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These Innovative Travel Startups Are Giving Vacations New Dimensions

Fly away!
Travelling
Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury
Travelling

Like much else, digital technology has transformed travel. We book cab, train and plane rides online on apps and websites, booking the seats we desire well ahead of our journey. Before settling upon a hotel to stay at, we take virtual tours of the premises, look at a hundred reviews and compare room rates on a dozen sites. We look at restaurant menus weeks ahead and make reservations online. There are startups which want to change our travel experience still more in the hope that it will become more exciting and fulfilling. From choosing destinations to connecting with locals, they want to add a new dimension to our ever evolving travelling story.

If you are visiting a destination for the first time, you're inclined to take a guide with you. Especially when the place you're visiting is of historical importance. Locals in selected cities in India can sign up as a 'Sherpa' and be paid up to ₹3000 for acting as guides. The app offers different categories of tours such as Food Tour, Shopping Tour, Heritage Tour, Photography Tour and more. Currently, the app is active for 11 cities in India.

Guide
Dennis K. Johnson
Guide

When planning a vacation, it can be tough to pick a destination of your choice that falls in your budget. Wherefor is an ingenious site that makes picking easier by taking a reverse approach for destinations and bookings -- you just have to enter your departure city, budget and the number of days you want to travel for. The website will suggest a list of places you could go to based on your inputs.

If travelling is one of your dreams you need not follow the cliche, "I quit my job to travel". Startups such as the WiFi Tribe help you visit places by providing you a place to stay where you can continue to work and enjoy your leisure time when you are not working. The Wifi Tribe provides great accommodation, such as a house, with ample working facilities, along with a set of fellow travellers with similar requirements as yourself who you will sharing the accommodation with. You have to apply ahead for the tour so that the WiFi Tribe team can find a good set of people who you will be travelling with. Your stay can be for up to 2-6 weeks at a particular location currently being offered.

A photo posted by WiFi Tribe (@wifitribe.co) on

Solo travelling in India has taken off recently, one of the reasons being that schedules of friends and family do not necessarily coincide with yours. So Nextto helps you find a co-traveller wherever you're going. You can look up on the platform if there will be another traveller on your flight or one in the same city. You can make plans together, share costs, or even just avoid them if you want to.

Bored with the airplane-resort-sightseeing travel routine? This start-up will help you add more escapades to your itinerary. Thrillophila is one of the few startups in India that are trying to create a niche in adventure travelling. The 5-year-old startup offers more than 10,000 activities across 20 countries in the world, that include trekking, hiking, kayaking, rappelling, surfing and more.

Climbers trekking to the Matterhorn
Buena Vista Images
Climbers trekking to the Matterhorn

No, it is not an anti-Gujrati travel movement. No Thelpa Holidays is aimed at people who want to pack light and have more fun experiences at the destination. The startup organizes curated holidays with a bunch of activities, that can range from just a weekend getaway to a week in Vietnam. The company organizes group trips of 12 people on an average and places emphasis on the camping culture.

Home cook
uniquely india
Home cook

Food is an important aspect of travelling. If you are visiting a new place, sampling local delicacies is a must. But many times, restaurants don't offer the kind of food that locals residing there eat. So Travelling Spoon connects travellers with natives and provides an opportunity to try out authentic homemade food. Depending on the time and convenience, one can opt for the market experience, cooking experience or the meal package. The company is partnering with home cooks in over 18 countries.

So what are you waiting for? Start planning your next vacation!

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.