TRIP ITINERARY
SERVICE IN THE CLOUDS
Spirit-lifting service in the shadows of the awe-inspiring Himalaya
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 www.rusticpathways.com/traveldesk for more information.

Day 1
Wednesday
Relax and prepare yourself for your adventure in India.  A Rustic Pathways flight leader will accompany our escorted group flights making sure that your journey is easy and enjoyable.
 
Day 2
Thursday
Welcome to India! Upon arriving to Delhi meet your program leaders who have eagerly been awaiting your arrival.  You’ll turn in for the night and get ready for your departure to the Himalaya in the morning!
 
Day 3
Friday
After breakfast, the group receives a cultural orientation about the world’s largest democracy and the areas that this exciting program visits.  Then the group boards a private coach bus to head north into the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains.  You’ll get to share laughs and meet your new friends as you watch the Indian countryside roll by your window.
 
Day 4
Saturday
Enjoy some cool fresh mountain air in the village of McLeod Ganj – home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.  After checking into a friendly guest house, visit the Dalai Lama’s temple and walk the kora with hundreds of Tibetan refugees.  Spin prayer wheels and admire the colorful prayer flags flapping in the breeze.
 
Day 5
Sunday
Today begin your service project with Tibetan refugees.  You will be paired up with one recent arrival to teach them grammar, reading, and writing English.  Learning English is quite important to them in their quest for employment.  In the evening you will be paired up with another Rustic friend and begin your homestay with the friendly locals.
 
Day 6
Monday
In the morning enjoy tea and breakfast with your homestay family and then meet up with your Tibetan mutual learning partner.  After a lunch of steamed momos, help the local environmental organization with a river clean up.
 
Day 7
Tuesday
Continue your service initiatives and visit the Tibetan welfare office which provides social services and basic support to Tibetan refugees who have just walked over the Himalaya Mountains to seek freedom in India.  After dinner with your homestay family, rejoin the group to watch a documentary about Tibet.
 
Day 8
Wednesday
Meet with your Tibetan partner one more time and also lend a hand at the local school by painting one of the classrooms.  In the afternoon, take a private jeep to the Norbalingka Institute and see first hand local artisans who are preserving Tibetan culture through painting, sculpting, carving, and transcribing sacred texts.  Tonight, we’ll have a potluck dinner with all of your homestay families and your friends from around town.
 
Day 9
Thursday
Sip one more cup of chai with your homestay families before leaving McLeod Ganj and heading to the village of Tashi Jong.  Peacefully nestled in the foothills of the Himalaya, Tashi Jong is a community of Tibetan refugees.  This town is well off the beaten path and allows a more intimate look at rural life in India.
 
Day 10
Friday
In Tashi Jong your volunteer work will consist of working in the fields with the monks and assisting with basic construction projects that the village elders select.   In the afternoon learn how to make tsampa, a barley product which was a staple in the Tibetan diet for millennia.
 
Day 11
Saturday
Continue your service projects today, stopping only for a game of soccer with the young monks who are quite passionate about their favorite sport.  After lunch visit with the local women who make a living from carpet making.  In the evening, enjoy some of the rice and fresh vegetables that you helped gather from the fields.
 
Day 12
Sunday
After continuing your volunteer work in this quiet village, enjoy the rare opportunity of a private audience with one of the high lamas.  Learn about life from a Buddhist perspective and ask him your own questions.  After dinner, play some Tibetan games and laugh until your side begins to hurt.
 
Day 13
Monday
Spend the day in the terraced rice fields working alongside your local counterparts and teaching English to some of the young monks.  Tonight, join the community in a village celebration with song, dance, food, and music.
 
Day 14
Tuesday
Depart Tashi Jong in the morning and return to Delhi via a comfortable, private coach bus.
 
Day 15
Wednesday
Returning to Delhi, visit the local markets for some last minute shopping and souvenir hunting.  Join other students for a farewell dinner at a nice Indian restaurant.  Your Rustic staff members will then bring you to the airport in Delhi for your departing flight.
 
