8th Jan, 2010
WOW in India Today supplement Simply Bangalore!
16th Nov, 2009
A Taste of Ireland
You see the Irish tricolour flying over the bright doors of Dublin and quite a cosmopolitan turnout on this shamrock strewn island. As well as the Irish and the English, there are Americans, Italians, Scots, other Europeans and a few Indians - all agreeing loudly in varying baritones that the craic is indeed mighty. So I reckon that there’s only two kinds of people, the Irish and the wannabe Irish. We slip in for a quick one at the Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast and sit at the ’snug’ for a while. Drinking snugs according to old records, were not originally built for comfort but to accommodate those people who preferred to drink quietly and unseen! He half poured my half pint of Guinness, then let it stand for three seconds as in the old days, this apparently lets the stout settle. It also allows the barman to ask who are you, where you’re from and why you’re here. Others at the counter listen and nod. Then he fills up the balance, smooths off the head with a table knife and waits for you to take the first sip. Driving through Limerick we get a tad creative: There was a girl called Shalini
12th Nov, 2009
Catching up with Wanderlust and Lipstick!
I Caught up with Beth and her friends on the last leg of their India experience. As twelve excited women recounted their experiences over a sumptuous meal at Karim’s I experienced a moment of revelation and bonding. Their program included the India essentials- Golden Trangle with Varanasi in tow. The women, from all over the United States, enjoyed their trip tremendously. They loved the boat rides in Varanasi, riding into the sunset on a camel in Jaisalmer, the camel race in Pushkar, the unparalleled Taj Mahal, the opium ceremony in Bishnoi village and the lanes of Chandni Chowk. Varanasi was the biggest hit as the women got a chance to explore the city on foot and the high point was a local musical performance that they chanced upon in one of the lanes. The boat ride on the Ganga had its fans too but they were divided over the sunrise ride versus the sunset one. The boat ride at sunrise offered them a glimpse of devotees offering their morning prayers and a serene atmosphere.Though for most the frenzy of the evening prayers seemed awesome and something almost unreal. Pushkar was the shopper’s paradise. A football match between the locals and the tourists was something they found quite adorable. The Opium ceremony at Bishnoi village was an interesting experience too. They noted how the men had glazed expressions of addicts while the women were the ones who did all the work. When they mentioned the black buck I told the girls about Salman Khan’s misadventures in Bishnoi. Well the group had many Bollywood fans! Quite a surprise for me! In all these adventures, an interesting bit was their unanimous appreciation for their female guide in Varanasi. A girl doing her PhD in bio chemistry conducted them through this mysterious and holy city. Apart from partaking of her repository of information, the women really enjoyed the chance of getting the female perspective on things. The chance to share experiences and swap stories with a woman from a very different world was part of their India experience. Later they enjoyed talking to the girls from WOW who went with them to explore Old Delhi. For instance the perennial problem of the staring Indian male, boy friends, marriage and the changing facets of femininity world over, were all discussed. This is when I realized that even though we all belonged to different continents, there were essentially female experiences that bound us together allowing us to instantly connect. This is not to say that they did not have a blast with their male guide in Delhi whom they all fondly called GK!The whole experience got them excited about India and they are planning another trip here. Next year they will head to the South of India for some sun, fun and avial! I do hope WOW continues to help in making all-women-travel an international phenomenon, and women from all over the world continue to bond, connect and share their experiences. For I do firmly believe that the most interesting part about travelling is the new people you interact with and the experiences you gain and share! Stay Pink and Footloose always! 
11th Nov, 2009
WOW in India Inc.!
India Inc., an online business magazine, featured an article on WOW in their latest issue.Here’s the link:http://www.9dot9.in/emagazine/nov09/coverstory.html Round the world with 80 women First, she travelled for fun. Now, she helps other women have fun on their travels, despite being alone. Meet Sumitra Senapaty, the founder of WOW, who has managed toconvert her passion into a business venture.
