Fernwayer's Press Kit
Instantly bookable cultural, craft-led, and heritage-rich experiences across the world.
Fernwayer is a curated travel marketplace offering mostly private, culturally rich experiences designed in collaboration with local experts. With a focus on storytelling and cultural continuity, every experience is rooted in authenticity and crafted to celebrate human connection. From artisans and chefs to historians and naturalists, Fernwayer partners with experience makers who bring their places to life in ways no guidebook can.
Launched in 2024, Fernwayer currently offers day tour experiences in 12 countries, including Argentina, Chile, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, and Spain — with new destinations added regularly.
Our name is inspired by the German word “Fernweh”: a word that represents the opposite of homesickness, implying a desire or pleasure in being away from home. Fernweh precisely translates to "farsickness" or an ache for distant places, the craving for travel, and a desire to be somewhere else, contrasting with the longing for home that characterizes homesickness.
What is Fernwayer?
Fernwayer is a curated marketplace for private, high-end day experiences — now in 12 countries, with over 600 offerings.
At Fernwayer, we believe the soul of a trip isn’t the hotel or the flight — it’s the experience. Think of it as the “soul” of your trip — the rare, meaningful moments that stay with you.
We’re reimagining luxury in travel as authentic connection, rare access, immersive storytelling, and a deeper understanding of place and people.
Our experiences emphasize cultural immersion, personal connection, and responsible luxury — not sightseeing lists — with a focus on the arts, heritage, gastronomy, photography, nature, and living traditions. Over 95% of our portfolio is privately bookable, with group sizes capped between two and eight. Every experience is productized and ready to book — just like a flight, hotel, or restaurant.
Experiences are co-created in partnership with local experts: artists, chefs, naturalists, photographers, historians. These are real people who help you see the place with new eyes.
Some experiences are new ways to see iconic places in a more immersive way. Some experiences include once-a-year festivals, after-hours visits, or traditions usually closed to outsiders. Others are more intimate: a vineyard lunch with a winemaker, a visit to an architect’s own renovated home to understand azulejos, or a boat ride with a fourth generation fisherman to see areas of the Venice lagoon he frequents.
We’re not a travel agency — we don’t handle hotels or flights. Instead, we focus entirely on cultural experiences. And they’re all instantly bookable — just like a flight or restaurant reservation — with a clear description and real-time availability.
This is travel for people who care about legacy, craftsmanship and meaning. And over 80% of the booking value stays in local hands—directly supporting those communities.
How to Travel with Fernwayer
Shop Experiences directly by destination and interest
Explore pre-designed itineraries via our Lookbook
Co-create a trip using our human-led itinerary design service, The Human Edit
Why It Matters
80%+ of booking value goes to local experience makers and their communities.
Experiences are crafted around people and place — artists, chefs, historians, storytellers.
Technology meets timeless travel: luxury experiences with instant bookability.
Quotes
On reimagining luxury
“Luxury isn’t about abundance — it’s about access: to people, to place, to perspective.” – Vinitaa Jayson
“We created Fernwayer to reframe what luxury in travel means today. It goes beyond abundance or indulgence — it’s about access: to stories, to local insight, to people and communities.” – Vinitaa Jayson
“Authenticity cannot be extractive. Our travelers understand that paying fairly is part of honoring the experience. That it’s what makes the exchange real and mutually rewarding.” – Vinitaa Jayson
“The hotels and restaurants fade. What we remember are the names, the stories, the people.” – Vinitaa Jayson
“What if rare encounters could be intentional — not accidents — and available to book like a hotel suite?” – Alok Singh
On Fernwayer’s uniqueness
“We’re not intermediaries. We co-create these experiences with the people who lead them. That’s a key difference.” – Alok Singh
“Every experience on Fernwayer is what the host actually offers — and what they’re fairly compensated for. No smoke, no mirrors.” – Alok Singh
“We don’t package logistics. We shape the kind of encounters that stir curiosity and create space for real human connection.” – Vinitaa Jayson
“We don’t connect travelers to “locals” — that's a word that flattens more than it honors. We connect travelers to people — with roots, expertise, points of view, and a whole lot of heart.” – Vinitaa Jayson
Fernwayer By The Numbers
12 countries live
Argentina, Chile, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye, Vatican City
600+ experiences available for instant booking
Adventure, Architecture, Arts, Craft, Culture, Food/Drink, Heritage, Local Life, Nature, Photography, Sustainability
Curated network of 200+ experience makers
90%+ are private by design
80%+ of revenue goes local
3 new planning tools launching now/soon: Human-led planning, Lookbook, AI Assistant (launching soon)
Founders’ Story and Bios
For co-founders Vinitaa Jayson and Alok Singh, Fernwayer began with a shared instinct: that the most meaningful part of travel isn’t where you stay or how you get there — it’s who you meet. As seasoned travelers, they found that what remained with them long after the travel wasn’t the luxury suites or fine dining, but the names, stories, and conversations that offered a deeper connection. Frustrated by how hard these moments were to access through traditional travel channels — and building on successful corporate careers — they launched Fernwayer in 2024: a high-end experiences marketplace designed to make rare, human-centered encounters easy to find and book.
