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Story

built while staying in hostels

I’m building Raunak from the road, because the road kept asking for it.

I’m building Raunak from the road, because the road kept asking for it.

I’m Amar Prakash Pandey. I’ve been staying in hostels, moving through the India backpacker circuit, and seeing the same evening confusion repeat: people don’t only need a bed — they need to know where they can sit, talk, and feel less alone for the evening.

I’m Amar Prakash Pandey. I’ve been staying in hostels, moving through the India backpacker circuit, and seeing the same evening confusion repeat: people don’t only need a bed — they need to know where they can sit, talk, and feel less alone for the evening.

“The best hostel tonight is the one where people can sit, talk, and feel at ease.”

“The best hostel tonight is the one where people can sit, talk, and feel at ease.”

That sentence is basically why Raunak exists.

COMMON ROOM NOTICE

This is a hostel baithak check — for people who want to talk and hang out.

Hostel life is weirdly local. The same town can feel warm in one common room and empty two streets away. Raunak is my attempt to make that quiet human layer visible — without rewarding noise, paid rankings, or manufactured hype.

dorm rooms

common rooms

slow evenings

COMMON ROOM NOTICE

This is a hostel baithak check — for people who want to talk and hang out.

Hostel life is weirdly local. The same town can feel warm in one common room and empty two streets away. Raunak is my attempt to make that quiet human layer visible — without rewarding noise, paid rankings, or manufactured hype.

dorm rooms

common rooms

slow evenings

Guitar illustration

01 · I kept arriving blind.

A town has a pulse, but none of the booking tools showed it. You only found out after walking into a silent common room with your backpack still on.

02 · The incentives felt off.

Chains promote their own beds. OTAs optimize for booking. Travellers ask a more human question: where can I sit and talk tonight?

03 · So I started building the missing layer.

A neutral, fast, traveller-first read of where gentle hostel hangouts are forming — built from dorm rooms, cafés, common rooms, and long bus rides.

Playing cards illustration

What I want Raunak to protect

What I want Raunak to protect

01

Traveller-first, even when the answer is inconvenient for a hostel brand.

Traveller-first, even when the answer is inconvenient for a hostel brand.

02

Fast enough to use on hill 4G, outside a hostel gate, with a bag still on.

Fast enough to use on hill 4G, outside a hostel gate, with a bag still on.

03

Human in tone. No fake hype. Just: achhi baithak kidhar hai?

for slow evenings, shared tables, and conversations that don’t need a plan

for slow evenings, shared tables, and conversations that don’t need a plan

Raunak

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How it works

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A neutral hangout read for solo backpackers choosing where to sit and talk tonight.

A neutral hangout read for solo backpackers choosing where to sit and talk tonight.

Rolling out across 50+ backpacker towns in India — built from dorm rooms, not boardrooms.

Tonight

Planner

50+ locations

Baithak kidhar hai

© 2026 Raunak. Crafted for travellers.

© 2026 Raunak. Crafted for travellers.

built on the road, for the people who actually stay there

built on the road, for the people who actually stay there