Bachelor parties are being replaced with trips full of adventure and bonding with close friends. PRAKRITI ROY looks at this new trend and what makes it click
Come the wedding season, and weddings are not the only thing that people are worried about. The bride and groom, as well as the bridesmaids and groomsmen, are equally worried about planning the pre-wedding bachelors/bachelorette bash.
As per the original idea of this kind of party, it would be a night of carnivalesque revelry — a lot of drinking, dancing, and an array of scantily clad women or men. But recently, the trend is shifting from partying all night long to taking trips with close friends that involves a lot of adventure activities.
Where bachelor trips are concerned, beaches are everybody’s favourites. And so is Goa. GoBananas is a company that plans customised trips exclusively for the bachelors and bachelorette trips. Their itinerary includes not just night-time activities like clubbing and parties, but also day-time adventure sports like scuba diving, rafting, kayaking and paragliding. They explain: “We organise and plan everything from the hotel stay till the check-out. It is very customised, depending on what activities that particular group wants. Bachelor groups want an array of activities — casinos, boat parties, water sports, belly dancing, sightseeing. So we plan everything accordingly. The budget depends on individuals.”
A professional in this industry, Ayushi Misra of Absolutely Yushi tells you the most preferred destinations for such trips — Goa, hill stations, Andamans, Thailand, Sri lanka, Mauritius, Dubai, Turkey, if it fits the budget Spain and of course Vegas. She also tells you: “The trip is well planned and each day is allocated for a particular activity. There is always one big night where the group of friends celebrate the bride/groom with a big party. The rest of the activities include clubbing, beaches, trekking, adventure sports, spas and shopping.”
Recently, adult lifestyle portal Kinkpin tied up with world-famous party organisers, Bangkok Bachelor Party Pvt, partner in Hangover 2 movie. Reetinder Singh, director-founder of Kinkpin, feels that there is a void in this industry. “Even with Bangkok Bachelor, the best in business, mails and phone calls could not substitute personal attention. Through our collaboration, we can organise the Thailand trips from here itself, leaving no room for doubt for the clients,” he says. They take care of all the activities during the trip. Reetinder explains: “Bachelor parties are not just beer parties anymore. During the day, the clients participate in various fun and adventure activities, tuned and customised to their budget like sky diving, flyboard, artificial wave surfing, etc. Parties usually happen at night. Our main clientele is from metros but we are seeing regular demands from tier 2 cities as well.”
For those with a desire to be close to nature, camping is a great option. There are many companies that organise weekend camping getaways for small groups. Big Red Tent is one such company that has camping trips around Mumbai. They say: “Camping activities are definitely coming up with a lot more people opting for it. People want to do offbeat things like star-gazing in nature, barbeques in the open, trekking. We charge about `2,000 per person for an overnight stay.”
A great trip for a bachelors’ would be to go ‘glamping’, says Wed Me Good, one of the biggest wedding planning portals in India. Glamping basically stands for glamorous camping. If you and your friends are not ready to face the ravages of nature but still want to go camping, this is the way to go. Ayushman Singh, assistant manager, Shakti Voyages, says: “We pitch our luxury camps in offbeat places where fewer people go and there are not too many accommodations available. These tents are almost like hotel rooms with air conditioning, running hot and cold water. We have these campsites around fairs and festivals, like the Pushkar camel fair, Hornbill festival in north-east.”
Ayushi says: “The concept of trips is definitely an evolving trend. However, currently it is a 50-50 scenario and is relative to the amount of free time people can make given the hectic life they already lead.” Reetinder adds that “travelling is gaining importance, which means more people are eager to explore new destinations. These parties are getting more popular as urban youth is getting westernised and travelling abroad has become economical.”