The Sisterhood of Travelling Strangers

It’s 6.30am and a white Tempo Traveller waits in a quiet parking lot off HSR Layout. A group of women — most of them strangers — board with duffel bags, backpacks and yoga mats before setting off towards Coorg.

Inside the vehicle, the silence eases in no time — someone hands out homemade sandwiches, while another puts together a playlist for the holiday. By the first tea stop, the women are already sitting together cross-legged, opening up on jobs they want to leave and cities they might relocate to. A few years ago, this was not what ‘travelling together’ was about, especially for women. It meant an annual holiday with a close-knit group, never with a bunch of strangers.

Travel was often something to be organised, streamlined, and frequently postponed until calendars matched up. That timeline has clearly flipped. Increasingly, women in Bengaluru are signing up for community trips with complete strangers, driven by social media networks, a growing appetite for independent travel and the confidence to explore beyond the familiar, with or without family.

Connecting Strangers Shreya Raj, a 26-year-old PR professional, was a bit scared initially as she set out for Ooty with a small group of a dozen people.

“But by the second day, we didn’t feel like strangers any more,” says Shreya. “It felt like a space where you could just be any version of yourself, without any context.” Across the city, similar stories are unfolding — on WhatsApp groups, on Instagram pages, and during quiet coffee conversations. Community travel, especially women-led or women-only groups, is redefining the city’s tourism landscape. The appeal is not just the destination, but the shared experience — an in-between space where anonymity and connection coexist. Fuelling the shift is a growing ecosystem of Bengaluru-based travel communities such as Wild and Beyond, Meraki Diaries, WOW Bengaluru and Tripper Trails, which curate small-group experiences focused as much on connection as on destinations. Balancing Two Extremes At a café in Koramangala, five women meet for the first time before their planned trip to Gokarna. “I moved to Bengaluru last year and didn’t know many people,” says Aditi, a content creator.

“I didn’t want to stop travelling because of that.” She found a community group online. Her first trip was a short two-day trip to Coorg. “It felt safer than going alone but still independent,” she says. For many women, community travel balances two extremes: the predictability of group tours and the uncertainty of solo travel. It offers structure without being rigid, companionship without obligation. “It’s not like those package tours where everything is planned out.

It’s more like exploring unique locations rather than just being a tourist with a fixed itinerary. We announce the trips around the calendar and people sign up according to their needs. I prefer hosting a group of a maximum of 12 people,” says Malini, founder of a travel community called F5 escapes. “We leave space for things to happen naturally.” Safe But Independent Safety, finding like-minded people and a sense of comfort and belonging are the primary factors that nudge more women towards community travelling. Safety is always a part of the conversation, but it no longer dominates it, says Shreya. Community travel offers a balance, she says. “You’re not alone, but you’re also not dependent.” For a middle-aged mum, Jyothsna Pai, building a deeper and friendly bond with her teenage daughter was essential, and community travel was the perfect pivot. “We were apprehensive about safety and how it would be with a group of strangers.

However, we ended up going to Dholavira, in the Kutch district of Gujarat. I met a wonderful set of people who joined us, and it was a great experience.” Making Memories, Unhurriedly On a recent trip, as the group watched the sunrise from a hilltop, someone noted that she had never seen the sky this way — not because she hadn’t travelled, but because she had always been rushing to the next thing. “We’re so used to documenting everything,” says Aditi. “Here, you sometimes forget to take pictures.”

Instead, what stays are the conversations — the late-night chats. The kind that drifts from the trivial to the deeply personal without warning. “It’s strange,” adds Aditi. “You end up telling strangers things you haven’t shared with people you’ve known for years.” Perhaps it’s the lack of history. Or the understanding that the connection, however strong, is also temporary. Back in Bengaluru, as the Tempo Traveller returns to the same car park, there’s a brief pause before everyone scatters. Numbers are exchanged, plans are discussed, half-serious. Someone says, “Let’s do this again.” By evening, the group chat is buzzing — photos are shared, inside jokes are forming, the start of something that might last beyond the trip. Or might not. That uncertainty is part of the appeal. VOICE BOX“I’ve not been courageous enough to pack my bag and just go on a trip alone. I like to travel in a group with a bunch of like-minded strangers.

I like to share my room with one or two people, which makes me experience something more than just travellingMaya Maker,79, AVID COMMUNITY-ONLY TRAVELER“You meet other solos, you eventually group up and explore places together. That’s the best part of community travel. My parents have been supportive as I explore the world.

During a trip to Gokarna, I met an interesting group of women with whom I eventually travelled to Goa Bhavya Gupta, 29, LAWYER. SOLO TRAVELLING FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS “Community travel has been a gamechanger for women who love to explore while being in a familiar safety-net. Travelling has become more than just sightseeing... People are travelling for wellness, trekking, mindfulness, and leisure. I see so many women gain confidence just after one community trek. The feeling is unreal.

Individuals, especially women, are daring to travel to reconnect with nature, to build self-confidence, nurture the mind and explore art and lifestyle optionsSanjivini Sharma, 26, BENGALURU-BASED AIRBNB HOST. ORGANISES CURATED GROUP TRAVEL