It was on one of her assignments as a travel writer that Sumitra Senapaty met a motley bunch of women strolling around a picturesque tourist spot in New Zealand. They behaved more like a bunch of girls – giggling, gossiping, chatting and shopping. They were being herded from time-to-time by an athletic 40-something lady, who was the owner of this women’s only travel club.There was reason for all that happiness - in the next couple of days, the ladies would be living in a farm, walking on a glacier, hiking in Abel Tasman National Park, jet boating in Queenstown, and sampling some of the finest New Zealand wines on vineyard tours. A lot of fun packed neatly into an itinerary, without the bother of pesky kids, busy husbands and ever-demanding work.The travel addict she was, Senapaty knew that feeling of high all too well. As she looked at the women disappearing down the road, chatty and carefree, she knew she had a business plan – one that would generously accommodate her passion for travel.Back home, she recreated the concept, putting together the Women on Wanderlust (WOW) Club – to offer the X-chromosome carriers a chance to globetrot on their own. Her first experiment was an all-women’s trip to Kerala for her extended family. “We did Cochin, Munnar and the backwaters, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. But what struck me was that apart from tourism, we enjoyed spending ‘girl time’ together. No matter what age, women have an innate ability to bond with each other. We had oodles of fun,” she says. The trip made her believe that she could pull it off - WOW was formally launched in the summer of 2005 by arranging three group trips to Ladakh.Explaining the DNA of her club’s success, Senapaty says: “Many women want to travel. But several restrictions or reservations associated with travelling alone make them hesitate. The reasons are many — a busy husband; or strict parents who won’t let their daughter roam the world alone. Then, there are women, who are widowed or separated, or whose friends or relatives are not able to accompany them. Whatever be the case, most women don’t like travelling alone. And that is where we came in.”WOW offered the perfect solution for women, who wanted to break free of domestic monotony or stressful careers but were anxious about travelling alone. “Women feel more confident going to new places with other women, often strangers, than with an impersonal agency that does mass tourism. I believe that being a woman myself, I know exactly what they are looking for and I plan our holidays more like a close friend would.”Her company organises all-women trips around the world. It does flights and train bookings, tour packages, insurance, visa, hotel bookings and exclusive tours to far flung countries like Egypt, Greece, South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bhutan and Turkey. For those looking for short holidays, there are weekend tours to Himachal, Rishikesh, wildlife adventures and even weekend wine-and-cheese dos.The club has even tied up with bulk operators and airlines, as well as national tourist organisations of various countries. Though Senapaty won’t disclose how much her hobby-turned-business venture earns, you can easily work out the math here - WOW does about 30 trips a year, costing from Rs 10,000 for a weekend getaway to Rs 1.5 lakh for a 10-day international trip, and makes 7-10% margins on each trip.The club puts up itineraries of upcoming travel on its website and interested women sign up. WOW has just four full-time employees who help co-ordinate and handle day-to-day admin work. Senapaty asserts that all her marketing is word-of-mouth and she has only just begun advertising in a popular national travel magazine.She is, however, quick to clarify that WOW is not a travel agency. “WOW is an exclusive travel club for women. Our patrons, who travelled on our first trip to Ladakh in the summer of 2005, are still travelling with us today because they have a lot of fun when they get together. The group is a mix of women of all ages and stages — young, not-so-young, young-at-heart, single, divorced.”No wonder it has managed to attract women from not only metros, but even small towns. Senapaty gets inquiries from places such as Surat, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Indore, Lucknow, Mangalore and even Tiruchirapalli. NRIs and foreign tourists also figure in the travel groups of WOW.Taking the social aspect a step further, Senapaty has introduced a membership plan for her patrons. “We have just introduced an annual subscription option which costs Rs 8,000, and members get an invitation to a wine evening, an annual lunch and an all-expenses paid weekend trip with other members,” she says. She has already tied up with a wine company and hosted a “wine and cheese” event for women in Bangalore.Despite initial hiccups, WOW is a hit. With 4,600 fans on Facebook, and 60 tours conducted so far (not to mention the 900 women whose travel it has coordinated), the club has definitely touched a chord with urban women who are looking for fun.It helps that Senapaty knows what her customers are looking for when they pack a travel bag. After all, she packs her own some 24 times a year.
