Why ETA Gaia?
Our name is inspired by the well-known Estimated Time of Arrival, but for us ETA Gaia also carries a deeper meaning: Esplorare • Transform • Arohi. It reflects our shared roots: Martina, from Italian-speaking Switzerland and Italy (Esplorare), Varisha from India (Arohi, meaning “progression” in Sanskrit), and Transform in English, the language that connects us. Just like our name, ETA Gaia is intercultural and transformative: born from different worlds, united by a common vision. Gaia, in turn, evokes both the ancient Greek personification of the Earth and the idea of a living, breathing planet, a reminder that our journeys are rooted in nature, regeneration, and connection to the world around us.
Our vision
In the past few decades, travel has shifted. More and more of us are travelling with a purpose. We are no longer unconscious of our impact or unaware of ourselves. Emotional intelligence is the reason for the rise in travel that roots itself in wellness, healing, and finding meaning.​ ETA Gaia curates what it calls meaningful travel across Europe and Asia. From letting go of your grief in Thailand, to finding purpose in Italy, to rediscovering joy after burnout on the Mediterranean coast — the natural world and our ancient cultures have always been prepared to take care of us. At ETA Gaia, we take the wisdom of Gaia as we curate a meaningful travel, filled with wellness, healing, joy, adventure and fun. ETA Gaia is created to be able to create a travel service that honours emotional experiences and journeys and goes beyond traditional travel experiences.
Are you dealing with Burnout? Or grief?
Or past luggage that you are finally ready to let go?
Or past heartbreak? Because, ouch, we have been there!
Maybe you are seeking your next purpose?
Or maybe you are transitioning into the next phase of your life?
And you just want some ​
TIME
with yourself, in the world, to heal, for wellness, for finding joy again, or meaning, or travelling, simply. With a purpose.
The Essence of ETA Gaia
Esplorare • Transform • Arohi • Gaia
Our journeys are designed for solo travelers. Each trip reflects the deeper meaning of our name: exploration, transformation, progression and reconnection through shared group experiences.
Esplorare
Culture, curiosity and adventure
Transform
​
Healing, growth and renewal
Arohi
Progression, flow and movement
Gaia
Nature, regeneration and belonging
Martina Forgione
In March 2025, Martina set out on her first solo journey to Southeast Asia. Until then, she had always been a vacationer, dividing her life between France, Switzerland, and Italy, often travelling with family. That trip marked a turning point: she no longer felt like a tourist, but a traveller, exploring not only new places, but also herself.
​
With a background in Sociology, Social Anthropology, and Gender Studies, Martina Forgione is currently training as a lifestyle and wellbeing coach (ICF). She brings a unique socio-cultural lens to personal transformation, exploring how inner journeys and life transitions can be supported through regenerative and mindful travel.
​
During her three-month journey across South Asia, Martina realised that travel itself can be a catalyst for renewal, healing, and purpose. Within ETA Gaia, she now focuses on shaping the reflective and wellbeing practices that give depth and meaning to every journey.
Varisha Tariq
Varisha Tariq is a travel and culture writer whose work explores the intersections of gender, identity, friendship, and place. She brings an intersectional feminist lens to her storytelling—one that shapes not only how she travels but also how she frames the narratives of the people and cultures she encounters.
Her bylines span leading international publications, including Condé Nast Traveller, Vogue, Elle, Business Insider, Refinery29 UK, Stylist Magazine UK, Fodor’s, Metro UK, and more. In her writing, Varisha goes beyond the expected contours of travel journalism, weaving in history, lived experience, and nuance to present destinations as sites of connection, resilience, and cultural depth. For Varisha, travel is not just about movement across borders, but about how stories emerge when we allow ourselves to listen deeply to a place and its people.
Having travelled to over 25 countries, Varisha draws on both breadth of travel and depth of lived experience. She has called Delhi, Lucknow, and London home, each city leaving an imprint on her worldview and shaping her understanding of culture as something dynamic and ever-evolving. It has also made her realise how integral travel is for wellness, healing, finding a purpose, and crafting joy in our lives. At ETA Gaia, she hopes to work with travellers who will create stories of their own and get to exist in this gorgeous home that we get to call Gaia.
Get in Touch
Via Valdani 1
6830 Chiasso, Switzerland