Vinitaa Jayson Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Fernwayer
Vinitaa Jayson is a former Fortune 100 executive with two decades of experience leading cross-cultural teams, designing global organizations, and driving long-term growth across markets. As a strategist, storyteller, and builder at heart, she brings a rare combination of commercial insight and creative depth to Fernwayer.
At Fernwayer, she leads the brand’s product vision — shaping the curated experience portfolio, defining the creative direction, and building the global network of experience makers. She ensures every experience — and experience maker — reflects the qualities Fernwayer stands for: cultural integrity and expertise, human connection, and a sense of wonder.
Her background in business, combined with her lifelong passion for travel, storytelling, and people, informs Fernwayer’s distinctive voice and editorial approach. From how the platform is built to how each experience is written, her touch is everywhere — rooted in empathy, precision, and craft.
Vinitaa directs how Fernwayer connects with its travelers — from brand voice and storytelling to market positioning and product resonance.
Alok Singh Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Fernwayer
A seasoned technology and business leader, Alok Singh brings over two decades of experience building systems that scale. With a background spanning strategy, product, and operational leadership across multiple Fortune 100 companies, he leads Fernwayer’s platform and technology, corporate strategy, and B2B partnerships.
As CEO, he focuses on building a marketplace that delivers ease, trust, automation, and excellence at every level — both for travelers seeking rare, culturally grounded experiences and for the global network of experience makers Fernwayer supports. At his core, Alok is a systems thinker with a deep appreciation for local knowledge and human connection.
A disruptor at heart, Alok is driven by the conviction that legacy industries — like travel — are ready for a more human, more transparent model. He shapes Fernwayer’s growth strategy, technology roadmap, and partner ecosystem with that lens, ensuring the platform transforms how travelers and communities connect.
His experience working across industries and continents informs his belief that great design is both elegant and scalable — and that meaningful impact comes from aligning the right systems with the right stories.
Sample Experiences
A 1-day or 3-day intimate workshop with an acclaimed photographer, featuring shoots with masked models in hidden Venetian courtyards and exclusive early-morning access to misty canals. A rare chance to capture Carnevale’s opulent costumes and surreal atmosphere through the lens.
Walk alongside a local Andalusian brotherhood during one of Spain’s most iconic pilgrimages — complete with traditional attire, communal meals, flamenco singing, and the deep cultural and spiritual resonance of rural Andalusian life. An immersive journey into devotion, tradition, and community.
A golden-hour photogenic horseback encounter with semi-wild Yılkı horses running across Cappadocia’s dramatic landscape. Saddle up for a blend of natural beauty, equestrian tradition, and immersive culture — framed through the dust, light and freedom of Anatolia’s open plains.
Witness the haunting procession of the Mamuthones and Issohadores — a deeply symbolic Sardinian ritual rooted in centuries-old folklore. Accompanied by a local anthropologist and photographer, enjoy an authentic farmhouse lunch and privileged access to traditional masked performances and cultural storytelling.
Cruise behind the tourist lines with a local fisherman: explore quiet canals, observe traditional lagoon fishing or net-making, visit a family lace workshop in Burano, and dine on fresh catch just pulled from the water. A deeply personal immersion into lagoon life and ecological heritage.
Meet one of the last masters of a fading craft: shadow puppetry, black-clay pottery, or other endangered regional arts. Visit working craft workshops, learn ancient techniques, and contribute directly to their preservation — travel reimagined as cultural stewardship.
Ideal for travelers with tight schedules: half- or full-day bespoke itineraries blending iconic landmarks with hidden gems — pairing art, architecture, food, and human stories for an unforgettable taste of cities like Lisbon, Venice, Istanbul, or Mexico City.
An evening with a modern-day hakawati storyteller, reviving ancient oral traditions. Enjoy a Moroccan feast while hearing tales of love, legends, and life — the kind that defined a city long before it became a travel destination.
Press Soundbites
“Fernwayer brings intimacy back to luxury travel.”
“For travelers who want to remember names, not just landmarks.”
“We offer the magic of a black book, without the gatekeeping.”
“This isn’t about exclusivity for its own sake — it’s about meaningful access.”
Media Assets
All content downloaded from this page may be used for editorial purposes only. Any other use is strictly prohibited.
Our Brand
Our logos and wordmarks, designed by Venice-based graphic design atelier Small Caps, represent Fernwayer's identity.
Experiences
Our experiences are co-created with exceptional Experience Makers who bring a deep sense of place, cultural grounding, subject-matter expertise, and insider access that most travelers would never find on their own. They include art historians, architects, authors and educators, craftspeople and designers, chefs, winemakers, and farmers, photographers… and more.
Contact Us
For all media inquiries, interviews, assets, and partnerships you can reach out to us at info@fernwayer.com
Read our most recent press releases in our Newsroom.