Five Senses & a Million Experiences: The story of our travel concept

Photo by: Praveen Venugopal/flickr/CC

As a travel experience provider, what never ceases to excite us is this uncanny human ability to connect. Think about it, people traveling in from totally different backgrounds and situations have the ability connect with an entirely new place and its people in minutes. That’s really intriguing! It reflects the human element in us.

This connect, however it is happening, is at the heart of any travel experience. Like our founder KK says 

You just can’t make this stuff up folks, it has to be in the DNA of the travel experience

Yep, that is real. As a travel company, we think this is what we should do: help simplify the mundane realities of travel and make it possible for travellers to connect with the destination. Working towards this, we toyed with this idea of focusing on indulging individual senses. What if we created signature sensory triggers as part of the experience by going deeper on the destination’s offering? It would probably be our best play at making the ‘connect’ happen. This thought evolved to what we now call our travel concept:

The greatest travel souvenirs are not taken home in a camera or a shopping bag, it is through our senses in the spaces of human interaction and heart-warming experiences. This kind of experience will continue to play out in your mind long after the journey is over. We believe this is what we should be aiming for:

Curating a travel experience which offers a treat for all the five senses and, at the end of it all, for the sixth sense too! 

We truly believe in this and today it is something that is at the heart of what we do at Indus. Since our inception in 2002, it has been our constant endeavour to deliver on the Five Senses travel experience. Below we try to explain the way it works because it is important to understand that you are the centre of it all!

Delivering the travel concept: How we make it work

It always was a simple idea: to focus on the Senses. All we attempt to do is to give deeper detailing for the five senses in the South India context. Five Senses travel is a more involved form of travel where the traveller’s interest becomes as important as the destination’s offering. That is why we put you –our clients- right at the centre of it. We make the effort to understand you better and take detailing to a different level.

For us, the challenge lies in identifying and bringing to life experiences for the specific senses which can create imprints in the minds and memories of travellers. That is why we have an Explorer team.

Our explorer team makes it their business to extensively travel in search of experiences in our region of expertise (30 destinations in South India). We engage with locals, picked up insights and built personal rapport with properties and experience providers. How we use this expertise to work the minute details makes all the difference between an average and an exceptional holiday. 

Read on as we to dig deeper into our five senses concept and share our ideas on a deeper and meaningful holiday experience in South India
 

SEE - your dreams up close

HEAR - The sounds of silence

TOUCH – life in its fullness

FEEL- The beauty of life

TASTE – The delicacies of South

SEE – Your dreams up close

Sight is considered the most beautiful of our senses and the biggest influencer among our sensory perceptions. For a place with a naturally stunning landscape and as steeped in history as South India, the visual experience is beyond words. You could spend hours admiring the detailing on the temples of Tamil Nadu or the lightened up city during the Mysore Dusserah. There is probably no place in the world where charming beaches, stunning temples, jungles, waterfalls, spectacular hill stations and tranquil backwaters all come together in a tiny strip of land. This means that in a matter of a few hours we can take you to a totally different landscape and visual setting. It is really amazing when you think of it that way!

We understand that the visual experience is truly rewarding when there is the richness of understanding and exclusivity of the unexplored. Our question was, beyond what is there to See, what would you like to See? 

Your dreams up close:

If you are a passionate shopper, we not only help shop for local stuff, but also take you behind the scenes where the local crafts are actually made. For history buffs, we might conclude an anecdote filled heritage tour with high tea with the erstwhile king's family. For a nature lover, we might take you to an unexplored waterfall in the hills away from the maddening crowds. For honeymooners, it might be a unique spot for a picture perfect snap. This is the value we try to bring to this sensual experience.

HEAR – the sounds of silence and music

You probably would have experienced it yourself, even in the deepest of problems, music has this magical ability to take you out of your small world and take you to calmness. That is the beauty of the sense of sound. The primary treat in South India is the sound of nature, be it the loud twittering of birds, the gentle murmuring of the backwaters or the gushing waterfalls. Add to this the rich musical tradition of the South with the purity of native wind instruments, the energy of the boat songs, melams and harmony of carnatic classic music. South India has everything to awaken our heightened sense of sound!
 

We believe in making available to travellers rare and unique experiences which awaken your heightened sense of sound be it veda chanting, melams, boat songs or carnatic music 

The Sounds of Silence and Music:

As a traveller, the living museums of a region's identity that celebrations create are the biggest draw. It is a time you claim your humanity and connect with the collective joy. At Indus, we believe in making such unique experiences available to travellers. You must hear the exuberance of boat songs which pique the race team's passion for victory. Or experience spiritual renewal on hearing children chant the Vedas in harmony. However crowded it may be, feel the varying depth and acoustics of melams which are designed to treat your sense of sound.  Never miss a chance to visit the Chennai Carnatic Music festival or the happening nightlife at Goa. South India is always on a Buzz, so get into a state of trance!