BY SUPRIYA V
Check em out in the WOW gallery:http://wowsumitra.com/photo_gallery.php?id=23
23rd Oct, 2009
WOW in Khaleej Times
The Adventurers (Travel)23 October 2009 Ladies, how often have you dreamt of leaving the family life behind for a bit of ‘me time’ spent exploring the world? Women On Wanderlust makes it possible, finds out Pratibha Umashankar Sumitra Senapaty has kayaked in the South China Sea, snorkelled through the Great Barrier Reef, sailed the waters of the Seychelles, rafted the Zanskar River in Ladakh, cruised the Mediterranean, toured Alaska, Canada, Egypt, Turkey and camped out in the wild African Bush. A freelance travel and lifestyle writer, she wanted to share her passion for travelling with other women, and Women On Wanderlust (WOW) was born. It’s based on a simple concept: safe and hassle-free trips for women. Whether they are 16 or 65, they can sign up. It’s a web-based business model and works through the WOW website and e-mails, until the final stages of actually booking, when the women who have signed up talk over the phone to clear doubts, if any, about the trip. They then pay the tour costs either by sending in cheques/drafts, online transfers or depositing the amount directly into the bank. Since the information about the trip is disseminated through the Internet, once the itinerary is out, anyone, anywhere in the world can join, as long as they belong to the fairer sex. Sounds unfair? Well, the men can go climb a tree, or tear their hair in despair while the women let theirs down. “The first step is to research which destination is attractive to women,” says Senapaty. “The next is to identify a suitable support system — hotels, transport etc. An itinerary is then designed that is interesting and fulfilling, rather than focusing only on sightseeing. We then negotiate the rates and finally put out the product and wait for women to sign up.” Senapaty, an astute entrepreneur, was nudged into starting WOW by the woman-traveller phenomenon that is gaining ground in the Indian subcontinent. She knew there were women out there who wanted to but couldn’t actually pack up and leave home to explore the world. She set up WOW in 2005 to make this dream possible. Now she has an office in Delhi, with a base in Bangalore. Senapaty calls both cities home and shuttles between the two. A full-fledged Bangalore office is slated to open in December this year, and she also has her eyes trained on Mumbai. “Our first domestic trip was to Ladakh. The response was amazing. It’s still one of our most popular trips. We have had eight groups visit Ladakh this year. Egypt was our first international tour in 2006 — and it continues to be popular,” she says. “We undertake ?about 35 trips to various destinations annually. I accompany about eight groups. I ?now have a WOW membership list that runs into several thousand and growing every day. The interest has been truly astounding. I’m touched.” All this is thanks to the new avatar of Indian urban women. Living life to the fullest is their new mantra. There was a time when the family came first for them, and it still does today. But now, with flourishing careers of their own and disposable incomes, women have begun to feel less guilty and selfish about having a bit of ‘me time’. Even elderly women have learnt to enjoy themselves. This is good news for the leisure travel business. Senapaty agrees: “More and more women are thinking about leaving their husbands at home and hitting the road with other women. When women travel together, it’s fun, non-competitive and Her clients talk about it as being liberating because it offers the freedom to choose their own destination and activities without having to compromise with family members who might want to do something else. Many feel that independent leisure travel is truly empowering and exciting. “Also, let’s not forget that there are a large number of well-off working, single women, young widows and divorced ladies who love travelling,” she adds. “We take care of their travel plans. We also act as advisers and facilitators for those who want us to arrange holidays according to their requirements.” Since WOW was the first travel company of its kind in India, news of its success has spread by word-of-mouth via satisfied customers. Those who get hooked bring others along for the next trip. But is there a typical WOW traveller profile? Yes, says Senapaty: “They’re typically urban women. They want trips designed around good food and fine accommodation, enjoy flexibility in the travel schedule, and don’t want to be part of too large a group.” On most trips, the average age is between 28 and 65. But she tells all those interested in joining up not to worry if they’re older or younger. Once a trip begins, it’s like travelling with friends. The common denominator is the travel experience, not age. A few British, Spanish and German women have joined WOW and quite a few expatriate Indians have come along as well. A die-hard gang of adventurous girls who have taken 12 trips with WOW in the ?last four years has made Senapaty mull over the idea of making it a membership-based social club for those who want to do more than just travel. She knows the pulse of her clientele: women who know how to have a blast when their menfolk are not around. “A WOW trip is like a college pyjama party,” she says, as she packs her bags for the next big adventure. (For more details, log on to ?www.wowsumitra.com)
They invariably do. 
