Authentica is a travel company that endeavors to create transformational travel experiences which inspire and engage travelers, empower local communities, and transcend cultural barriers.
Our History
Founded in 2010, Authentica is run by a couple based in India. They are motivated by a desire to create more meaningful travel experiences while addressing inequities in the tourism industry that exclude local communities from its benefits.
Our Approach
We create a channel for authentic interactions between travelers seeking inspiration, and local communities seeking opportunities to engage and express.
We have partnered with passionate social entrepreneurs, nature enthusiasts and accommodation providers (often 3 persons rolled into 1!) working for the benefit of local ecology and communities. They are not only a source of inspiration but also a wealth of local knowledge.
We operate small-group tours to accommodate individual preferences and allow each traveler to have more in-depth engagements.
Our trips seamlessly blend leisure activities with meaningful engagement. For instance: treks led by nature lovers, who not only show you the sights but also enlighten you with their knowledge about and passion for the environment; shop for souvenirs directly from local producers, thus learning more about the product and its makers while ensuring fair trade; and many more such experiences.
Travel experiences in India
- Meaningful Trips: Enriching experiences for the time-constrained traveler without sacrificing creature comforts [usually a small-group of 2-12 persons] >>
- Learning Tours: Tailor-made experiences for the academic community, special interest groups or individuals interested in exploring specific themes. >>
Trip Styles
- Comfort: Trips with comfort/luxury stay and travel options while still offering the traveler enriching engagement with local life and culture
- Basic+: Trips unmatched for their remote, pristine locations and authentic exposure to local life and culture, but involves the occassional long drive, stays in full service tent camps and/or simple eco-resorts
- Basic: Similar to "Basic", but might involve longer drives, the occassional bumpy road, stays and meals in rural homes and use of shared facilities
Ravi Raj
Ravi’s inspiration to start Authentica springs from his belief that authentic human connections in travels should be the norm rather than the exception.He earned his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and has worked as a Social Enterprise Consultant at Eastside Consulting in London and as a strategy consultant with Oliver Wyman in the United States.
He enjoys traveling, landscape photography, tennis, running, cooking, and Spanish and French movies (with subtitles!)
Sayalee Joshi
Sayalee brings a wealth of experience in ethnographic research, along with an academic grounding in architecture and anthropology. She has helped Fortune 100 clients in various sectors such as Telecom, FMCG, and IT, helping them design appropriate products and services by providing field-research based insights on the market context and needs. She loves films, travel and sketching.
Ravi and Sayalee's experience living and working in the US, UK/Europe and India will ensure Authentica provides an effective linguistic and cultural bridge, helping you understand not just the content but also the nuances of an interaction.
Our trips are what they are due to our amazing and accomplished partners from varied disciplines. The one common attribute all of them possess is passion and the ability to inspire. We have joined hands with them to together create meaningful engagement with local communities that empower them while creating deep and memorable experiences for you on your travels.
Profile of some Partners
- a charismatic doctor in the Konkan coast near Goa who is transforming villages and empowering villagers with his leadership and compassion
- an award-winning social-entrepreneur (Ashoka fellow) from Uttarakhand who is designing sustainable tourism solutions that both empower local communities and protect the environment
- a passionate nature lover from Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), who runs his own animal rescue NGO, who guides us on village walks and bird watching treks
- an ex-corporate-executive-turned-wildlife-enthusiast running a charming eco-resort amidst a coffee plantation in Kerala, who is not only a caring host but also an amazing plantation tour guide
Interactions with our partners will give you a deeper understanding of the places and people you visit and enhance the quality of your experience.