A special note about travel to India:
Students traveling to India and another Asian destination will be departing the USA on Tuesdays to allow for more efficient program connections.  Students only traveling on India programs will be departing the USA on Wednesdays.  All students will be arriving to Delhi on Thursdays.  Please visit rusticpathways.com/traveldesk for more information.

Day 1:  Depart USA

Meet up with your group in Newark and board a comfortable nonstop flight to New Delhi, India and start getting to know your fellow travelers.  You will be escorted by a Rustic Pathways flight leader to India.

Day 2:  Arrive to Delhi

Following the short flight to India, you’ll clear customs (don’t forget to obtain your India visa!) and be met by your trip leaders, who will take you to the hotel, so you can freshen up before getting a great night of sleep in a quiet and comfortable hotel.

Day 3:  Drive to Jaipur

After a great night’s rest, you’ll enjoy a delicious Indian breakfast and receive an orientation from your knowledgeable staff leaders about Indian culture and your expectations during your time in India.  After this brief introduction, you’ll hop on a private, air-conditioned coach bus and head to the gateway of Rajasthan.  That evening, you’ll settle into the local way of life and enjoy a game of cricket, or take a walk through the villages and get to know your new neighbors.  You’ll also be able to help out in the local school that afternoon, or lend a helping hand in another capacity to get your service activities started!

Day 4: Let the service begin!

Gear up this morning for a full day of service and cultural immersion as you work during the day on a tree-planting project that will leave your impact on the area’s forests for years to come!  During the afternoon, you’ll head out in the surrounding villages, to assist with rainwater conservation projects that will assist the farmers in this area during the arid seasons.  Your days of toil on these projects will greatly benefit the community’s ability to maintain a sustainable way of life.  After the work is done, you might head to the local market, where cattle and other livestock are brought in from miles around to be auctioned off, a true local experience!

Day 5:  Rural Rajasthan service

Today we’ll work more on our tree planting and rainwater conservation project, and get started on some local maintenance work, which may include painting a local classroom, or constructing a new playground for the community to use.  In the evening, you’ll get a chance to design a lesson plan for your next day in the local school with the assistance of your friends and staff members. 

Day 6:  Service in the Schools

Heading out into the local school, you’ll lend a hand as you inspire local youth to stay in school and value their education, a key component of the Queen’s Empowerment in Women’s Education project.  You’ll work in the school teaching English, art, math, and basic health lessons depending on your group and your week of the summer. There are a variety of skills that the schools are eager to have our help with and all the while, you’re helping to influence countless young females to pursue their education rather than drop out to toil in the fields all day for the rest of their lives.  After a big day in the schools, you’ll work together to determine the needs of the students and to figure out your next day’s game plan for your teaching.  You’ll also learn a bit yourselves with a cooking class in Indian cuisine!

Day 7:  Education and leaving memories behind      

You’ll pick up where you left off in your lesson plans the day before and continue with your teaching plans, then in the afternoon you’ll finish your construction project, or plant help plant more trees for the future, or provide other assistance where it may be needed during your week in Jaipur.  That night, you may catch a traditional Rajasthani folk dance and enjoy a big dinner to celebrate your group’s valuable service contributions.

Day 8:  Return to Delhi

In the morning, you’ll finish up with your group in Rajasthan with a final day at the school teaching and sharing some final laughs with friends.  After your morning of teaching, you’ll return by air to Delhi, reminisce over your group’s incredible service work over your final meal together, then students departing to the USA will catch their nonstop flight back and many students will be connecting to their other programs in India or Asia. 

Day 9:  Return to USA

Students returning to the USA will arrive to Newark on this day filled with great new stories and experiences to share with their family and friends! 

An Important Note about Schedule Changes:

Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

1 - How long is the flight to this country?
The group flight to India departs from EWR (Newark) to DEL (Delhi) is a 14 hour and 15 minute nonstop flight and the return flight from DEL to EWR is 15 hours and 15 minutes. Students only traveling on India programs will travel on this flight and depart on WEDNESDAY’S. Students traveling on India and other Asia programs will be departing on TUESDAY’S on our Singapore Airlines flights. For more information on flights, please visit www.rusticpathways.com/traveldesk.

2 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
A flight leader escorts all Rustic Pathways group flights between the USA and India. You will receive more detailed information about where to meet your flight leader closer to your departure date, along with your flight information.

3 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
YES! All students traveling to India are responsible for obtaining their own visa for India. You must obtain a minimum 6-month, multiple entry tourist visa. The information for obtaining the visa can be found at: https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/

You will need a reference for your visa, which is provided to you or you can email india@rusticpathways.com for this information as well.

