One in the orange jacket started because we believe there is so more to group trips than ticking places off the list. We work closely with local communities wherever possible and thus make sure most of the money spend by our trippers reaches a village household rather than agents sitting in cities.
and we have fun too while doing all this 🙂
All of our trips/treks are themed around a few simple facts : to learn more about the local lifestyle & spend more time outdoors : Mountains, rivers and valleys.
Our trips are for you ,
If you prefer places without network over places with 4g network during your trip
If you prefer sitting beachfront to see sunset , even if it means we might get our dinner 30 minutes late
If you don’t mind going out for a walk at midnight to see the stars in freezing temperatures
If you are genuinely happy about motivating that one trekker at the back of the group who feels exhausted
If you are concerned to see plastic waste in the mountains, or anywhere else other than dust bin.
If you are excited about teaching 1st-7th graders in the small village schools
If you are ok with trying local cuisines over standard western food
If you are excited to meet new people and believe there is a chance that life long bonds can come out of such trips.
Outdoor leader
Ahem, Heylo Heylo. You are looking at what was once my dream: starting an adventure travel company .
I had quit my career in oil and gas to spent time in things that interests me more , in 2016.
These days I spent 80 % of my time on this adventure travel startup and 20% in feeding my general curiosity about tech startups , trading , philosophy , ethics and Russian.
I love ending up in places where I don’t speak their language, places that main stream media doesn’t cover and places that have a history. 😬
My travel bucket list is full of places I had read about . It might not make sense for 95% of the people to go to those places . But for me , it completes what I have read.
After leading trips all these years , I realised it was mostly about the people you travel with than the trip itself, that makes the trip extra ordinary. 🧡 . Let’s together Create a space for whoever our trippers want to be on our trips. We want our trippers to feel free from all the assumptions , doubts and fear.
Outdoor leader
Something personal has been weighing on Alka’s mind the first time she went on a trek to the valley of flowers right after her college. She thought about that burden while she meandered through the valley soaking in all its glory. It was her first outing into the wild that would later help her in her life.
In Alka’s case , before she set out on her first adventure , she couldn’t picture what the experience would be like beyond a camping trip in the mountains. She was nervous about meeting new people. But after that trek, something changed. She figured out that meeting new people and put herself outside her comfort zone was good for her.
Later ,She went on to found a womenswear clothing brand and got immersed into that for years . She got reintroduced to the outdoors when she did 2 trips with us in 2022. Seeing these brilliant places , she changed her idea of what the future could hold for her . She started feeling more courageous after each trip and she felt comfortable about leaping into the unknown territories in business and in travel.
Besides being a fantastic fashion designer, mom to two cute dogs & babysitter to more 20+ houseplants she has now taken up the role of an outdoor leader with Team OJ.
She brings outrageously delicious cookies for trail food & keeps a beautiful smile even in the face of adversity.
Alka believes when you do something really well, own it. Enthusiasm is infectious and by getting excited about your genuine interests , you are giving way to inspire other people to do the same.
If you ask her question Mountain or the beach?
She would ask what about the jungle and the deserts ?
We would love to see Alka winning hearts by simply being herself . Go shower the same love that you all have given Vyshakh , Tasneem & Laxman. 🧡.
Outdoor leader
A celebrity hairdresser , make up artist by profession, a mom to a rescue dog, COCO and she can geek out on dog behaviour and dog psychology.
Kinjal first hiked with us to Chandrashila , then Kashmir Great Lakes followed by 2 private batches for Andamans led by her . In her , I saw an unconditional friend, a thrill seeker but most importantly a good Human. Having seen in her in multiple scenarios: Hikes , parties, small groups and big groups , I noticed : she would be always be the same : her Jolly self.
She was saying the other day :
My travel bucket list is over flowing with place I want to see , things I want to experience and it was post 2021, post pandemic that I have made it my life’s mission to slowly try & tick things off that list. Which basically means I have become a travel addict now 😊 and I’m not complaining 😛
This puts us , in an apt space to give her a hand to see more of the world as part of Team OJ. We can’t wait for her to come up with amazing ideas / trips for Team OJ.
Outdoor leader
They say don’t mix friendship and business. But we don’t know any other way to run this company . Laxman is friends with vyshakh since last 15 years and makes a perfect addition to the Team OJ.
Laxman is a water baby, could have lived very close to the water in his previous life. His mother would say , put him in any ocean, any river in the world and she isn’t worried at all.
Primarily working as a marketing head , laxman has been leading private batches of OJ since January 2022 and from July 2022 , he decided to channel all his efforts working with team OJ.
He loves being outdoors more than anyone else in our team and is truly in his element when hiking in the mountains & swimming with the fishes.
So if you are looking for a mountain guide
to embrace your wild side , then with Laxman , you will have a hell of a ride.
Operations Head
You would find Judson on most Sundays in the church, most Saturdays driving around people of his area for random things we will never imagine.
In the night, you will find him either finishing off all the most prominent tasks of Team OJ. Without him, you wouldn’t find these beautifully designed website and itineraries.
If someone would want to know all the inner workings of how this brand works, they can just kidnap Judson ( Ofcourse along with his laptop)
Check out our other trips