Travel clubs meant just for women are fast becoming expressions of freedom for urban Indians.

These clubs bring together economically independent women who share interests and want to travel all by themselves.

One such group is Women on Wanderlust or WOW, which was started in 2005 by a travel author who is proud to provide a new platform for freedom to women.

"I think there wasn't an exclusivity to women in this country. Women between the age group of 25-65 and sometimes beyond 65 come here, and they have universal kind of desire that they just want to live life. All of them have travel wish lists which they haven’t fulfilled and I tell them how to fulfill them," Sumitra Senapathy, founder, WOW said.

To get a firsthand experience of what this freedom implied, NewsX visited a wine party of the club.

Amidst the gathering of over nearly 50 members of WOW was Meera Gupta, a Delhi-based manager of the jewellery store and fashion writer, who is she is ecstatic about being in the company of like-minded women.

"I love travelling and have travelled to many countries. But about a year and half ago, I became single and didn't want to stop travelling. I think this is a brilliant concept for women who want to travel and are separated from their men folk," said Gupta.

The clink of glasses and the palpable joy that one observes are clear expressions of freedom - a freedom that has been ushered in through economic independence of the urban, working woman.

Other expressions follow logically. Women take a break from their working routine, either for such evenings or longer journeys outside their cities, all by themselves.

However, this is not about disliking men, feels Pratibha.

"I think with the changing economy, women are becoming really independent and having resources to travel by themselves. This club is for all the women who have reached a certain status in their lives and are financially independent. And I don't think they are feminists. They love going out by themselves, which they cannot do with men. But I think they still love men," Pratibha said.

Clubs like WOW are becoming a new trend in urban India. There is at least one such big club each in Delhi, Mumbai and Banagalore.

This trend suggests that the middle class is growing and finding new ways to spend its money and where women enjoy more freedom.

Good food and drinks, travel and shopping are always top priorities for an urban woman, and these women are indulging in everything they want. But most importantly, they come in as strangers and depart as friends.