Benjamin John

Cycling holidays in Kerala are not a new idea. Several operators have been running them for years. Established routes, experienced guides, good vehicles. They know the roads, they know the terrain, and they've built solid businesses doing what they do. But here's what most of them won't tell you: they're built for a fixed model, not for you. Most cycling tour operators in Kerala work primarily with foreign agents. Guests arrive through overseas agents, booked onto set departures with...

I entered the Kerala tourism industry in 2008, the year Lehman Brothers collapsed and sent the global economy into freefall. Not the most auspicious moment to begin a career in travel. But the industry bounced back faster than anyone expected, and what followed was one of the most remarkable growth stories in Indian tourism. I've had a front row seat to all of it. And now, in 2026, I find myself watching the industry navigate its most complex period yet. This is Kerala tourism's story. The...

There is a particular kind of traveller who comes to Kerala and doesn't want to see everything. They've done their research. They know about the backwaters, the tea gardens, the temples. But what they're really looking for is something harder to put into words, the feeling of actually being somewhere, rather than passing through it. These are the travellers I love working with most. What Slow Travel in Kerala Actually Looks Like Over fifteen years of leading tours through Kerala and South...