladies who dream of faraway lands and carefree adventures, call themselves appoppanthadis. The all-woman travel group chalked out their first itinerary in April 2016, and now, one year into their maiden trip, they have a string of spots in their bucket-list covered.
“Our first destination was Rosemala and it was a motley group of 8 girls. Now we are 170 and counting,” says Sajna Ali, the founder of the group.
It all started with an Odisha trip that went haywire at the last moment. Sajna was all geared for the journey, but when her co-trippers failed to show up, she decided to roll solo. “That turned out to be an awesome experience, inspiring me to explore more. Later I realised there were many kindred souls waiting for a chance to start backpacking. All they needed was a platform and I decided to build one. I announced it among my facebook friends and peer groups and in no time my inbox was flooded,” says Sajna, a techie by profession.
It’s not just young travel junkies who constitute the group. Women from all age groups who love to let their hair down and float like milkweed are part of Appoppanthadi. Retired teachers, new mothers, busy professionals, cancer survives, toddlers, grannies - the list goes on. Every time there will be new faces, total strangers who easily get on with each other like a house on fire.
“The most incredible part is the bonding, after each trip you return with new friends. Now we have introduced a new concept called buddy appoppanthadi. Another travel freak in the group will take over my role and plan the trip for others. Last month two buddies, Radhika and Shweta, took the group on a night trekking jaunt at Munnar,” she adds.
Sajna says they usually go for trips that can be wrapped up in two to three days. “Sightseeing, camping and trekking, scuba diving, paragliding- we do all that. But some of the trips may not suit a mother travelling with her one-year-old baby or an elderly aunty. So we do everything from normal picnics to trips that involve physically-challenging outdoor activities. But if a 60-year-old wants join a trekking trip I never discourage her. I make sure that she climbs like all others and enjoys the trip to a T,” says Sajna.