Travel

With pet-friendly spaces, lawns that span miles, picturesque hiking spots and the warmth of the friendliest hosts, these 10 homestays will disappoint neither you, nor your pet.

Priya, Pravin, and their son Prathamesh Samanth run Maachli, an eco-friendly homestay inspired by a rural Konkan tradition, where you leave the hustle and worries of the city life at the door and enter a serene world of sustainability and tradition.

Aamir Khanyari took his ancestral land and turned it into My Kashmir Home, a beautiful homestay nestled amid Kashmir’s valleys, where you wake up to vast orchards, chirping birds, and traditional Kashmiri food.

After chef Noopur Chaughule’s parents decided to leave the city and settle in their ancestral hometown of Guhagar in Maharashtra, her visit home from Toronto became a turning point in her life. She started a venture called Ayra Farms, which offers stay, food, activities, and organic farming.

Engineer Insha Qazi returned to Kashmir from the UK to show tourists just how stunning and picturesque her homeland is. On an old land she built the Cheese Cottage, a homestay that is an ode to her love for the valley.

Have you eaten a traditional Kashmiri wazwan with its platter of meaty delicacies? At these homestays you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to food.

Mumbai based Priti Vishwakarma talks about her epilepsy diagnosis and about running Womaniya on Roadtrips, a travel startup for women travellers.

Garima Pande and Akshat Sharma founded WanderingJane, a travel startup that plans customised itineraries for women travellers to make their experience safer and more memorable.

Haryana-based M P Deepu and Rahul Gupta established SeniorWorld with the aim of promoting positive ageing by designing travel itineraries specifically catered to individuals aged 55 and above.

Friends Anusha, Shashi and Guneet founded Bohemian Adventures to make trekking inclusive, and have taken hundreds of people with disabilities and illnesses on trips across the world.