Day 16
Thursday
Return to the USA or connect to another exciting Rustic Pathways destination.
 
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.
 

Service in the Clouds Packing List
When packing, please be mindful of the conservative Indian culture and please leave skimpy clothing, sleeveless shirts, short shorts, and other revealing clothing behind.  Remember that part of being a good traveler is fitting in with your surroundings and clothing that is normal at home can be extremely suggestive and often times offensive in the areas we will travel to.  Most people in India rarely wear shorts, almost always wear pants or dresses, and keep their shoulders covered despite the sometimes high temperatures.  If you do not pack conservative clothing, our staff will request that you to purchase appropriate clothing upon arriving to India.
» Passport WITH MINIMUM 6-Month Multiple Entry India visa
» Airline Tickets
» Wallet with about $100
» 2 Photocopies of the front 2 pEdad of your passport
» 2 Photocopies of your Indian Visa
» T-shirt
» Comfortable pants or pajama bottoms
» Sunglasses
» Toothpaste (less than 3 oz tube though!)
» Toothbrush
» Journal and Pen
» Water Bottle (stay well hydrated on your flight, it helps with jet lag!)
» Snacks
» Deck of Cards
» Suggested reading:  Dalai Lama’s autobiography “Freedom in Exile” or Hermann Hesse’s classic “Siddhartha,” for Leh/Ladakh programs
>Camera and film (bring all of your film in your carry on and have it hand checked instead of putting it through the x-ray machines)

Checked Luggage: A medium sized duffel bag or large back pack work best - wheeled bags are OK as long as they are medium sized and can easily be carried like a duffle over rough terrain.  It is important that you try to keep your total luggage to one piece of checked luggage.  Often you will have to carry it through streets, so it should be easily manageable!
For all programs pack the following items in your checked luggage:
» Sleeping sack (can be purchased from www.rei.com item #627251 – cocoon cotton
  mummy liner)
» Lightweight long pants (3 pairs).  Ex Officio, REI, and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) all make nice ones.  You will wear pants most of the time in India, as showing your knees is considered inappropriate and even men rarely wear shorts!  Women dress VERY conservatively in India, so please respect the local culture.
» Underwear (7 pairs)  (sink washable underwear like Patagonia and Ex Officio travelers underwear are recommended and you can bring only 3-4 if you wash in the sink.
» Socks (2 pairs)
» Swimsuit
» T-shirts with sleeves (5 t-shirts)
» Long sleeve t-shirts (2 long sleeves, it can get chilly at night)
» Lightweight rain jacket (this rain jacket should be waterproof, the rains can be heavy at times in northern India)
» One pair of shorts (modesty is important in Indian culture)
» Tennis shoes (something you can work in)
» Sandals that are strapped (Tevas or Chacos are recommended)
» Soap in a plastic dish (Versatile liquid soaps like “Camp Suds” or “Dr. Bronners” can be more convenient for travel and biodegradable.  These can be used to wash your own laundry and yourself!)
» Biodegradable shampoo (pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Personal First Aid Kit (optional, we carry first aid kids on all of our trips, but personal Tylenol, medications, band-aids, etc… can be convenient)
» Small bag for day trips (this can double as your carry-on bag)
» Sunscreen (pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Chapstick
» Aloe Vera (optional)
» Insect repellant (one heavy in DEET and one natural citronella- pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Hand sanitizer (1 small bottles packed in a zip-lock bag)
» Handiwipes or towlettes
» Small packs of Kleenex tissues for public toilets in India, toilet paper can be hard to find sometimes
» Sweatshirt
» Hat for sun
» Flashlight or headlamp with an extra battery
» One towel (not white, a travel towel works great and can be found at any outdoor store like REI)
» Laundry bag or pillowcase
» Medications.  Bring with you whatever medications you will need during your trip, and you must disclose to your staff during orientation all of the medications that you are carrying.
» Contacts and solution if necessary (packed in a zip-lock bag)
» Small photo album of your family and friends to show the locals
» Musical instruments are always appreciated if they can be easily carried
» Frisbee, hackysack, or other fun, easy-to-carry items

Don’t leave home without your sense of adventure!!  Incredible India awaits! 
Optional Items:

1 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?