stress-free. It’s also a great bonding experience.”
Senapaty believes that the WOW business model has been a success because it’s not a travel agency. It’s a travel platform for women and a social network: “When WOW travellers become good friends — it happens on every trip — it touches my heart. They realise they’ve been missing out on ‘girl time’ — the time to share strengths with and provide support to other women. Travel teaches us to rejuvenate ourselves.”
This Diwali was especially auspicious as one of my long cherished dreams came true!
Exactly one winter ago two friends visited the Taj, and while they were admiring its splendour they agreed upon the need to bring the beauty of this incredible sight to women all over the world. Beth and me, continents apart but committed to sharing our passion for travel with other women, decided to work towards making all women travel a reality. Beth Whitman is a travel writer and the founder of Wanderlust and Lipstick. She has travelled extensively, this being her fifth visit to India. With several books to her name one of them being about women travelling to India, she was the best person to bring a group of American women to India!
Beth and her friends arrived in Delhi when the atmosphere was redolent with the festive spirit. To give them a traditional Diwali experience WOW organized a Diwali evening for them. The venue had an old world charm about it as it was a colonial house from Lutyen’s Delhi. The festive fervour was created through the three ps of Diwali celebration- pooja, patakhe and patte! The women participated in the traditional pooja and the pandit tied the holy thread around their wrists. Then it was time to learn ‘teen patti’ and for lack of counters we all played with match sticks, but it was just as much fun! Later the skies seemed lit with starburst as the crackers rocketed into the sky and their beauty was reflected in the sparklers and anaars on the ground. Some very dear friends who have travelled with WOW joined in the celebrations too and shared their WOW experiences with Beth and her friends.
As I saw the women connect I had a vision of a world wide network where women from all over bonded with their passion for travel and visited each other’s countries with equal amounts of curiosity and amazement. Now the Lipstick gang are off to explore Agra, Rajasthan and Varanasi. I cant wait for them to come back and explore Delhi on the last leg of their tour and share their experiences with me! Planning a Karim’s dinner for them, yes in Purani Dilli!! Will write soon and share more pictures of their trip. Till then…stay pink and footloose!
13th Oct, 2009
A new space for women to go WOW!
WOW has shifted to a new office space at Bhikaji Cama and there was a little office warming and a Diwali pooja to celebrate it. WOW girls, ever supportive, turned up to share my excitement and have a look at the new office. We have a gorgeous terrace right outside the door, where we sat down to enjoy high tea and as always WOW chatter! One of the things which adorns the walls is Nat Geo’s map of Africa (one of our most successful trips!) and a few framed newspaper clippings on another. These help remind me of the myriad trips still to be planned and all the footloose women just waiting to explore, travel and enjoy their WOW experiences!
26th May, 2009
WOWing All Women!
