Planout is an Indian company, built by Indians who love exploring their own country. Based in Bengaluru, we spend much of our time travelling across India, meeting people, discovering places, and seeing the country beyond the headlines.

One Monday night in August 2025, friends we'd met while travelling called us from New Delhi. They were overwhelmed. A driver had taken them to a "government emporium," they were getting conflicting travel advice, and they didn't know who to trust.

We stayed on the phone until everything was sorted.

Within days, more travellers reached out with similar questions.
"Is this price fair?"
"Which train is the right one?"
"Is it safe to go there alone?"

That's when we realised something.

The problem wasn't India. It was arriving without someone you could trust.

Because we knew another India—the shopkeeper in Meghalaya who walked us to the right bus stand, the family in Kerala who welcomed us before we'd even ordered, and the guide in Hampi who told us not to waste money on an experience that wasn't worth it that season.

Those stories rarely travel as far as the scam stories do.

So we built the platform we wished our friends had that night: Planout.

A place for honest travel planning, local knowledge, and recommendations that put travellers first—not commissions.

Founded in Bengaluru, India in 2025, Planout has already helped 120+ travellers explore India independently with personalised planning and trusted local support across all 28 states and 8 union territories.