The Visionary
Mr. Milind Bhide, the extraordinary man and inspiration behind Countryside Adventure Holidays took an idea and turned it into reality. His passion for travel knew no bounds and that’s what fueled his need to turn this very passion into his profession!
Inspiration hits you in the most unexpected way. So, in 1982, on a mountaineering trip in the Himalayas, inspiration meandered its way into Milind’s life and thus began a wonderful relationship with travel. He decided to take up a basic course in mountaineering and what started as a hobby, became his life as he took part in an epic expedition to Mt. Kanchenjunga in 1988. Everything changed after that and like they say, the rest is history!
What Milind did with this new found passion was no ordinary feat – despite being armed with a science degree and a lustrous career in finance, he continued to feed his drive for adventure. His love for trekking and exploring the Himalayas with a bunch of like-minded mountaineers gave birth to a business idea and soon, Countryside Adventure Holidays was born – one of the few adventure travel companies that understood what people with a penchant for trekking and adrenalin wanted.
A true entrepreneur keeps up with the times and a true adventurer never backs down, no matter how steep the climb. Milind soon added a varied range of products to Countryside, keeping in mind, the different interests of his clients.
Having been so invested in what he does right from the start, all of Milind’s clients knew that safety and service were his top priority and with this trust, the demand for the trips he designed, skyrocketed!
As the 25th year of being in business dawns on Countryside, Milind and his team have effortlessly expanded the company internationally. With a surreal journey to Antarctica via South America, a tranquil cycling trip through Northern Italy, bringing in 2018 in Turkey, and exploring the beauty of Uttarakhand, Ladakh and North East, they are tirelessly working towards adding more destinations to their list of offerings – watch out for Jordan, Myanmar, Bhutan, the French Alps, and cycling trips in France! But, it doesn’t stop there…how about a two-week journey aboard the world’s longest railway line – the Trans-Siberian Railway that travels from Beijing to Moscow via Mongolia!
When not in transit, Milind enjoys reading tales of adventure and philosophy. When asked about his favorite activity, Milind quips, “Trekking! Because it’s one of the best ways to discover the nuances of a place and absorb its culture” and what is his aim? “To help people delve into the unseen, discover who they really are, achieve a tremendous sense of accomplishment and have the best stories to tell!”
What a way to celebrate 25 years of great experiences and the possibilities seem endless when it comes to what Countryside has planned for 2018!