Alankar Chandra CEO & Founder of Wild Voyager & Ilora Retreats on Leaving the Corporate World to Build an Experiential Travel Startup — The Indian Startup Show

Turning Wanderlust into a Business. Can falling in love with a place completely change the trajectory of your life? For Alankar Chandra, a trip to the Masai Mara did exactly that.

Today, I speak to Alankar Chandra, the CEO and Founder of Wild Voyager and Ilora Retreats. An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Alankar left his comfortable corporate job to pursue his true passions: wildlife and travel.

In this episode, we discuss how he turned his hobby into a thriving experiential travel company, born out of a desire to rekindle a true sense of wonder through authentic adventures.

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a travel enthusiast, Alankar’s journey from having zero background in the travel industry to building a successful business is packed with incredible insights.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Lightbulb Moment: How falling in love with the Masai Mara inspired him to leave the corporate world behind.
Starting from Scratch: Navigating the industry without a travel background and treating the first year as a "discovery phase."
Building the Business: Effective marketing strategies, getting early customers, and lessons learned from what didn't work.
Team Dynamics: The challenges of hiring and retaining great staff.
Founder Life: What a typical day looks like and the realities of being a solo founder.
The Travel Industry: Dealing with competition, prioritizing sustainability in tourism, and exciting expeditions like tracking snow leopards.
What's Next: Exciting future plans for Wild Voyager and Ilora Retreats.

Please enjoy the show!

Links

https://www.wildvoyager.com/

The Indian Startup Show is hosted and produced by Neil Patel

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpatel2/

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Music by Punch Deck.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV