At 19, Rohan Walked Away From the City. At 27, He Owns Offbeat Stays in Nature, Curates Soulful Journeys, and Lives Like He’s Already Retired
Rohan Sethiya didn’t wait for success or retirement to live the life he wanted. He left the city at 19, built soulful properties in the wild, and now curates raw, unforgettable travel experiences for those who seek more.
I heard about Rohan Sethiya the way you hear about music that isn’t on Spotify yet — quietly, from a friend who said, “You need to experience this place.”
That place was The Hinterland — a dreamy riverside escape just outside Indore, the city where Rohan grew up — and quietly walked away from. My friend described it like a dream: campfires, hikes, wild laughter, soulful music under open skies, and a kind of stillness that felt rare.
But behind that place was a story — one I wasn’t expecting.
While most people in their 20s are still figuring things out, Rohan was already living a life that didn’t need escaping from.
He had left city life at just 19. Not for college. Not for a job. Just because something in him refused to live on autopilot.
He wasn’t drawn to chaos, competition, or convention. He was drawn to peace.
What followed were years of solo travel, quiet exploration, and what he now calls “a deep search for alignment.”
He lived in mountain villages. Danced barefoot at unknown festivals. Got lost, many times.
But something kept showing up — a calling to build spaces that feel like home for the right kind of people.
Today, Rohan owns and runs two intimate offbeat stays in India — including his high-altitude hostel in Spiti Valley and The Hinterland, which has quickly grown into one of the most beloved riverside escapes in Central India.
What started as a wild idea with zero playbook is now a thriving, soulful hub for artists, explorers, and travelers seeking something real.
These aren’t “Instagrammable” tourist traps.
They’re hidden pockets of stillness, joy, and intentional community — built for people who travel not for content, but for connection.
But his work isn’t just local anymore.
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Rohan now curates international experiential trips and workations — from Himalayan retreats to slow-living escapes across Southeast Asia — and soon, across wild corners of Europe — as this soulful movement quietly goes global.
Each journey is handcrafted, deeply personal, and designed to create something no itinerary ever promises: a real shift inside you.
He doesn’t market aggressively.
He doesn’t chase trends.
He rarely even posts about himself.
“I was never trying to build a business,” he says. “I was just trying to build a life that made sense. And then share it with people who’d get it.”
And somehow, it worked.
For years now, he hasn’t just made a living — he’s lived free. Financially, geographically, emotionally, and spiritually. His properties are full of soul.
And he’s living what most people imagine doing after 60 — but doing it now, at 27, without waiting for permission.
This isn’t a story about hustle. It’s about choosing peace, building wild dreams by hand, and living like you’re already free.
Rohan, chasing stardust and silence, at his Himalayan Escape.
And maybe, if you’re lucky, one day you’ll end up at one of his escapes — and feel what I felt when I first heard about him:
This is someone who didn’t just take the offbeat path. He built a home there.
offbeat living, slow travel, experiential travel, indie lifestyle, modern nomads, India, freedom lifestyle , digital nomads, escape the city, soulful living
