Travel startup for women, by women

How about wandering in the roads with fellow women? Have a look...

‘Not all who wander are lost’ – definitely not when you wander in herd of your own kind! Celebrating womanhood in a delectable way is 56 years old Sumitra Senapaty with her brand WOW (Women on Wanderlust) Club since 2005. The woman traveller trend is the motivation behind WOW, a travel club that manages all-women trips the world over. For women who want to travel, but are apathetic to the idea of travelling alone, WOW Club is just the right option. WOW Operates from three offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, with 22 employees, primarily women, except for the accounts and operations department.

In an exclusive interview with Baishali Mukherjee, Senapaty, founder director of WOW Club, shares the story of her ‘by the women, for the women’ enterprise.

Making passion profession

My experience of travelling like a gypsy for years found its right culmination in WOW, which helps me allow other women experience the sheer thrill and magic of travel. Travel is about bonding, it's all about friendship and souls connect. I felt that women would enjoy travel, should they be given an opportunity.  The idea occurred as I felt that this was a niche that nobody had thought of. I was eager to offer it to more like minded women and I am glad that I did. Today WOW Club is an alternate social platform for women, apart from being a fully dedicated travel provider for women.

Women with husbands reluctant to travel or busy with work or the widowed or separated women, find the right solutions to their travel wishes with us. On our women-only tours, single travellers have the option to share a room and avoid paying the dreaded 'single supplement' – anywhere from 50 to 70 per cent more than the cost of twin share rates. The Club makes all the travel arrangements and all you need to do is enjoy the holiday and let down your hair!

An exclusive travel club

A passionate Sumitra

Our tours include an array of activities and leisure time along with carefully selected accommodations, knowledgeable guides, and a safe travel experience. The WOW Buddy is always with the group generating the feeling of holidaying with a group of old friends.

WOW is not a travel company or agency. It is an exclusive travel club for women, which has several hundred members and schedules many interesting holidays every year. The WOW goal is to increase the number of destinations offered, as well as increase the travel services offered. WOW assures you a trouble free memorable holiday that will be remembered and treasured forever. If this is what you have in mind, I warmly invite you to travel with WOW.

Leading by example

We are shortly starting another vertical - the personalized trips - an area of growth. We are investing on technology to improve our output and ability to do more trips. Presently we are doing 100 trips with over 2000 women, and hope to go to 150 trips annually. It’s my dream that women of different nationalities travel together, to make that happen we are looking at extending the Wanderlust platform to women throughout the world. We are the pioneers of the woman only travel and have many followers some of whom are contributing to increasing demand in the market for such ventures.

The happiness quotient

Our travellers primarily look for a mutual connect, and a safe, secured, pampering and adventurous holiday experience. They like the idea of WOW being a Club, where they can catch up with old friends and new. We offer a hundred holiday ideas from January to December, taking in offbeat travel and unusual destinations in India and overseas. Our tours come with hand holding, holiday recommendations, and above the promise of an all women bonding. Also the tours ensure safety as we know that there is safety in numbers, so even though if it’s a solo traveller she holidays with the safety and comfort that a group provides.

Touching lives

Women consider WOW Club to be very much a part of their lives, since they join the Club to be with old friends and make new ones. It has developed into a very interesting and social community of women. This is my greatest joy and achievement and I feel I have made a difference in women's lives.  

Does the idea of travelling solo with women unknown entice you? Please share your views.