TORONTO — A life-changing trip almost 20 years ago led Mariellen Ward to a passion for India, as well as one of the first-ever travel blogs, and more recently a travel company called India for Beginners.
Ward was in her mid-40s, living in Toronto and newly certified in Yoga Teacher Training, when she embarked on what ultimately became the adventure of a lifetime.
It was 2005, and as Ward tells it, “I started travelling and blogging in India that same year. I founded my professional travel blog at age 49, moved to India at age 58, founded my tour company at age 59, and trained as a naturalist at age 60.”
BreatheDreamGo, her travel blog, is familiar for many travellers inspired to travel to India.
Meanwhile her travel company, India for Beginners, just released new tours for the 2024-2025 season.
“I know that India can be a challenging place for travellers. Through my blog posts, social media posts, and India for Beginners, I try to assist travellers with tips, advice, recommendations and tours. India is not for everyone, but for those who feel called to visit India, I encourage them. Ultimately, I think India is a very special travel destination – one of the most transformative trips you can have. It can be magical in ways that are beyond description or explanation,” says Ward.
Travelweek connected with Ward during this special time of year for India – Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is celebrated later this week – to find out more about India for Beginners and its product offering for travellers.
Ward with India for Beginners’ tour manager Ujjwal Mukherjee and business partner Anjani Nandan in Jaipur
Travelweek: Canadian travel advisors familiar with your long-running BreatheDreamGo blog and travel site may not realize that in 2019 you launched a travel company called India for Beginners, offering tours. What do you want travel advisors to know about your approach to touring in India, especially when it comes to first-time visitors?
Ward: “As some of my followers and readers may know, I started travelling in India in 2005, and started publishing my professional travel blog BreatheDreamGo in 2009. I have travelled extensively across India, and have spent almost nine years altogether in the country.
“Over time, I have gathered a wealth of knowledge about the culture and about destinations, festivals, events and activities. I have always shared these on my blog and social media platforms, but it made sense to start offering tours, too.
“I was very lucky in 2018 when I met my business partner Anjani Nandan, who had his own tour company in India. We started offering a few small tours and then decided to form India for Beginners together in 2019. The company is incorporated in India, based in Delhi, and Anjani and I are co-directors.
“The idea behind India for Beginners is to offer custom tours to inbound visitors who want a helping hand. A lot of people, especially women, feel daunted by the idea of organizing a trip to India, and they are looking for a safe, reliable and ethical solution. Our guests get the benefit of both my experience as a foreign female travelling in India and the expertise of my local partners, who have many years of knowledge and experience plus a nation-wide network of contacts.
“We spend a lot of time helping our guests get ready for India, and we spend a lot of time crafting custom tours that weave local experiences into the itineraries. Of course, people want to see the tourist hot spots like the Taj Mahal and Amber Fort in Jaipur, but they tend to really enjoy the local experiences. Anjani and I both travel regularly around India to uncover unique local experiences. We partner with leading local responsible tourism companies and organizations in India regularly, too, to offer unique local experiences that benefit the community as well as the travellers.”
Holi in Jaipur with India for Beginners
Travelweek: What’s the format for the tours?
Ward: “India for Beginners is primarily a custom tour company. More than 90% of our business is creating and running custom tours for individuals and small groups of people who are largely from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Our guests travel alone, but with the support of our team, and especially our amazing tour manager Ujjwal Mukherjee, who coordinates the tours and is always available by telephone and WhatsApp.
“We also offer a few small group tours each year, and I usually lead just one group tour. This year I am leading a very special tour for women in collaboration with JourneyWoman, to celebrate their 30th anniversary.”
Touring with clients in Jaipur
Travelweek: What can you tell us about the hotels you use on the tours?
Ward: “We are very particular about the hotels we use. We travel regularly to visit hotels and look for locally owned places that are safe, clean, and comfortable – and that also have a sense of character and culture. Our guests prefer to stay in unique places such as exceptional homestays or boutique hotels, so we are always on the lookout for these. When it comes to wildlife lodges and resorts, we also look for places that follow sustainable practices with regards to waste management, using locally sourced materials, hiring local staff, etc. We partner with several hotel chains and representatives in India who we trust, and who are also committed to sustainable tourism.”
Travelweek: Of the many India for Beginners tours launched for the 2024-2025 season, can you highlight a couple of noteworthy options?
Ward: “India for Beginners offers only a few group tours per year, and two I would like to highlight are the Northeast India Adventure tour and the Remarkable Kerala tour.
“Northeast India is probably the most remote area of the country, and the least visited by foreign travellers. It is still very undeveloped and travelling there is definitely an adventure!
“Kerala is one of the most beautiful states in India, a tropical region with a unique local culture and a variety of landscapes that include white-sand beaches, misty mountains, and a watery world of canals known as the backwaters. I always say that Kerala is the perfect destination for first time visitors to India as it makes for a soft landing. This tour is for women-only and is a collaboration with JourneyWoman, to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
“As we primarily offer custom tours, we also outline a few examples of tours that can be highly customized, depending on a guests’ preferences, budget, dates, interests, preferred destinations, and travel style. Our Golden Triangle tour is outlined in this blog post on Breathedreamgo.
“We also suggest themed tours, such as shopping tours, spiritual tours, and wildlife tours.
“Wildlife tourism is a passion for me, I have even trained as a naturalist at a tiger reserve in India.
“Over the past six years, I have seen more than 30 tigers in the wild in India, several leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, and elephants, and many other wild animals and beautiful birds. Going on a wildlife and tiger safari in India is a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Travelweek: India for Beginners offers 10% commission on small group tour bookings. For custom tours, and when you operate as a DMC, travel advisors can mark up the cost as they see fit. What’s been your experience so far working with Canadian travel advisors?
Ward: “We are just starting to work with Canadian travel advisors. However, we have worked with several organizations from the U.S. and Britain to offer tours. We can operate as a DMC or as a collaborator. For example, we ran a study abroad program in India for Texas A&M University and we are collaborating with a women’s travel group based in Britain to offer a luxury tour in February.”
Travelweek: There’s been a rise in diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. What’s your message to any travel advisor considering India for their clients right now?
Ward: “India is a very welcoming country to visitors. They have a philosophy known as Atithi Devo Bhava which means ‘guest is god,’ and I have personally experienced this far too many times to count. The only potential issue I can see is if the Indian government cancels the e-visa facility for Canadians, which they have done in the past. This would prevent Canadians from obtaining a tourist visa. Of course, we are hoping this doesn’t happen.”
Travelweek: How can travel advisors find out more about India for Beginners and the trips for the upcoming year?
Ward: “Please see our website at https://indiaforbeginners.com/ and contact me at mariellen@indiaforbeginners.com.”
Tour group at Qutab Minar in Delhi