Students will be provided with safe drinking water on their program, since the Indian water is not safe to drink.

2 - Do we need to get visas for this program?

Yes, students are required to obtain a minimum 6-month, multiple entry Tourist visa. Please note that obtaining an Indian visa will be different this year than prior years.  The Indian Embassy for America has begun outsourcing their visa services to the following link:  http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com

You will need one reference in India, which can be obtained by emailing rustic@rusticpathways.com or Scott Poniewaz at:  scott@rusticpathways.com after you have registered for your program.  On visa applications, students can list that they will be traveling to Delhi, McLeod Ganj and Tashi Jong on their journey. 

Also please note that you will need to apply for a minimum 6-month multiple entry tourist visa for your time in India.  Students holding passports from other countries will need to check with their nearest Indian Embassy for how to obtain a visa for your trip.

3 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?

When students arrive in Delhi, they will find themselves dreaming their first Indian nights away in a comfortable 3+star hotel in a quiet area of Karol Bagh away from much of Delhi’s chaos.  They will then be in homestays for the remainder of the trip.  Students are paired up by gender, if parents and students prefer, we can also arrange an individual homestay, but for student comfort being paired up is preferred.  The homestays range from shared bathrooms among 2 or 3 families with bucket showers and squat toilets to western toilets and consistent warm shower.  Students are not allowed to request these items in their homestay.  We pair students with families based on student’s Edad and genders, then also the family’s gender.  Families have been screened for safety by our staff members.

4 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?

Rustic Pathways only requires an up-to-date Tetanus shot, however the Center for Disease Control often has recommendations that are kept updated regarding India.  Since we do not know your child’s medical history, we recommend you reference the CDC website at:  www.cdc.gov or the World Health Organization website at:  www.who.org for more information.  We also suggest consulting with your local travel doctor prior to your travels for further information.  

5 - What costs are not included on this trip?

This trip includes all of the student’s accommodations, in addition to three meals a day, drinking water, transportation, entrance fees and other related group entertainment costs.  Optional activities, such as massEdad, internet use, phone calls home, snacks, souvenirs, etc… are extra costs.  For this program, we typically recommend between US$100-200 per week for allowance depending on the student’s spending habits, and basic souvenirs.  This can vary greatly, however, as some students may spend very little and others may spend much more if they plan on making a big purchase.

6 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?

All flights departing from and returning to the United States will have flight leaders.  In the event a student is connecting from another country, they may or may not have a flight leader.  In such instances, we generally have coordinated with the airlines to escort the students from check-in through customs, and delivered to a verified Rustic Pathways staff member in Delhi airport.

7 - How does this program connect to other programs?

This program connects seamlessly to programs within India and is highly recommended to reduce the effects of jetlag and make their trips more cost efficient, while also giving them opportunities to see other parts of India or participate in different activities.  Students can also easily connect to programs in other countries that Rustic Pathways travels to, however there may be a day or two lost if connecting with a Costa Rica program, or other trip.

8 - How long is the flight to this country?

Students travel on a very comfortable nonstop flight from Newark Airport in New Jersey (EWR) to Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi, India.  It is approximately 14 hours each way.

9 - What kind of food will we be eating?

Students will be eating a mix of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and maybe even a little western food.  Dietary restrictions are typically accommodated quite easily and vegetarians are in paradise here with the extensive options of vegetarian dishes.  Indian foods can be easily sampled at a local Indian restaurant, but they consist of rice, lentils (dals), curries, and flatbreads (naan, roti, parantha).  Tibetan food is made up of momo’s (steamed or fried dumplings stuffed with veggies or meats), Thukpa (noodle soup with vegetables, or meat), and chowmein (fried noodles) dishes. 

10 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?

This program generally breaks down to about a 60% female and 40% male mix.