Have you ever travelled solo? I have – on a very memorable summer exactly ten years ago, when as a student in London, I decided to visit the beautiful countries of Spain and Portugal. With limited means at hand, I chose to travel with a guided tour company aimed at youth travellers. For a period of two weeks in the June of 2012, I rode in a bus full of twenty-somethings, soaking in the culture and history of the Algarve region by day, partying by night and checking into many countryside youth hostels to catch our twenty winks. That was my first experience of living in hostel accommodation. Fortunately, as a company with high standards, our tour operators had chosen the very best hostels on offer, and we were not disappointed.
Having tried the hospitality of the best European hostels, I always wondered if our Indian counterparts would pass muster in comparison. Hence, when the team at goSTOPS invited me to stay at one of their many properties around the country, I took them up on the offer. At first, I was keen to visit out-of-the-way and reportedly stunning Coorg down South, but the logistics of travel were not in our favour. The next best option was their brand-new property in Baga, Goa. For the uninitiated, goSTOPS is Indias largest and fastest-growing backpacker hostel brand, founded in 2014 by Pallavi Agarwal and Pankaj Parwanda. In the span of just eight years, they have established their presence in each of the major tourist spots of our country and have hosted over 5,00,000 travellers across 32 properties with over 3000 beds. They cater almost exclusively to the age group between 18 and 30 years of age and comprise a cross-section of solo travellers, group travellers, backpackers, digital nomads, and individuals seeking interesting stay experiences or work from hostel options.
Their property locations range from popular spots in North India like Agra and Amritsar to Bengaluru and Kochi in the South; and they are also present in offbeat destinations like Bir, Naggar and Munnar. However, conversations with frequent goSTOPS visitors revealed that their New Delhi location is the most popular one as it is a transit stop for people whizzing around the country.
For my visit to goSTOPS Goa, my brother and I arrived on a rain-soaked Friday afternoon in May, and navigated our way through endless traffic from the airport before finally reaching the hostel in Baga. It was located in a little nook at the end of a lane, difficult to access in a big car but offering plenty of privacy to those seeking it. We were met at the brightly painted gate by a smiling Nikhil Tandel, the General Manager of the property and his colleague Neharika Patni, who quickly led us to our private room – one of eight at this 96-bed hostel. I really appreciated the comfortable placement of bed, side tables and desk, ensuite bathroom and attached balcony – trust me, at my station in life, I’m not one for dormitories!
Once we had settled in, we ordered a spot of lunch – the options were sparse, limited mostly to eggs for breakfast and a few basic Indian dishes for lunch and dinner – but they satisfied our post-travel hunger pangs. Come evening, we were ready to head out, because what is the point of Goa if you are not partying? Booking a cab proved a tough task but the resourceful Tandel managed it for us without too much trouble, and before long, we were off to enjoy ourselves.
Over the course of our 48-hour stay, we were mostly out and about, and highly appreciated our convenient location in North Goa. Yet, it was evident that those seeking the company of others or simply preferring to stay put to work with minimal breaks, also had plenty to do at goSTOPS Baga. A pool table, large screen with a choice of movies and videos playing throughout the day (and night!), large and welcoming common room, and swimming pool were highlights for many. Those on a tight budget could avail of these things without charge while booking a dorm bed for a minimal fee and partaking of the very reasonably-priced food.
This was perhaps why one of our co-residents at the hostel – an inveterate traveller who has sampled all the possible hostel brands in India – shared that goSTOPS was quickly becoming his go-to choice in India because of its fresh approach, good service and friendly atmosphere. Another reason to praise goSTOPS is the brand’s focus on and encouragement of sustainable travel. For their latest initiative, they joined hands with sustainable travel company Shoshin Tribe for the latter’s ‘Odyssey Travel Scholarship 2022’ where six (and then through wild card entries, eight) individuals won a 35-day all expenses paid trip to a number of Indian cities, for the purpose of promoting sustainable travel.
The Marketing Head of goSTOPS, Priyambada Nath explains, “As a company operating in the travel industry, we wanted to do our bit to educate everyone about travelling sustainably. It is important to understand that travel generates carbon footprints. But it is equally important to understand that travelling sustainably is possible, and the idea of launching this scholarship was to educate the youth about doing that. The team followed simple principles like taking public transport, walking wherever possible, carrying their own water bottle, and eating local food, thus minimizing plastic waste. Additionally, as a part of this educative program, the team also got to meet various people who are involved in initiatives at a community level. They spent three days at an organic farm, experienced a stay at the moth and butterfly conservation park and understood how insects are an important part of the food chain. The team also cleaned up the trash generated by others on their hike to Triund. These are small messages that we wanted to highlight.”
Their support of a noble cause and the warm hospitality of goSTOPS must be lauded. Though initially we faced minor issues with unclean sheets and a broken bathroom window leading to an insect infestation, I highly appreciated the management’s quick and efficient response to both these issues. Herein lies the strength of goSTOPS as a brand – it is their willingness to pull out all the stops to make you feel at home, while you interact with like-minded individuals and explore a new place on a shoestring budget. As India’s premier hostel chain, goSTOPS is great for young travellers who are on the road purely for the pleasure of the journey, with the destination being a memorable adjunct.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.noornanandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.