Betsy Emmanuel, Founder

With the background of having worked in the travel trade for over 25 years designing unique journeys and helping travellers make the most of their holidays and cultural immersion for India and the subcontinent.

A Postgraduate in Management specializing in Tourism studies, she loves to present the country, in the most imaginative and memorable way possible. She has a SITE certification from the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence. A textile, art and culinary enthusiast, she believe, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”

Favourite holiday destination : Kerala with its sublime backwaters and rich Dutch history of Fort Kochi, the magnificent Palaces and Fort of the ruins of Hampi in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka & the supernatural landscapes of Ladakh with its whitewashed stupas and colourful fluttering prayer flags.

Most memorable travel experiences : Experiencing how the non-schooled women of a village near Jodhpur make solar cookers as part of self-reliance solutions for village communities. A calming and spiritual sunset boat ride on the sacred Narmada river in Central India where I had the occasion to stay at the 250 year old Ahilya Fort now a glorious luxury hotel.

Charles D’Cruz

Charles comes with almost three and half decades in an extensive hospitality, travel and tourism career. With numerous activities in the travel & tourism sector, he has experience in retail sales, tour operations and marketing for noted Asian & Middle East hotels. A native of Goa he has worked in and travelled to various parts of the world. Charles brings this knowledge and traveler-focused orientation to The Travel Grail.

His favourite holiday destinations include not just the sun kissed Konkan coast of Goa but the lush green rolling hills of New Zealand and the meticulous beauty of Japan. While being a “world traveler” during his long career, he stayed true to his roots and still believes that the diverse cultures, foods and invigorating beauty of destinations in India from Kashmir to Shillong to Kerala is something that one will never find anywhere else.

Among his memorable travel experiences, he loves nothing more than the textures and tastes of his native Goa. Tracing his ancestry back to its Portuguese settlers, he has always felt at ease in the midst of the grandiose Portuguese churches and charming villas and the special cuisine that comes with it. While working in the hospitality industry, he has been an active frontrunner in the move towards a new Goa, a melting pot of Indian warmth and conviviality.