Govind Gaur on how community-led travel, curated experiences and global expansion are reshaping WanderOn’s growth story.
As India’s travel sector continues its post-pandemic surge, experiential and adventure travel are taking centre stage. Leading this shift is WanderOn, an experiential travel company that has built a thriving community of young explorers by prioritising meaningful journeys over checklist tourism. In conversation with BW Retail World, Govind Gaur, CEO of WanderOn, discusses India’s top winter destinations, emerging global trends, the company’s growth strategy and why Meghalaya may soon be the country’s hottest travel hotspot.
The Indian travel sector has seen strong post-pandemic recovery. How is WanderOn positioning itself to capture demand for experiential and adventure travel?
The pandemic deeply shifted how people think about time. Life felt fragile, and a “cover the earth before it covers you” sentiment emerged. Initially, we saw revenge travel. But soon, travellers realised they didn’t just want sightseeing — they wanted experiences: events, sports, wellness, wildlife, adventure.
For instance, Indian travellers now fly abroad to attend concerts such as Coldplay in Abu Dhabi or Taylor Swift in Singapore, or to watch India–Pakistan matches or global events like FIFA and F1. This cultural shift is massive.
At WanderOn, we’re building the go-to platform for experiential travel. Whether it’s global sporting events, wellness retreats or adventure expeditions, our aim is to help people book these experiences seamlessly, end-to-end.
As we enter the winter season, what destinations and trends are you seeing for 2025?
India offers incredible diversity in winter — from the Himalayas to beaches and cultural belts. This season, the top travel picks include Rajasthan for its timeless culture, heritage, and cuisine; Northeast India — particularly Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh — where festivals such as Ziro and Hornbill are drawing a new wave of travellers, with WanderOn recently hosting a 40–45 member group at Ziro to strong feedback; and Spiti Valley, a favourite among adventure enthusiasts, offering winter expeditions with the rare opportunity to spot the snow leopard in its natural habitat.
Internationally, Vietnam and Thailand continue to surge due to ease of access, great value and diverse experiences. Sri Lanka is also emerging as a strong short-haul favourite.
WanderOn has built a strong youth community. How has that translated into consistent growth?
Most travel brands focus on top-of-funnel marketing. We prioritise bottom-of-funnel excellence. We own the entire travel stack — discovery, booking, execution. Nothing is outsourced; everything is managed in-house. That gives us complete control over the customer experience.
Happy travellers tell ten friends. Unhappy ones tell a hundred. So our growth is driven by quality, community trust and word-of-mouth.
We also host community events and offer perks to repeat users. Today, over one lakh travellers trust WanderOn not just to discover experiences, but to execute them flawlessly.
Competition in domestic travel is increasing. How does WanderOn differentiate — especially around curated and sustainable experiences?
Our model rests on four key pillars: content-led discovery, driven by an in-house team that creates high-quality travel content across Instagram and YouTube to inspire exploration; seamless technology powered by a proprietary platform that supports discovery, booking, and payments; operational excellence through partnerships with vetted vendors dedicated to WanderOn to ensure superior on-ground execution; and real-time feedback loops that allow rapid responses and continuous improvement in a dynamic travel environment.
Together, these pillars have helped us grow organically 100 per cent year-on-year, purely through consistent delivery.
What is next for WanderOn? Any new destinations or partnerships?
We’re doubling down on experiential categories — events, sports, wellness, wildlife and adventure.
Over the next 24–36 months, we’ll expand across Asia and Europe, building strong supplier networks from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bali and Sri Lanka to Europe’s major event and culture hubs.
Which Indian destination do you think will “blow up” by 2026–27?
Meghalaya — hands down. It’s stunning, still relatively undiscovered and rich in Khasi culture, food, adventure and scenic trails. Accessibility has improved too, with more flights into Guwahati. My second pick is Andaman. Better connectivity and rapid development are unlocking new potential there.
People aren’t waiting for the “right time” anymore — even long weekends are enough to explore something new. WanderOn’s mission is to make such journeys effortless, immersive and unforgettable.
