The curated Wren-dez-vous

She has travelled across the world, but this isn’t what she had always dreamt of. The seeds of passion for travel were sown when her parents took her to Himachal Pradesh when she was a teenager. Malini Gowrishankar still remembers it as an “out-of-the-world experience”. Today, this Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, F5 Escapes (translating to the Refresh button on your computer) is not only travelling across the world, but also taking other women travellers on curated trips across India.

“The idea had been brewing for a while, when I started exploring like-minded groups to travel with. However, it got solidified only after the Delhi rape case. I was horrified not just by the incident but also the negative image that was being painted about all of India, when I had travelled all across the country and experienced a lot of warmth. There was a strong urge in me, wanting to make a change in the way women travelled in this country and the way India was perceived. And what I knew was travel. I curate trips across the length and breadth of India. For instance, a trip to Rajasthan would include a visit to the Shekhawati belt. We steer clear of luxury and work with mid-range homestays and boutique hotels for a homely atmosphere. Offbeat experiences such as walking tours, sampling local food, cultural experiences to bring about a wholesome taste of the destination are always part of these travels including the local festivals with emphasis on the people connect,” shares Malini on how she was bitten by the travel bug.

After schooling and college in Chennai, she moved for her job to Bengaluru. She was working in the corporate sector and states that the irony is, “I hardly travelled to various places for work. Most of my travels were self-funded! Solo, with family and friends. I have travelled to quite a few places in India and abroad — about 17 Indian states and 12 countries — there is so much more to do! Someone, I met on my travels told me he wanted to adopt me as his daughter and entrust his farmhouse to me. My trip to Bermuda, Barbados and the US for a month helped instill a lot of confidence in me. Besides being the founder at F5 Escapes, I’m also a voice-over and dubbing artist. I have been in the industry for six years, lending my voice to radio and TV commercials, telephone IVRs, corporate videos, short films etc. I also love to read, sing, cook and narrate stories to children. I am loving the life of an entrepreneur and also volunteer with Headstart Network Foundation. I’m the national lead for Women Entrepreneurs initiative at Headstart. I believe in educating travellers on local living conditions, problems, sustenance and to travel responsibly and tie up with NGOs in different destinations.”