For Mizhab K, Muhammed Nihad, and Abhishek Roopesh, Malayali students at the University of Delhi, the train journey from Kerala to the national capital and vice versa — spanning eight states and 46 hours — used to be regular yet taxing affair.

Constantly struggling with the limited sanitary facilities available on trains, the trio decided to delve deeper into the issues plaguing those travelling long distances. Discussions on this topic via a WhatsApp group of Malayali students in the University unearthed concerns about the cleanliness of washrooms in trains and challenges in maintaining personal hygiene while travelling.

In the light of their findings, the friends, later joined by Suhail V, started a company called Travel Essentia, which recently launched a 10-piece rail hygiene kit of sanitary essentials such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipes, wet towels, paper soap, sanitiser sachets, toilet seat covers, a cutlery set, a face mask, and a cotton pouch. The components are neatly packed in a cardboard box, which can easily transform into Ludo or Snake and Ladder boards.

“In identifying what goes into the kit, our first step was to list things we miss out while packing for a long train journey. While essentials such as toothpaste and toothbrush stay at the back of our minds, we often miss out on them at the last minute,” says Mizhab. “Most often, people who travel long distances have complaints about washroom hygiene. We have added toilet covers, wet wipes, wet towels, and sanitisers to address that.”

The kits are priced at ₹149 per unit and include single-use items such as toothpaste tablets and paper soap strips to facilitate convenient storage and transportation.

Travel Essentia, currently based in Gurugram, is a 10-person operation. With warehouses in Gurugram and Kozhikode, they launched their kit at a promotional store at Kozhikode railway station on April 16.

“Since our launch, we have been receiving positive responses from customers across the country who have purchased the kits online. Since people plan out their long-distance travels it gives them time to order from us. However, in the long run, we want to improve our reach so that customers can buy them at train stations itself,” says Mizhab, who also points out that Travel Essentia has been collaborating with a few travel companies.

He adds, “More than becoming a B2C platform directly supplying the kits to customers, we are looking at possibilities to collaborate with the government on the project. The sets are expected to be provided on the Vande Bharat Express between Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram next month.” He adds, “We also want our product to be part of trains such as the Rajdhani Express and Mangala Lakshadweep Superfast Express.”

Travel Essentia also plans to expand into hygiene kits for the road, suited for long bus journeys. Mizhab says, “Few users have also suggested adding products such as sanitary pads.”

The kits are available on www.travelessentia.com