Off the beaten path: Bengaluru’s travel addicts hit the road in caravans now

BENGALURU: Kiran Gowda (27), cofounder of interior solutions startup Hangerspace, took three interesting holidays with friends and family this year to Sakleshpur, Tirupati and Vijayawada. The mode of travel was offbeat — a trippy caravan. The rented caravan housed a bed, kitchenette, essential ingredients, indoor and outdoor games and a music system.

“From spending a night on a hilltop in Sakleshpur, fishing in a small river and cooking it in our kitchenette, playing cards in the backseat to interacting with curious locals, caravan travel is an experience,” says Gowda.

Caravan as a novel mode of travel for weekend getaways has the millennials hooked.


Ramya Raji Dass (27), a freelance web designer and content writer, is another fan. She joined an all-girl caravan trip to Ramanagara and Agumbe recently.

“Caravan travel was on my bucket list,” says Dass, who enjoyed the spontaneity of the experience. On the way back from Agumbe, they parked at a scenic spot. They practised yoga, did a photoshoot and enjoyed tea as the sun set. “This trip was an eyeopener as I met new people and shared life stories,” she adds.

The questionable safety and crime situation in the wild and unknown is a given concern in India. While Gowda and his group of boys found it safe to park even in the middle of nowhere, Dass chose safe homestays and valid camp sites to dock their caravan at night and for washroom use.

“We get to meet curious onlookers and villagers. Authorities at state borders question us more just because we are in a colourful caravan,” says Rohith Subramanian (24), who did a road trip in his self-built caravan (a 1998 Matador) on Bengaluru-Himachal Pradesh-Chennai route with two avid travellers this March.

While Subramanian’s caravan costed him Rs 2 lakh, Dass and Gowda rented fancier versions from Trippy Wheels, a startup. Founded in May by two 31-year-old women, Sanjna Hangal and Vathsala Rangegowda, the company rents out 9-seater caravans (converted Tata Wingers) with a driver for Rs 8,000 per day. The caravans have been built by the duo themselves and 25 trips have been completed.

“Sakleshpur, Kodagu, Chikmagaluru, Gokarna, Agumbe, Dandeli and Hampi are popular destinations. Takers are primarily techies and creative professionals aged 25-45 years,” says Hangal, who has collaborated with en-route homestays and camp sites for secure parking slots for about Rs 500 per night.

According to Amit Shetty, cofounder of Indian campsite marketplace Campmonk, caravan travel is in its nascent stage in India but the intrigue factor is high. “Small format or micro-caravans is a natural progression of the self-drive phenomenon. In fact, Camping Ground Mysore in Mysuru is an exclusive campervan park in India,” says Shetty.