For Offbeat Experiences, Local Living & Unique Discoveries, Holiday With Byond Travel

If you want to discover new places and cultures, but with like-minded people, Byond Travel will help you plan a holiday full of experiences.

How many times have you wanted to go on a group holiday, but don’t fancy spending it with vastly different people from you? If you’re like me, then the answer is way too many! Then there’s the problem of not doing anything offbeat – just the usual city sights. Suddenly, we all want more from our holidays than just postcards and museum ticket stubs.

Clearly, founder of Byond Travel, Vikram Ahuja felt the same about this. In fact, the idea of an experience-based travel platform came when he was at the Burning Man festival with a bunch of strangers, who are now close friends. And then, the plan to build travel journeys which went beyond the destination and instead focused on the notion of shared experiences. Curating them based on your preferences, they have groups for art enthusiasts, wine lovers, adventurists, Yogis and even all you ladies who don’t want boys on your trip!

From island hopping in Greece for the ladies to running the Jerusalem Marathon, their groups are usually small with a maximum of 15, which means a more tight-knit pack with scope for personalisation. While they do tick off the landmarks and ‘touristy’ stuff off a list, you’re likely to live like a local when you travel with Byond. And that includes having fun with true-blue locals. Think drinking tea in a tent with vibrant Bedouins, smoking a cigar with Cuban or sharing Pho with a chef in Vietnam.

We’re currently eyeing their road trip across New Zealand later this year. Or one to Peru which will include everything from chilling with llamas, meeting penguins in Ballestas and drinking pisco sours. Of course, if Vikram has his way, then the The Trans Siberian Railway and Antarctica will also be on the list for the end of 2017. So, we’ll meet on one of these experiences?

Stay tuned to their communities page, Lime Diaries, which brings together travelers of all kinds, for a casual catch-up, preceded by a story-telling session by well-known people ranging from musicians, actors, Olympians and writers.