BySiddhi Jain

October 8, 2019 (IANSlife) Ithaka, a chat-based travel tech startup that connects experienced travelers to aspirational ones, is making strides in the Indian tourism industry, as travelling gets more and more experiential and personalised.

In a conversation with Ithaka co-founder and CEO Rahul Singh, IANSlife learns how it goes beyond being just another travel booking app.

1. What is different with Ithaka?

RS: People are already reaching out to their friends and family for their initial research and learning from their experiences. We just brought the same behaviour at a platform level. On Ithaka, you can chat with a friendly traveler who understands you and can help you plan the trip end to end with unique insights from their own trip.

2. How does Ithaka help in planning a journey?

RS: Right from discovering amazing places to the nitty-gritty of trip planning, like bookings and drawing up a checklist of must-do and must-see things and places, identifying hotels, figuring out transport to the last mile things of visa, forex, etc., the travel influencer will be with you. Travel agents are often unable to satisfy the youth’s spirit of adventure and experience.

3. What kind of new-age travelling trends are you noting?

RS: Millennials are making travel a part of their lifestyle, and also finding travel full time or part-time their professional choice. In 2019, travel has taken a front seat.  As Indians, we tend to limit ourselves to one-size-fits-all travel packages, and that’s what Ithaka wants to change.

4. Do you yourself have a travel regime?

RS:  I must say that I have picked up some quirky habits while traveling. Topping the list is -- always stay at least one night at a hostel and meet backpackers. And, there are some other ones also, like doing a bicycle tour of the city, find the highest point  in the city and go there to take a view, always carry a single backpack in place of check in luggage and a complete shutdown of notifications from all apps. I just immerse myself in the experience.

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Siddhi Jain can be contacted at Siddhi.J@ians.in

Editing by Deepika Bhan and N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe