Attagirl, women-only vacations

Every time she takes a break from work, Monica Asher logs onto Facebook. Not to update her status, or check for mail from friends. "I log on to check when the Girls-on-the -Go club will have its next trip," says the 28-year-old planner. Asher's relationship status is obvious from Facebook -she's single, but she hates traveling solo. That's why she joined the 1,081-member club a few months ago. The club, as the name suggests, organises vacations for women-only groups — whether singles or women who want to take a break from the usual family vacation to get out with a gal pal. And there is only one rule: No men are allowed (not even to tag along), except as porters and guides.
 
The club has attracted over 1,000 members in less than six months since inception. But is it the obvious benefit, for single women who like travel, to find a kindred spirit and safety,  or something more? Each member appears to have a different reason for signing up. Take Sonali Kapoor, a 37-year-old dentist from Gujarat. Apart from the joy of traveling with other, like-minded women, Kapoor feels the group gives her space and a chance to be herself.

Without domineering male members of her family around to curb her shopping sprees, or some random man trying to vie for her attention, Kapoor feels completely relaxed on a Girls-on-the-Go vacation. “I have been up north over 20 times with the family. If I were to take another vacation with them, it would be my 21st trip there,” she says.

Kapoor wants to visit new places instead. For Ananya Sanyal, 26, lawyer with an IT firm in Bangalore, it is about female bonding, Sanyal, who joined the club along with her sister Avanti, says the trips ensure the siblings get quality bonding time away from the men in their lives. “Safety was also a concern,” she adds. “I wanted to be comfortable while touring, and hate the idea of a mixed-gender group.” 

Although Priya Bose, who founded the club, isn't single - she met her husband on a trip — she prefers to travel with women, “My husband is cool with that,” says Bose, 27. “We travel together when we find the time.” In 2008, Bose gave up a lucrative job as a corporate lawyer to organise trips for women. “My parents were opposed to the idea; no one could believe I wanted to leave a great job to go hiking with middle-aged women,” Bose says with a laugh. It was a trip to Tibet with its basic and women-unfriendly facilities (a common toilet, a hole-in-the-floor loo) that sparked the idea in Bose’s head.
 
The Girls-on-the-Go members communicate via social networking sites, or catch up for coffee or dinner, to fix their trips. Says Asher: “I have been to Ladakh, and now we're planning trips to Rajasthan, Kerala, Kolkata and Bhutan.” Adds Sonali Sampat, 27, manager at a garments store in Mumbai: “Now if our husbands or friends don't have time for a vacation, we can still go.”

The trips are relatively unhurried, and allow for lots of sightseeing and shopping time. Member Linette D’souza, 34, for instance, would rather have laid-back traveling companions than hyperactive tourists around her. “I have been on trips with mixed groups, and I always felt left out,” she says. “I didn't want a repeat of that.” She eventually went to Jaipur with four others - and did a leisurely exploration of the forts and palaces. Since shopping is also an integral part of the trips, a three-day visit to Kolkata during Durga Puja allowed members ample time to shop for sarees, while a holiday to Bhutan was peppered with trips to flea markets in Thimpu. Things, the members say, their menfolk often get impatient with.
 
There is, of course, the challenge of travelling without any men at all for protection. On a recent trip to Ladakh, the 19-member group found itself stranded at Kargonda, at an altitude of 15,000 ft, because of an unexpected road-block. “I did get scared initially. The only man around was the driver, whom I didn't trust,” says Kapoor. “But after a while, I began to relax and enjoy the experience.” Ananya Sanyal says the incident made her feel independent, for a change.

While the vacations are scheduled around an ongoing festivals -Durga Puja in Kolkata or the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan -often interesting sidelights may be added, like learning a local dance, a village or spa visit. Initially, Bose would suggest ideas for destinations and draw up the itinerary. But over the years, the members have been taking the initiative, leaving her free to do bookings and such. 

So far, the partners of the Girls-on-the-Go have been quite supportive of their wives and girlfriends taking off without them. “I go backpacking with my guy friends,” says Mohit Chauhan, whose girlfriend is a member of the club. “At least there are no complains that I took a vacation without my girlfriend”.

There is no membership fee, but a 3-4 day trip would set one back by Rs15,000. “News about the club spreads by word of mouth and social networking sites, and every woman who loves travelling is free to join,” says Bose. Going by the overwhelming response the club has garnered, it looks like more and more women out there want to get in some girl time.