Who says only men can have fun?

They danced with tribal women at Burma, got drunk on sake in Japan, went on animal-back rides at various other countries and are planning to go off to the Himalayas soon for a spa vacation. They are neither a group of professional backpackers nor are they travel writers. They are a group of housewives and working women, aged 35 years and above, all members of the Duchess Club. (Yes, it is now slightly amusing to imagine their sake experience!)Started five years ago, the Duchess Club Travel Wing took their first trip to Mauritius, with a member count of 47 women. Since then, they have gone off on such trips, both national and international, twice or thrice a year and the participation has steadily increased. “As of now, we have had 19 trips, including our latest tour of Myanmar,” says Rathi Nilakantan, a member of the Duchess Club and an active participant in the trips.Speaking with some of the regulars is like listening to a bunch of school kids reminisce their last school excursion to a theme park. They pull each others’ legs with embarrassing stories, recollect funny anecdotes, pull out roommate's hassles, give each other nicknames from the experiences and even get candid about excess baggage. “Travelling with this group is the best experience one can get. I wouldn’t go with any other group even if I had the chance,” says Sureka Mohandass, another member. Some of the places that the Travel Wing has visited include Russia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Bali, Kumarakom in Kerala and Vietnam. “We want to try travelling to as many places as we can and not go to the same old tourist countries,” explains Anuradha Sachdev, a member. Primarily open to women members of the club, the trips also accommodate husbands and kids. “But they have to go as per our itinerary during the entire trip,” says member Shylaja Chetlur. The trips are planned well ahead of the travel dates, mostly by Rathi and Anu. “I trust their planning so much that I don’t even ask where we are going. I just pay the money, pack up my bags and am ready to go,” explains Shoba Reddy. “We enjoy the little goodie bags that we get at the end of each trip. It is an important souvenir for us to remember the trips,” adds Sherene John.  With their stories of waterways with lanterns in Vietnam, eating local foods in South Africa, wearing the Cambodian outfits, and eating not only the most expensive beef — Kobe, but also worms and meat of crocodile, these women are enough to make even the most versatile traveller jealous.“It is a way for us to know each other better,” says Shylaja. “It is the time for us to have our own little vacation, without worrying about waking up the kids for school, cooking and all of that,” jokes Surekha.