Experiences

The Blue Yonder is about a different kind of horizon. We always go deeper, beyond the obvious. We capture stories, legends and folklore of the destinations we take you to. Can you imagine a place without a story? We all have stories - guests, hosts, communities, hotels, interpreters and story tellers – everyone has a tale to share. A journey with us helps you touch the soul of our people and make a difference in the places you visit. Every single travel experience will have an initiative and a story behind it. Different people find different ways to find this story. So you’ll go on a journey to discover, your way.

Travel offers one of the most natural ways of learning, engaging children's senses and instinct in a way that suits their understanding and personalities.

Experiencing new cultures and customs and exploring the world outside broaden children’s view of the world and sparks their curiosity.

Go on a family-experience full of insights and the opportunity for both, parents and children, to make discoveries and friends. Have fun and relax in the beauty of an inspiring environment.

Variety is life and cultural diversity is the world’s reality and our common human heritage. 
It gives much: innovation, exchange of information and joy of discovery, flexibility and creativity. Any country can be understood and intimately discovered only through its children and parents, through songs and its music, through its costumes and traditions, through scents and sunsets. Get close to the history; share in the story, its monuments, the extraordinary traditional art scene and life today in the country.

We launched the first Musical Trail along River Nila in Kerala, 10 years ago. The initiative has won more than 10 international awards. The Guardian featured our musical trail as one of the best Cultural Breaks. Later we went to Rajasthan and worked with many folk musicians to celebrate their culture. Region to region, and by country, the content changes, the style of presentation changes; in Kerala you might be drumming with local musicians, while in Rajasthan you might be learning how to make a musical instrument, and in Cape Town it might be about visiting the home of Jazz musicians who used music as their tool for fighting apartheid. Follow the musical trail to imbibe the local context and history.

Nature leaves us with a profound feeling of peace. Watching the circle of life in the greens, you feel the peace, joy and contentment that come from being immersed in the most natural place for us to be. Traveling allows us to widen our horizons, to spend time in the great outdoors and to experience what it is to truly breathe. Teaching ourselves to stop and just be is a true gift. The awareness of the moment and taking ourselves out of our comfort zone will do wonders for the soul and sharpen mind and body.

The hope is that we return changed for the experience, with the desire to give something back to the earth for the protection it provides – even if it means making small but simple changes in the way we live at home.

Chance encounters can often be the most rewarding. We learn from the sights and sounds of places that are new to us, but the memories that linger long after the holiday are often the ones of the people we met along the way. One of the greatest joys of travelling to different countries is meeting the people who live there. We are eager to learn all about their culture and daily lives and we always discover that communication need not always require a common language.

Journeys of discovery, interchange and contribution - to travel on a different path with life experiences that revive the spirit within, open the heart, calm the mind and rejuvenate the body. A pilgrimage for the self and a delightful mix of ancient practices, people, nature, activities, relaxation, culture, history, good food and time for oneself and the ones we love.

Expect the unexpected and immerse yourself in the moment. It is not only about what we experience, but how we choose to experience it and who we choose to experience it with. These are the memories that you will hold dear, when you release your inhibitions and take the time to enjoy what the moment has to offer.

Every place lives by its seasons and every season is unique and special in its own way. Nature and climate, celebrations and experiences, all add a unique atmosphere to every period of the year. Every travel experience is also a culinary discovery where we taste and hear the stories of the different flavours that belong to a region and season.

Every concentration of people has its celebrations and its center of worship, and no matter one’s religious persuasion, it is fascinating to observe the different customs and traditions associated with the place you visit. Local celebrations are beautiful occasions to experience and share the moving and living drama, adventure, music, food and joy of the moment.

Exploring unique neighbourhoods and the urban surroundings is where the beating heart of any place is to be found. Every corner of the world has its own rhythms and traditions, and when we visit we have the chance to step into a different life, if only for a few days or even hours. These journeys are away from run of the mill things that one can experience on a city trail. These journeys are about meeting the people, being in their day to day experiences, living for that moment like a local would do.

It is because of such a sabbatical journey that The Blue Yonder turned into a deeper journey, one that we continue to be on. One fine day, our founder Gopi just moved to Pondicherry. He stayed in a guest house for three months and cycled 40 kms a day, practiced Kalaripayattu twice a day, walked one new street every day and kept his mind open to all new discoveries. He met nomads, saints and random astrologers on the road. He was initiated into Kriya yoga by a stranger who told him all about his past. And the story went on. He says, “In the 10 years until then, I had not taken one day off purposely. However, the break I took and how intensely I took it made all the difference later in my life. Keeping our minds open and having the ability to surrender connects us to many frequencies that we don't even realise exist in our surroundings.”

Surprise is the feeling caused by something that is unexpected or unusual. To go on a journey is about experiences to be enriched by and to remember, to slow down the pace and live the moment - full of inspirations and insights.

We look forward to surprising you! Just let us know what it is, more or less, that you look for - and we will get back to you with ideas and suggestions on how to find and do, even more.