When Oriental Routes was first a concept, we all sat down to brainstorm. Soon, we realized that the only way to stand apart from the crowd was to do things differently . It is not easy to be different in a world of seemingly fool-proof routine.

How could we be different? The answer was to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. We felt like cave-men plotting their next day’ s hunting trip until we realized things were not much different in the way that travel agents reached out to the customer in those days.

The world, as it then existed for the common traveler, was full of jargon and technical sound-bites. By the time the average traveler had made sense of the ‘half-board’ and ‘full-board’ phenomena, he was left with no choice but buy a holiday on terms largely set by the travel agent.

To simplify and to evolve – we were just going back to the basics of nature to achieve self-realization in the world of holidays.

Then again, we thought, isn’t this what most average traveler is content with?

Now how do we converse with someone who chooses not to hear? We decided to speak to the discerning traveler who believed in choice even though there was none. To choose how he wanted to travel – where to where, what he would prefer for lunch and where he would like to have it. Every little damnedest detail was a matter of choice. No compulsory sightseeing, no compulsory meal plans, just the luxury of customizing as the holiday progressed. We understood that holidays are what they should be – a relaxation of the soul and mind – a journey that is free of imposed terms.