Vani Sreekanta writes an article on WOW for the Deccan Herald. Read On:
| Hobby Club | |
| Vani Sreekanta | |
| Wowing all women | |
| Vani Sreekanta | |
| Sunday, May 24, 2009, 12:00 [IST] | |
| Travelling is a soul journey. | |
 Chasing the horizon, being footloose and fancy free is an addiction. The only kind of addiction that clears one’s mind. Sumitra Senapaty had such a moment of clarity. Speaking about it, she says, “In the summer of 2003, I was doing a solo driving trip in New Zealand. I was relaxing in a cafe and happened to speak to some British women who were from a London travel club.” This conversation got Senapaty thinking about the need for such a club in India. Without pausing to dwell on failure too much, she planned an all-women’s trip to Ladhak. This was the first trip Women on Wanderlust made. WOW, as they are called, became the first all-women’s travel club in India. The club boasts of more than 3,000 members as on date. Nilima Srivatsava, a traveller who has been part of WOW ever since the first Ladhak trip, speaks nostalgically about it. She recounts, “I was back from the US and a Delhi newspaper had carried an article about the trip. I signed on. The Sherpa brought ‘chai’ to the five women who had signed on for the trip. We were sitting around and began talking about things like we’d known each other forever. Sumi and I have remained good friends. Neither of us imagined it would become this big”. Talking about why there is need for an all-women’s travel club, Senapaty said “Even on vacation, a woman still plays the role of the caretaker. And besides, women are different when there is a member of the opposite sex around. They can be themselves around other women.” When men hear about an Eve’s travelling group, they smirk. Unending comments such as “Estrogen overdrive!” or “Maccha, who will change the tyres, da?” will echo through the room.
The members state that the connections formed on these trips are incredibly strong. Many of them keep in touch much after the trip. To nourish this very sense of sorority, the club has launched a new book club as well. The club travels across the length of the country and all round the world; from South Africa to Greece to Bhutan to Ladhak. These trips are remembered with fondness. “I’ve made friends for life. Each time we return from a trip, I tell Sumi, that this was the best group of people so far”, says Srivatsava. For some trips with WOW is about companionship for others, it’s the opportunity to try something new. “I needed a change. Something that’s away from daily routine, husband and children. I’d never been trekking. Seeing the Kanchanjunga from the first time was something else. Initially going to the toilet was difficult. Later we got used to it. Then it became a standing joke,” says Mridula Nagesh. Talking about why these trips are such a hit, Srivatsava says, “It’s not all about sight seeing. It’s also about relaxation. She makes sure that each trip has something unique. While we were in Hernannus, South Africa, we stayed at a place that was also right on the ocean; the whales almost came up to our window.”
A chat with the women who travel with WOW reveals that to them the club makes for a fun get away, an opportunity to leave their comfort zone and head out for some adventure. And boy, do they get themselves into interesting predicaments! From being chased by a herd of elephants to being stranded in the rain and bunking with the army, they’ve been there done that it seems. The Club has met up in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai so far, about twice a year in each place. The Club plans to take these meetings to Chennai and Hydrabad, next. As St Augustine says, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” and you feel like flipping a couple of pages, you can join the club by contacting Sumitra Senapaty on 09891655054. Alternately log on to www.wowsumitra.com to learn more |
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Casting aside this age-old stereotype, Srivatsava says, “Women are naturally fun loving. Sure, men are fun but women have this amazing bonding.” She adds, “Nobody needs to play caretaker but all of a sudden without saying a word everybody is taken care of.”
Senapaty was of the view that, “Working women are very busy and they can’t run around from pillar to post. They need a single window” and WOW makes this window available, it seems. Other than for the visas, WOW organises the whole trip including tickets, stay, food and everything else you can think of.You can also read this article http://www.deccanherald.com/content/4256/wowing-all-women.html
29th Apr, 2009
WOW in The Hindu
The Hindu carried a write-up about the upcoming WOW trip to Switzerland.
Check out the article: http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2009/04/27/stories/2009042751140400.htm
and the itinerary: http://www.wowsumitra.com/tour_details.php?id=16
Stay Pink and Footloose!