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Add Ventures Unlimited: A Passion-Driven Coterie Concocting Unexplored Ventures

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Ganesh R, Lead Organizer & Operations Manager

Ganesh R

Lead Organizer & Operations Manager

In a country with tourism offered in varied aspects like culture, nature, heritage, education, business, sports, medical, cruise and many others, there is no wonder that adventure tourism has been growing in leaps and bounds. But what is it that truly instigates the present day travellers to trek, bike, backpack or opt for an adventure trip? Well, the stimuli are manifold to rejuvenate from monotonous work life, to genuinely explore new places, to immerse one’s self in nature & new people to gain self understanding, to capture the best of nature or a perfect Facebook/Instagram DP. At times, people just want to emulate their friend’s travel experiences on social media and visit the same place. But the present scenarios are gradually shifting from the most preferred over toursim towards undertourism. You heard it right! Undertourism is the yen to explore more offbeat/unexplored destinations with a strong focus on sustainable travel as opposed to overcrowded places.

This new yet growing trend is what Add Ventures Unlimited, a Mysore-based Outdoor Recreational Firm, strongly preaches to its customers. The firm’s Lead Organizer & Operations Manager Ganesh R, articulates, “I always encourage people to break out of their cocoons of comfort and explore a bit more than the regular, crowded tourist destinations”. Thus, Add Ventures Unlimited is breathing a bigger purpose of showing the brighter side of the world to its customers and making them realize their true caliber through travel and adventure.

"Unlike most travel companies that function with just market-driven ideas, Add Ventures Unlimited truly enjoys being amidst nature and venturing into unexplored places"

In 2013, Add Ventures Unlimited started off with organizing one day/night hikes and weekend treks around Karnataka and quickly forayed into the Himalayan region and Northern parts of India which encompassed unmatched beauty and many unexplored places. Today, the firm largely conducts challenging high-altitude treks, motorbiking and backpacking expeditions across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Ladakh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nepal, besides short weekend getaways around Karnataka with customizations in date, location and difficulty level. Among these, its North East India, Ladakh and Andaman packages silhouette as the biggest attractions among customers. Despite Andaman sounding more like a leisure trip, the firm ensures to tweak it with a lot of trekking and adventure activities. Moreover, individuals craving to travel or trek alone are also personally guided by Ganesh and provided with all requisite information to safely go ahead with their venture.

X Factors Galore
Wondering what are the firm’s special X factors that place it way above its competitors in the market? First and foremost, it is the dire passion for travel, thirst for adventure and pushing beyond limits. Unlike most travel companies that function with just market driven ideas, the firm truly enjoys being amidst nature and venturing into unexplored places. In fact, it ensures to change the itineraries and new destinations every year so that not only the gusto levels among travellers stay high, but also the passion among crew members stays fresh and not monotonous.

Most importantly, Add Ventures Unlimited never compromises on its vision of ensuring safety of all its customers & crew, quality of service and ecofriendly travel everywhere. Ganesh adds, “We never prefer onboarding over 30-40 members in a single batch which is akin to a school trip and hence, stick to a much smaller group size”. This limited group size in fact bestows the travellers with unparalleled quality of service, interaction and enjoyment. Once registered for an expedition, the respective people are added to a dedicated WhatsApp group so that they not only stay abreast of the trip or voice out their concerns/doubts, but also get acquainted before the trip. What actually happens at the end of an expedition is that the members become really close with each other as well as the crew members and also meet up regularly in the future. That’s the kind of service which Add Ventures Unlimited proudly presents to its travellers!

Beyond Mere Experiences
Another distinguishing forte of Add Ventures Unlimited is that it holds strong tie-ups with experienced yet humble local crew that genuinely enjoys adventure-related works and thus, presents the travellers with the best services. Here, travelling is not just about experiencing the adrenaline rush, but also the local culture & festivals, delicacies, flora & fauna, and way of living. Hence, the firm meticulously concocts each itinerary and
strives to match its departure dates with one of the local festivals so that the members can revel in vibrant cultural programs and local delicacies.

It doesn’t just delegate the entire logistics of an expedition to a local crew, but delve into intricate details right from adhering to mandatory safety measures to baking a delicious cake for someone’s birthday during the trek. To spice up the expedition, group leaders also carry equipment for cards, Jenga, Frisbee and others games & activities.

Safety Par Excellence
With safety at its kernel of focus, Add Ventures Unlimited adheres to standard safety protocols while its team of experienced trek leaders carries medical kits and oxygen cylinders with them during high altitude treks. Fitness level of the trekkers also matters the most. For instance, weekend treks do not require much physical fitness, but Everest Base Camp treks require almost four months of prior preparation. Especially, the first two days are extremely crucial because adjusting to high altitude takes time. Hence, the team ensures that all members acclimatize well to the climate and altitude. The team also performs basic health check twice a day every day to monitor their vitals and take measures if found to be below normal..

