A young entrepreneur's pursuit of her college education led to the launch of a successful travel agency.
Thunder and lightning happen as the story goes on. At a height of about 4,000 feet, Tanashri Shivalkar, the founder of Backpackers India Group, was realising that their group's supplies won't last another night.
Tanashri's passion for hiking began when she was young, and she went on many hikes throughout her life. She never imagined that one of those hikes would leave her trapped for more than a day in dangerous conditions, battling the elements with no one but complete strangers for companionship. Fortunately, the rescue squad was able to get them back before all of their supplies ran out. Tanashri was saved from the storm, but when she arrived back at her house, her parents were in a panic. Now was the time for her to make the choice that would determine the rest of her life; either she would never go on another hike again, or she would make hiking her life's work.
"It gave me the impression that if I could overcome something as difficult as that, then this item would never fail me again." - Tanashri Shivalkar
On that very same day, the seed of the concept for Backpackers India Group was planted. Tanashri started working in a field that was predominantly controlled by men when she was 18 years old. By 2018, Backpacker's India had established itself as a respected provider of experiences and was holding two events each month. They were a rather tiny company that was based in Mumbai and they only offered two different services—trekking and camping—in areas that were reasonably close to the city. Backpackers, despite its humble origins, always had the ambition to go farther and flourish.
The Backpackers India Group embarked on its journey in an unorthodox manner. It was not designed to be a successful business enterprise from the beginning. Tanashri, who was in her second year of college at the time, did not have very many duties regarding her finances. Backpackers India was the realisation of a lifelong dream. It was the pursuit of a career in which the horizons could go as far as one could imagine. Tanashri had the ambition to carve out her own unique identity and become an independent lady at a young age. Backpackers India is one of the few companies in the Mumbai-Pune area that is led by women in the adventure tourism industry.
"Four years ago, if you would have seen this field, it did not have girls; like, we could not image a woman being the creator of a firm which is of adventure sports... Now, there are a lot of women in this sector, and it's great to see." Therefore, at the time, people were thinking in a fairly stereotyped manner. - Tanashri Shivalkar
Backpackers made the feminine vision their strength rather than allowing themselves to be constrained by restrictive standards. They evaluated the situation and found that many women and girls were prohibited from travelling with people of the other gender. This was a necessity at the time. Backpackers was once an all-female team, and they had tremendous success with the all-girl events that they organised. Even though males are now an integral part of the Backpackers India team, the organisation still hosts activities that are reserved exclusively for women on a regular basis.
Backpackers India Group began steadily expanding its product line over the course of several years by conducting extensive market research and scouting potential new locations. The creation of goods that are beneficial to people was the primary aim. Nature School Camps were initially founded by backpackers as a way to help youngsters make the transition from learning in a classroom to learning in the real world. Children gain an understanding of vital life skills such as animal fundamentals, map reading, and rainwater gathering through these activities.
The team came to the conclusion that pets do not typically have the opportunity to interact with other animals or people as much as they should, which led to the development of pet camps. The absence of opportunities for pets to interact with other animals and the natural environment was a major contributor to the development of behavioural problems in domesticated animals, most notably aggressive tendencies in dogs. Not only for pets, but for people of all ages and identities, backpackers hope to inject some excitement into the sometimes mundane lives of modern residents.
The company used to simply provide two different items each month, but now they have many events each and every weekend. These days, backpackers also provide services such as horseback riding, self-defense classes, and both domestic and foreign travel opportunities. In addition to holding open events in which anybody is welcome to book a spot, the organisation now routinely arranges tailored events with institutions and corporates in order to provide attendees with an inspiring experience. Backpackers India was created with the intention of catering to all varieties of tourists and travellers.
"There are many who inquire about my trip and want to know, 'how was your journey?' But if I'm being completely forthright, this trip just cannot be summed up in a few sentences. - Tanashri Shivalkar
Giving something back to the community is one of the fundamental principles that guide Backpackers India Group. This concept is put into reality by the team in a variety of different ways, one of which is the creation of events that are helpful to tourists. The group adheres to the philosophy that they should leave no trace behind in the places that they explore. The company contributes to the well-being of the community by fostering solid relationships with regional suppliers and so supporting the activities of those businesses.
The Backpackers India Group now has a total staff of forty people, with 22 people working on the ground and 18 working in marketing and sales. Tanashri would also want to express her gratitude to her parents, particularly her mother, for their unwavering support during this adventure and for serving as her backup on a number of excursions. "she's a santoor mom," Tanashri's father, who has been a positive support at every minute in her life, says. Not only her parents but also her grandparents have been there always throughout the journey, especially Tanashri's grandfather, who has supported her since the inception of the company. The first set of trek kit was gifted by him, and he was more than happy to be into this field, which meant a lot to Tanashri. Along with Tanashri, there are a few more people that were instrumental in developing Backpackers.
When backpacking was still a young band, Raghav Kulkarni served as a guiding support and a father figure for the band.
As a backbone member of the organisation, Ummeayman Mandsaurwala has been there since the very beginning. Nishant Talawdekar has been working tirelessly in the core team, and Priyank Vasani, who is also a business advisor and has made the entire organisation more structured, have been the two people most responsible for this.
"Having a solid group to work with is of the utmost significance. There have been times when we have shed tears, and there have also been times when we have been under an incredible amount of pressure. Because this is not a task that can be done by one person alone, having a solid team allows you to get a lot of things done, even if they are out of control. - Tanashri Shivalkar
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