Garima Pande is the founder of a travel and experience platform WanderingJane that is focused towards empowering women. She is an avid traveler and loves to explore numerous destinations like a local. Her holidays have always been about learning new things, and to come back with a brand-new hobby each time. Growing up, Garima did not have a specific role model, but she drew plenty of inspiration from her family and friends. Before starting her very own travel website, she worked as a banker and as later as a corporate marketing head in an IT product company.
She is a daughter of two military officers and was given the privilege to grow up across the nation and enjoyed the diversity, which the country has in store. Her favorite travel companions are her husband who is an airline pilot and her 4-legged baby. To her, travel is about freedom, compassion, learning, empowerment, fun, excitement, and adventure. Traveling is something that changed her life completely, and it is what pushed her to establish an eco-system for women – travel. The support she received from her family and the people around has always motivated Garima to do what she loved.
Being a travel enthusiast, she believes that traveling is one of the best and most enriching experience. She is very passionate about empowering women and wants each of them to have a safe and secure travel experience. She aims to encourage all women to live their life to the fullest and have a unique, interest-based, and extraordinary experience while traveling – WanderingJane also enables women to travel solo seamlessly. She has set upon a path where women, the world over can travel without any hesitation to their favorite place or destination, and enjoy their holidays without any issues. Along with her team, she used the time in the Pandemic to pivot to online experiences. WanderingJane now offers experiences both physically and digitally from the world over. Be it a Flamenco dance experience from Spain, a scotch glass from Scotland, or guided meditation from Thailand or Yoga from Rishikesh – this platform offers all!
Recently, an interview was conducted with Garima Pande about her and the reason she embarked upon this journey. Check the information below.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur
I grew up in a household of equals – both my parents served in the army. My father is an adventure enthusiast and a mountaineer, and mother a doctor. I graduated as a Computer Science Engineer and completed my MBA thereafter. After working 8 years in the corporate between a bank and an IT company, I co-founded, WanderingJane with Akshat, my cousin. We created this platform to enable and encourage women to travel solo and go on seamless interest/activity-based holidays, my entrepreneurial journey has been exciting, full of learnings, and needless to say a lot of fun. I am married to a pilot and we have a 4-legged girl, Cessna. I am a fitness enthusiast, an avid scuba diver.
2. Why did choose entrepreneurship over a job?
Let me try and re-phrase this – it’s not that a chose one over the other. I still continue to consult companies young entrepreneurs on marketing and branding. We found a gap in this market and wanted to provide a robust solution.
3. What was the vision behind it?
Build an eco-system to enable local – experts from the world over to provide experiences directly to the end-users. Our local experts are hand-picked and we are equipping them to ensure the experiences are seamless and suitable to the customer’s needs.
4. Describe the services you offer to your customers and in what way they are unique?
WanderingJane provides interest-based PHYGITAL experiences from the world over. We have studied the women travelers market closely and these experiences are best suited for them. Given the pandemic, we have forayed into experiences that they can not only enjoy solo but also with friends, family, partners, and children. The unique thing about WanderingJane is that all the providers are local professionals/ experts. We also focus on responsible tourism and use a network of homestays/ eco stays. We try and educate and equip our customers and providers with sustainable travel switches.
5. What difficulties which you have faced or facing?
Well, it’s been an interesting ride, more than difficulties I have a fair share of learnings. There are many difficulties and roadblocks that any entrepreneur would face, that’s a given, the romance is in solving that each day!
6. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
A long run, a road-trip, a good book, or some playtime with my dog are a few things that keep me grounded. I have enjoyed some of the virtual experiences that we offer on our platform myself – cooking, mixology, art therapy to name a few – these have surely kept me very sane in the pandemic. I am privileged to have a rock-solid support system in my family and friends.
7. How do you market your business?
We have used social media – platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. We have found very kind partners and travelers who have spread the good word for us. There are also media platforms like you who have been kind to us, always.
8. How many hours a day do you work on an average & can you describe/outline your typical day?
I normally work for 6-hours to 7-hours per day, and before sitting down for work I try and rope in a quick run or a yoga routine after a good walk with my dog.
Evenings are spent working out with my husband – cross fit or weight training and of course, spending some quality time with our dog.
Video calls catching up with parents and some friends like family are also a part of my routine.
My husband and I try and cook our evening meal together.
9. In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Everyone defines success very differently – I believe that the key to success is a mix of – learning every day, staying humble, being active, building a good network, and finding the right driver from your passion and hard work. Having a solution led mindset is a must!
10. What advice will you give to someone who is starting out as a new entrepreneur?
It’s a must to have sustainable, customer-centric solutions. Find your support system – could be family, friends, mentors, industry experts. Entrepreneurship is all about finding your path, it’s a very personal journey, never fear to fail – your idea may not work but you will still come out stronger and successful in your own way.
Connect Here,
Website: www.wanderingjane.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderingjane/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/janelovestowander
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