Travel shows get makeover in India: Gaurav Kapoor (With Image)

New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Thanks to the changing preferences and lifestyle of people, travel shows in India have got a makeover, says Channel V's popular veejay Gaurav Kapoor who helped select the country's first travel jockey for "Freaky Traveller", which will uncover unexploited destinations.

"There has been a sudden splurge in travelling shows in India and the main reason for this is the changing lifestyle and mindset," Gaurav told IANS, adding that the choice of destination has changed a lot.

"Ten years back, people were only interested to see and know about posh places, but today they are ready to visit remote areas and experience the lifestyle there. This is what we are trying to show in 'Freaky Traveller'. One can say that it's makeover time for travelling shows," Gaurav told IANS.

Natural beauty is in abundance in the country and it is fun exploring those places.

"There is so much beauty waiting to be explored in places like Mizoram and Nagaland. With the show, one will not only get the chance to see the beaches of Goa, but also the desert areas of Rajasthan. We are trying to promote the rich culture and tradition these cities posses, apart from introducing some unexploited places," he added.

"Freaky Traveller" highlights the quirky and fun side of travel with the help of India's first travel jockey who was finalised after talent hunt. The show went on air Sunday on FOX History & Traveller.

It wasn't surprising when Gaurav took to social networking site Facebook to hunt down Brij Bhakta, a standup comedian.

"During the hunt for a travel jockey, I was amazed at the contestants' confidence and willingness to go the extra mile. We were particularly looking for someone confident, uninhibited, with a presence of mind and a wacky sense of humour. We found all that and much more in Brij Bhakta. He was the ideal host for the show," the 32-year-old said.

The show offers something extraordinary - it focuses on intrinsic India rather than Incredible one.

"When we came up with the show, the idea was to show the world an intrinsic India. People will see the host getting involved with every single activity happening in the show -- whether it is training Indian pigeons, racing a camel in Rajasthan or paragliding in Mcleodganj in Himachal Pradesh -- Brij will do everything," said Gaurav.

This is not the first reality show which Gaurav has been part of. He also hosted "Big Switch 2" and "India's Minute To Win It".

Are you obsessed with hosting reality shows?

"It's not that I am only doing reality shows. I have been part of many other shows, which were not on the lines of reality shows like IPL (Indian Premier League). But yes, if some adventurous and interesting things strike me in the form of reality shows, then I don't mind doing it," he said.