Add Ventures Unlimited never compromises on its vision of ensuring safety of all its customers & crew, quality of service and eco-friendly travel everywhere


Even the campsite during treks is diligently chosen with regards to accessibility to water, areas away from floods, avalanche or wildlife trails & prime habitat, while considering the local trek guide’s suggestion. Apart from this, safe accommodation at home stays along with tasty traditional meals (prepared by owners) is provided to customers to understand the local culture. Food is also never compromised by Add Ventures Unlimited as it deploys complete kitchen staff, equipment and ration along with chefs and helpers during the treks. In fact, the chefs are well-trained to prepare a spectrum of vegetarian cuisines in the wilderness, right from local dishes like Momos, Thukpa to continental delicacies such as pasta and pizza, ensuring less repetition of dishes throughout the trek. Moreover, consumption of alcohol or any kind of intoxication is strictly prohibited as it only ruins the health of the trekker.

Packing is another imperative element when it comes to trekking, motor biking or backpacking since most people are confused with what to pack or wear during the expedition. Thanks to Add Ventures Unlimited for assisting its people on what to carry and also accommodating excess luggage at the parking point till they finish their expedition.

Sustainable Odysseys
The main motto of Add Ventures Unlimited is to ensure that its travellers rejuvenate naturally and in a healthy way without causing any damage to the environment. Hence, the firm conforms to stringent protocols regarding littering and managing trash during its expeditions in the wilderness with minimum impact on the environment. Indeed, quality comes at a premium price. As opposed to travel behemoths, Add Ventures Unlimited pledges to provide each and every batch with premium quality and safety, even though the price slightly spikes-up. Sometimes, it takes into account the background of people to avoid the ones who grumble or demand luxury where it can’t be made available.

In a nutshell, the primordial motto of the firm is to bestow its customers with new and unforgettable experiences that they would cherish for a lifetime along with a brilliant travel story to narrate! Ganesh asserts, “Most people who approach us are through word of mouth publicity rather than marketing or paid promotions, which clearly shows their love for our services”. While some customers firstly try out small weekend treks and later choose a bigger adventure, most of them are repeat customers who hold a long standing bond with the firm and its crew.

Backing Add Ventures Unlimited is its team of trek leaders with WFR (Wilderness First Responder) NOLS certification and Basic & Advanced mountaineering course certificates as well as guides registered with local guide associations and trained in basic first aid. Not just unparalleled expertise, but this team is endowed with more practical experiences from conducting a lot of expeditions. Outshining across the management team is Ganesh along with Gurdit Singh (Lead Trek Manager & Trek Leader), Jaspreet Kaur (Event Coordinator & Data Manager), and Ajay N (Travel Planner). There are also a few freelancers involved in the backend work.

The Road Ahead
With emphasis on sustainable tourism, Add Ventures Unlimited is scouting for more offbeat routes in the same destinations to lessen the impact on nature. It is all geared up to venture into new experiences in outbound locations/places like Mustang, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bali, Sri Lanka and others, and also to recruit reliable people for the same. Poised perfectly in the adventure tourism industry, the firm is elated to witness many people gradually shifting their interests from package tours towards adventure tourism. Clearly, the future looks optimistic for the firm! Besides, customers can also avail luxury packages for a group of four or five. By large, there is no denial that Add Ventures Unlimited is passionately adding unlimited ventures in every traveller’s life through its comprehensive portfolio!

Key Management:
Ganesh R, Lead Organizer & Operations Manager
With profound skills in photography, leisure travel, travel management, trekking and camping, Ganesh currently outclasses as an experienced traveller and entrepreneur across the recreational facilities & services industry of India.

Quick Facts:
•Inception Year:2013
•Office:Mysore

Offerings:
•Weekend Getaways
•Trek Expeditions
•Bike Expeditions
•Backpacking Expeditions
•Team building activities and Corporate outings


Testimonials:
“1100 kms of biking on almost inexistent roads with the weather bullying you Thanks to the management of Add Ventures Unlimited and Team Ganesh whose efforts even made the hardest of the ride exciting, adventurous and above all safe. Khardungla was extreme, Hunder was a beauty, Turtuk was mesmerizing, Pangong was awesome, Tsomoriri was freezing and Hanley was raining. This trip turned out to be the one filled with memories which can be cherished for a lifetime.”
-Vinayak Dongre

“One sure thing about Add Ventures Unlimited is that any kind of imagination/expectation of one best moment that you may have while thinking of a destination, it will definitely be materialized. Thanks Ganesh for gifting some precious moments of my life in both Ladakh Bike Expedition and Andaman Backpack Tour.”
-Phani Datta

“Weekend Getaway to Sakleshpur was an amazing experience. It was very well organized. Thanks to Ganesh & Karan for not just being organized, but also to get along with us very well!”
-Divya Kn