This Luxury Travel Host Will Plan Your 2020 Palos Verdes Escape Experience

This Luxury Travel Host Will Plan Your 2020 PV Escape Experience

Debika Sen believes creativity is key when it comes to developing unique international tour experiences. Driven by a need to curate immersive trips for a range of participants, Debika draws on her more-than-a-decade of experience to deliver just that. As early as 500 BC, Tahiti was inhabited by migrating Polynesians. It wasn’t until the 16th century that the island was discovered by European missionaries and ultimately colonized by France. Today, Tahiti is part of French Polynesia and is the semi-autonomous territory of France.

When people travel to Tahiti, they’re in search of or running from something. What is it about the French Polynesia that captivates so much so that even former President Barack Obama retreated there to work on his book? This wasn’t just a pretty island for bikinis and booze. There was something different about it. The “Mana.” The more I explored the culture of Tahiti, the more I began to understand the essence of Mana. The definition of the word is hard to describe. It is the force that drives life in Tahiti, the all-encompassing energy of strength, beauty and resilience. It’s the magic that makes Tahiti so compelling. 

I realized that this was a place where people could find the change they needed, a crucial shift in their trajectory. That’s when I decided it was time to create a tour by women, for women, in Tahiti. I would host an intimate group of women for a Tahitian tour, offering guests the luxuries of travel meshed with Tahiti’s rich culture. I wanted to give these women a taste of Mana, passed down across centuries through the ma’ohi ancestors and their Polynesian culture, cuisine, and artwork.

In my research, I found that one of the two major systems Polynesians used to organize their descent groups was through the passing of titles. It wasn’t about blood lineage. The titles were passed down from generation to generation to men and women alike. This shed light on the role of women in Tahitian culture. While it wasn’t a totally matriarchal society, it was a patrilineal and matrilineal society. Descent could be traced through the male or female line. I felt the female power. 

I wanted women to come to Tahiti in exploration of that power, to tap into it. It would be an opportunity to learn the unique history of Tahitian women and how they loved, play and protect their community. The bond between Tahitian women and their flowers was just a glimpse into the important role of nature in Tahitian culture. I would give our group hands-on experiences like weaving, woodcarving and even tattooing, learning how it all ties into Tahiti’s heritage and mythology, which unfolds as a beautiful story to the island’s love and spiritual connection with nature. We would grasp the true Tahitian attitude toward life, “aita pea pea,” which means not to worry. With this vision, I now prepare to lead a small group of women to Tahiti in search of Mana, though I know that we will walk away with so much more. If you hear the call of Tahiti, answer it.

Debika Sen

Debika Sen believes creativity is key when it comes to developing unique international tour experiences. Driven by a need to curate immersive trips for a range of participants, Debika draws on her more-than-a-decade of experience to deliver just that.

Currently, Debika is the Founder and President of A Classic Tours Collection, an immersive tour operator that takes tour participants across continents on unique tour experiences.

Website:  www.aclassictour.com

After entering the travel industry as a receptionist, Debika discovered a fascination for designing trips. As she began to understand the mechanisms of what makes a trip great, Debika embarked on designing trips that today focus on - and fulfill - a spiritual and emotional need for travelers. It was her passion for unique tours that culminated in the launch of A Classic Tours in 2008, based in Redondo Beach, CA. Over the past decade, Debika has grown her tour offerings, team and business, and has offered over 30 experiences across 20 countries.

Notably, Debika created the Women’s Empowerment Tour after being selected for - and participating in – The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. During this time, Debika developed the unique Women’s Empowerment Tour of India, which led to additional tours of historical importance, from Women Empowerment tours to Tahiti, Croatia and Japan, to her one-of-a-kind journey into Imperial Russia and The Occult.

In her downtime, Debika is an avid reader and writer, putting together articles about travel and insights gained through travel, and devouring a multitude of books on travel and history. She also enjoys seeing movies and of course, traveling!