FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Ceremony
What is the Soul Compass?
The Soul Compass is how we begin. It is not a form. It is a sequence of questions designed to surface what you actually need from a journey, not just what you think you want. Your responses are read by a human curator, not processed by a booking engine.
Why can't I just tell you where I want to go and get a quote?
You can. We offer a destination-led track for those who already have a place in mind. But even then, we ask about how you want to feel inside the journey, because the same place can be designed in completely different ways depending on who you are. The destination is a beginning, not an answer.
Do I have to complete the Soul Compass in one sitting?
No. Use the Save & Return Later option at any point and we will preserve your session. Return whenever you are ready. Your progress will be waiting.
Is the Soul Compass free?
Yes. Completing the ceremony costs nothing. A proposal is generated only after a curator reviews your profile personally. If we cannot design something extraordinary for you, we will tell you.
The Living Proposal
What happens after I submit my details?
Your profile is reviewed by a curator, a human being, not an algorithm. Within 48 hours, you will receive your Living Proposal: a private document showing the journey we have designed specifically for you.
What is a Living Proposal?
A Living Proposal is more than an itinerary. It is a private document that describes the journey we propose (the places, the pacing, the experiences) and explains why each element was chosen for you specifically. It is the beginning of a conversation, not a contract.
Can I request changes to the Living Proposal?
Yes. The Living Proposal is flexible for eight days, then it locks. Within those eight days your curator refines it with you until it reflects what you need.
How long does it take to receive a Living Proposal?
Within 48 hours. If anything about your journey needs longer, your curator will tell you before then.
The Velvet Rope
Is TripsGala a travel agency?
In the way that matters to you, yes. We plan your whole trip and arrange it for you: flights, hotels, transfers, guides and what you do each day. What is different is where we start. We ask how you feel and what you need before we suggest a single place. We do not own hotels or run tours ourselves. We design the journey and oversee its making, working with a vetted network of ground partners, properties, and specialists who execute it. The experience is yours. The design is ours.
Where do the hotels, guides, and transport in my journey actually come from?
We hold no inventory of our own, deliberately. For every journey we select the specific hotels, guides, transport, and experiences we believe are right for you from a vetted network of independent providers, rather than offering only what we happen to own or have a stake in. That independence is what lets us choose freely, on your behalf, every time. Bookings made through a partner platform or provider carry that provider's own confirmation and terms alongside ours, and we remain the person you talk to if anything about your journey needs attention.
Who is TripsGala for?
Anyone who has grown tired of assembling their own trips and wants something designed for them, not a template, not a package, not an algorithm's idea of a good holiday. Our clients range from first-time travelers with specific emotional needs to frequent travelers who have been everywhere and still haven't arrived.
Is there a minimum spend?
We do not publish pricing publicly. The cost depends on the journey: where, when, for how long and for how many people. If a curator believes they can design something extraordinary within your means, they will tell you. If they cannot, they will tell you that too.
Can I skip the Soul Compass if I already know what I want?
No. The Soul Compass is the same for everyone, regardless of budget or certainty. It takes approximately six minutes. It is not negotiable, not because we are being difficult, but because the questions are how we learn to design for you specifically.
Trust & Privacy
What do you do with the information I share?
Everything you share is held by TripsGala and used only to design your journey. We do not sell your data. We do not share it with third parties except the ground partners required to construct your journey, and only then with your implicit consent through accepting a Living Proposal. Read our Privacy Policy for full details.
Is my conversation with the Companion Voice recorded?
Yes. The exchanges you have during the Soul Compass are stored and reviewed by your curator as part of your psychographic profile. They are never shared publicly and are treated with the same confidentiality as everything else you share with us.
Who is behind TripsGala?
TripsGala is a product of Barlako Enterprises LLP, incorporated in India in 2013. It was founded and is led by A.H. Shervani.
Is TripsGala the same as TripGala?
No. TripGala is a different company with no link to us. TripsGala, spelt with an “s”, is a private travel design company run by Barlako Enterprises LLP for more than a decade. We are not a group trip planning app. More on the difference.
Where is TripsGala based, and where does it plan trips?
TripsGala is an Indian company. We plan private trips to countries all over the world, for travelers from India and abroad.
Does TripsGala sell holiday packages?
We sell complete holidays, but never a ready-made package. You pay one price for the whole trip: flights, hotels, transfers, guides and every day planned. We build that trip from nothing around you. We do not sell fixed packages from a catalogue, and we do not sell discount deals.
How does TripsGala make money?
Travelers pay us for the complete holiday we design and arrange for them. We carry no advertising and no sponsored content.
What does TripsGala not do?
We do not sell ready-made packages or fixed group tours. We do not sell discount deals or compare prices. We are not a booking app or a tool for planning trips with friends. We do not own hotels or run tours ourselves. We design your trip, and a checked network of local partners delivers it.
Looking for something more specific? We answer longer questions about how we work, what things cost, and what happens when a trip goes sideways over on Answers.
© 2014–2026 TripsGala / Barlako Enterprises LLP