TOUCH – life in its fullness and be touched

How many travel experiences can touch you in a way that revitalizes your inner self? Once you are done with the sights, sounds of music and fragrance of spices what really takes your experience to the next level is the touch of Ayurveda. South India is the home of Ayurveda - the world's oldest surviving medical system which offers a holistic outlook to health. When you pamper yourself with Ayurveda, it will more than just tip your nerves to peace, we will also create an imprint on your soul!

How many travel experiences can touch you in a way that creates an imprint on your soul? Authentic Ayurveda is one such traditional wealth of knowledge that we make available to travellers

Life in its fullness and be touched:

Back in 2004, a young lady from London highlighted how much the sense of touch could mean. For 2 weeks she surrendered completely to the rhythmic movement of warm oils, herbal fares and the fragrance of incense filled air. The two weeks wiped away a 7 year old backache and put the confidence back in her stride, youth back to her spirit and glow back on her face. We had touched her life with the healing effects of authentic Ayurveda. Fascinating! At Indus, we believe in making such traditional wealth of knowledge available to travellers. Be it for pampering or treatment, we believe our expertise is in identifying and suggesting the best.

FEEL- The beauty and meaning of life

The India that most travellers know of is the one with ancient architecture, picturesque landscapes and busy streets. While you discover must-see attractions, there is a simpler, but more beautiful part which the common traveller hardly knows of - the real charm of India - its people. It is this dimension of feeling the life of a local that makes a travel experience complete. Trust us, in South India, you will be amazed by the culture of contentment living in harmony with nature and sanctity of family life. You really wouldn't want to miss feeling this up close!

We think that any experience which is true to the land’s ethos will involve enriching interactions with locals. We attempt to make you feel like an insider and experience South Indian lifestyle up close.

Feel the beauty and meaning of life:

It is often the simplest of things in life that bring the most delight. Sometimes experiences like climbing coconut trees, bathing an elephant, visiting the heart of villages and interacting with the locals in their homes are long cherished. At Indus, we believe in curating such personal experiences which involve locals. This commitment makes it possible for us create enriching exchanges for both the host and the traveller. That is the only way that a traveller gets a true feel of the land's ethos. So don't be surprised if we take you to Chola bronze work studios, traditional performing arts schools or for a village life experience in the backwaters. It is just to make you feel like an insider!

TASTE – The delicacies of an eclectic culture

South India has immense potential to tickle your taste buds with its remarkable simplicity, taste and range. The natural tang of spices makes every south Indian dish a symphony of flavors. The breakfast spread is generally zero oil making for a health start to the day. Kerala’s sadya is probably the most comprehensive vegetarian cuisine on the planet. Add to this Chettinad’s spicy recipes, Seafood delicacies of the coast, Malabar Cuisine and of course the filter coffee. To take this overdrive one notch up, we also have the little secret named as toddy/neera.

At the core, we believe that you deserve to taste the magic of home-made food and local specialty food joints. This is a far cry from the standardized food experience usually made available to travellers

The delicacies of an eclectic culture

Food, in the end, is about sharing, honesty and identity. Today’s travellers are warming up to the idea of having traditional meals on the plantain leaf eating with fingers just like the locals. Like everywhere else in the world, nothing matches the taste of home-made food preparations but unfortunately this experience is hard to come by for the common traveller.  We aspire to give you access to authentic cuisine while keeping tab on quality and hygiene standards. Be it suggesting local specialty food joints or arranging for home-made meals, we believe in bringing the best of South India to your plate!

Our Goal is to make a difference in Travel

Whew! I hope that wasn’t overwhelming! We truly believe in this and the journey from idea to execution has been long and has involved ridiculous amounts of hard work. Acquiring the expertise over South India has been well worth it. The thing is, we are obsessed with the idea that we can make a real difference to your travel dream. We make it happen one small experience at a time. 

As a team we treat travellers as our guests and consider it a privilege to showcase our land. I think anyone can book a hotel and arrange a cab to comb up a tour package. It is not a big deal. But to deliver an extra-ordinary experience, you really need to go the extra mile in detailing. You also need to care about your customers. We do that!

Our focus on indulging your senses will allow you to savour the connection you develop as you travel through South India. 

Connecting the dots backwards, it is easier to see how ‘the connect’ happens. We have always been focusing on the fundamentals: The five Senses! Travel connects with the human element in you like nothing else. We have learned that people will forget what you said and did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Is this the sort of experience you are looking for? You will find elements of our ‘Five Senses and a million experiences’ vision come to action right from trip planning stage with us. So go ahead and check us out. Happy holidaying!