About the Founder – Kunal Jain
Kunal is originally from Agra (the city of the Taj Mahal). From a very young age Kunal left home and went on to study in Nainital (Himalayas). Schooled in one of India’s premier boarding schools, Sherwood College in Nainital, it was here that he was introduced to the outdoors and the wilderness. Kunal would often go on day trips with the Out-bound Club exploring near by Nainital and explore the dense forests behind his school. After completing high school, Kunal studied in Germany and then Maryland (USA) where he graduated with a degree in Accounting. He then moved to Manhattan, New York working in the financial and consulting industry. In 2008, he left the United States and did his MBA in Finance post which he worked in Dubai and finally Singapore.
Scanning for Gharials in the Chambal River
Before – a very Corporate Kunal
In 2014, Kunal took a sabbatical from his job in Singapore and spent time volunteering with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Center for Wildlife Studies (CWS) in the forests of South India. He went back to Singapore but it didn’t take him long to realize that he is happiest when surrounded by nature and wildlife. He quit his successful corporate job and moved back to India soon after. In 2018, he started Travel With.
When not leading or organizing holidays for his guests, Kunal travels to new destinations, spends an enormous amount of time doing detailed recons of new destinations, hotels/lodges, safaris, walks, guides, naturalists and other hospitality partners. Simply put, he does all this so that his guests are not up against any surprises when they travel with us. You can expect Kunal to do a thorough due diligence, thus sticking to his modus operandi – recommend only when personally tried and tested.
After – Kunal the wildlife enthusiast and photographer
Installing camera traps as part of a naturalist training program in Tadoba
To stay upto date with our ever-changing natural environment, Kunal actively seeks opportunities to learn more about the forest and it’s beings by participating in relevant workshops and training programs. An amateur photographer, Kunal also strives to sharpen his photography skills during his free time.
About Travel With
Travel With is not your typical travel agency. Travel With is a collective of people, to be precise, like-minded people from all walks of life. With the support of this network of People, we lead and organize holidays to un-crowded destinations in India (and hopefully soon abroad). Destinations rich in nature, wildlife and guest relations and far-far-away from mainstream, crowded and one-off tourism.
Talk on ethical wildlife tourism at the American Embassy, New Delhi
Chambal River Safari with Kunal
In Agra, Travel With organizes river safaris on the Chambal river, one of the cleanest rivers in India. The Chambal River Safari is one of our top rated experiences. We also lead and organize ethical wildlife safaris in national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and getaways in the Himalayas. Our company has been rated in the top 5% of Outdoor Activities on TripAdvisor and is the recipient of Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Award in 2020, 2021 and 2023. This is a huge accomplishment as Kunal has no former experience in the travel industry, yet he took the plunge in a very competitive market despite a lot skepticism from his well wishers. Kunal has proven that you can successfully make a passion/hobby into a full fledged profession and that all it takes is grit, honesty and believing in yourself.
Today, we have repeat guests from several Embassies in India, the American Embassy School, United Nations and World Health Organization besides others. Travel With also enjoys leading small sized school trips in to the wilderness as we believe the youth of today need to be put outside their comfort zone every now and then, take a break from gadgets and the usual academics. Some of the schools and organizations we have organized tours for include the Boy Scouts of America, Child Reach (Mumbai) and Minnetonka High School, Minnesota USA.
In Pench with Child Reach, Mumbai (school for children with special needs)
Chambal Heritage Walk with guests
So, be it a glamping trip to see leopards in rural Rajasthan, weekend getaway to see the endangered Gharial crocodile on your way to the Taj Mahal, longer trips for those looking to detox in the Himalayas, small sized camping and outdoor trips for kids (and adults) or corporate retreats, we can organize and/or accompany you on such experiences.
Travel With does not engage in unethical practices that are rampant in wildlife tourism these days, some of these include call playback of birds to get that perfect photo, feeding, baiting or petting of wildlife. For instance, many of our guests inquire about organizing an elephant back safari in a national park and we have to politely decline such animal experiences as behind closed doors the treatment given to captive elephants is highly questionable. We also insist that the guides and hotels we partner with do not engage in such practices that are detriment in the long run to the survival of our fellow forest beings. Travel With also actively tries to minimize it’s carbon foot print but we understand that it may not always be practical to do so.
All smiles after a successful safari in Kaziranga