Mumbai-based travel curators offering 'secret getaways'

The first time that citybased entrepreneur Mulchand Dedhia heard of a secret getaway was in 2011 during a trip to Thailand It was a 10day trip of which an overnight stay was at a secret destination We were only given instructions to carry swimwear sunscreen drinking water and food supplies he recalls The secret location happened to be Maya Bay a beach near Hua Hin outside Bangkok where the Leonardo DiCapriostarrer The Beach 2000 was filmedGreen meadows near Nalasopara off the Western Express Highway are the location for a secret picnic experience There was so much excitement because we wanted to experience a slice of the movie says Dedhia founder of Photo Konnect a platform for photographers that tried a similar experiment in 2014 with a secret photography workshop in Panchgani He informs I invited seven friends and a model I didnrsquot reveal the location or the itinerary participants were asked to carry two sets of clothes and photogear They made great memories which is what travellers return with However it was ahead of its time because Indian travellers are used to having trip details beforehand The adventurous Indian is a fiveyearold conceptMoonstone Hammockrsquos camping site in PenTwentysixyearold Rohit Dube one of the five founders of Moonstone Hammock a citybased travel group thatrsquos organising The Dirty Little Secret a trip to a campsite in Pen featuring secret activities this weekend agrees In recent years wersquove seen a rise in city travellers who are looking something unique so secret experiences have a great potential to attract them Case in point This is our first secret camp with maximum capacity of 40 and itrsquos almost sold outMoonstone Hammockrsquos camping site in PenWhy it worksThe term lsquosecretrsquo adds suspense and stokes the imagination and curiosity This is enough to get initial traction feels Sanchit Gupta founder of DrinksOnMe an appbased nightlife platform that curates bar crawls gigs and parties in Mumbai and Delhi We had organised a secret rooftop party in May It went viral on Facebook and over 350 guests attended it Keeping an event secret helps create a sense of exclusivity and intrigue says the 28yearold entrepreneur This weekend the company will host its first secret road trip where the destination will be disclosed only a day prior We were apprehensive about the idea but our early bird tickets were sold out immediately Apart from young adults and working professionals wersquove got enquiries from the 35plus age group too he addsAnother popular pick is a secret picnic experience by Bluebulb Here guests drive down to a spot on the Western Express highway from where they are taken to another spot that leads into a 20minute forest trail which opens into meadows When they see the spot it blows their mind away affirms founder Regan Rodricks who has received 90odd bookings since he began offering the experience two years ago The spot offers privacy as itrsquos only you with your partner friends or familyWhatrsquos the riskTravelling on a secret adventure comes with apprehensions You might not like other people in the group Therersquos no idea of whatrsquos going to happen and importantly Indian parents are concerned about their kids especially girls observes Dedhia Thrills apart safety is a concern Hence familiarity with the organisers is key to participation For instance 23yearold Natasha Pereira a citybased media professional plans to sign up with Moonstone Hammockrsquos secret camping trip because she has attended their previous rafting camp That experience was good So I donrsquot mind signing up again even if I donrsquot know whatrsquos in store she admits Similarly organisers have also ensured that activities meet safety requirements These are ground activities requiring team work brainstorming and stamina However they have been personally tested and arenrsquot dangerous or threatening reveals DubeWhile signing up for a secret international trip might seem farfetched a secret adventure closer home might be a good start