Enriching your Life Through Travel by: Debika Sen

Enriching your Life Through Travel

by: Debika Sen

My journey in travel has been interesting, one fused with rich and vast experiences through numerous sojourns which included a nation not opened to the world of travel and to those places well traversed by many. Anyone can design a trip, but few understand the inherent need to feed the soul with enriching experiences – a voyage that humbles the ego, opens the mind, a feast for the eyes and an experience of offering a different perspective on life. It is an opportunity to be a citizen, briefly, an immersion into a culture, cuisine, tradition and their religion. Travel compels us to get out of our comfort zone, embracing that what is diverse, merging two different societies, exploring a new way of life.

For instance, I never thought of visiting Myanmar. It was an invitation from an airline, to explore a new destination. I traveled to Myanmar (Burma) about 10 years ago, when Americans were not comfortable visiting this rich and spiritually evolved country but at the same time, engulfed in turmoil. One of my most vivid memory was attempting to cross a very busy street but was daunted by the traffic. An elderly man noticed my dilemma. Neither spoke the other person’s language. We communicated through our eyes – mine reflected fear and anxiety and his spoke of calm and trust. Together, holding hands like father and daughter, we crossed the road. He walked me to my hotel and left. My offer for a cup of tea was dismissed with a wave and a hand on his heart. I learned a valuable lesson, never judge a nation based on what one hears or reads in the media. Travel is a lifetime investment, a source of inspiration to new thoughts, encounters and a way of connecting with people.

An excellent tour is one like a riveting biography – each day is a new chapter on the destination, gradually unfolding the birth of a nation and her people. A story where one is transformed and open to that what is different. Let us embark on a journey letting forth the magic of uncovering unchartered territories. Let us journey together to far off lands, garnering a lifetime of memories.

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!