4 – What areas does this program travel to?
Students on this trip will fly into Delhi, and spend a night there before leaving for the Rajasthan Royal Service program in the morning following a brief orientation. The base for this program is about 15 kilometers outside of Jaipur in a rural village setting.

5 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
Rustic Pathways does not make recommendations regarding immunizations. We strongly suggest that you consult with a travel doctor or your family physician for medical recommendations based on the area where the student will be traveling (as listed above). You can also check the Center for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov for more information. Rustic Pathways only requires an up-to-date tetanus shot for its participants.

6 - How does this program connect to other programs?
This program connects seamlessly with our other India programs. Students will begin and end their trip in Delhi, which acts as our international hub for India programs and makes transitioning to other Asia programs easy as well!

8 – What is the climate in the region where this program takes place?
The climate during this time of year generally is hot and sometimes humid. During much of the year, temperatures in India can be in excess of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. During the later summer months, the trips may see a bit more rain than the earlier trips, but rest assured they’ll still have an incredible experience!

10- What service projects will I work on and how are the projects identified?
On this program, students can expect to earn up to 40 hours of community service. Service hours are determined by a student’s participation in the activities and students should be ready to work! Some of the projects that they will see are irrigation and water conservation projects in the nearby village fields, teaching English and basic health classes in the schools, working on the Queen’s Empowerment through Women’s Education Project, and a reforestation project.

11 – How physically strenuous is this program?
This program is not very strenuous, but students should be able to walk short distances, and be in fairly good physical shape. Students should also be able to be on their feet for most of the day, be ready to shovel, and do some lifting. It is imperative that students are willing and ready to participate in the group work as this is not a stand on the sidelines program! Students with health concerns should contact our India staff at: india@rusticpathways.com.

12- What costs are not included on this trip?
The majority of costs associated with the program are included on this trip. Students should have extra allowance money if they wish to buy souvenirs. Students should also bring extra money if they wish to purchase additional snacks or soda from the local grocery store, phone calls home, and internet access along the way. We generally recommend approximately $150 per week of travel to cover these costs, but ultimately it depends on a student’s spending habits.

13 – What are the optional activities available at an additional cost on this program?
This program does not have optional activities that will require a student to spend extra money aside from their normal allowance expenses above.

14 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
Most of the meals on this program will be prepared by excellent chefs at the palace the students will be staying at, some meals may be packed lunches, or eaten at meals.

15 - Can we cater to specific diets?
India is extremely vegetarian friendly, however some special diets may be more difficult to cater to during parts of the trip. If a student has questions, they should contact india@rusticpathways.com or contact our administrative offices for more information.

16 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
Yes, students will be provided safe drinking water throughout their trip, as the water in India is not safe to drink.

17 - What will the accommodations on this trip be like?
In Delhi, students will stay in a great three-star hotel in a quiet part of town. When they reach their base for the program, they will be staying at a 150-year old hunting retreat for the former Rajasthan Royal Family. The students will be staying in luxurious semi-permanent tents that have western-style bathrooms and air-conditioning. There is a pool onsite, and a big lawn for students to enjoy themselves after the work is done with either volleyball, soccer, cricket, or a plethora of other activities!

18. What are the bathroom facilities?
Public bathrooms in India are quite limited and often times, require students to use primitive bathroom facilities. Students should be prepared to use squat toilets throughout India that may not be up to the same levels of cleanliness as bathrooms at home. Sometimes this can be as simple as a hole in the ground. Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to it quickly! It is also recommended to carry some toilet paper with you during your travels. You can buy it here too! However, on this program, your base will have an in-tent bathroom, and western style toilet and shower. While out on your service projects, you may find the bathrooms different than those you find at home.

19 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
Our programs generally are between equal and sometimes leaning a little bit more to the female side of group balance at about 60% female and 40% male.

20- What is the ratio of guides to students?
Depending on the program, we sometimes have a lower staff to student ratio, but with safety as our top priority, we maintain at least a 4 or 5 to 1 student to staff ratio.

21-Is your staff qualified in First Aid?
Because safety is our number one priority, all of our programs have guides that are certified with First Aid and CPR training. Many of our guides are also qualified Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, Wilderness EMTs, or Life Guards.

22 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
During this program, students will be able to do laundry daily, and each load will cost between $10 and $15 equivalent in Indian Rupees.

23 - How often will they have access to phone and internet?
Students will have access to phones and internet throughout their trip, but due to the limited access, students shouldn’t expect to hear from their child daily. Students will be able to use phones that can have the phone calls deducted from their allowance accounts to touch base with friends and family back home. We ask parents to allow their children to fully immerse themselves in their travels and not worry about calling home or emailing constantly, and encourage them to meet their new friends they are traveling with. We send safe arrival emails upon your child’s arrival to the program and remind parents that “no news is good news!”