FAQ for Service in the Clouds
1 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
Students will be provided with safe drinking water on their program, either
pre-packaged bottled water or water that has been treated and filtered prior to drinking.
2 - 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.
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 ages 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 massages, 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. Student spending 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 with our other India programs and students
traveling in different regions of India will use Delhi as their hub. This program
also easily connects with any of our other programs in Thailand, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and China.
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 a little
western-style 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).
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
11 - 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.
12 - 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 moving around a bit, so laundry will only be able to be done one or two times on the program. Students should keep in mind that they don’t need new outfits for each day and ‘rewearing’
clothing is perfectly fine! In fact, the less you pack, the happier of a traveler
you’ll be. Many of your guides will be carrying just a small pack to travel
with, you’d be amazed at how little you need! Laundry will be the equivalent
of about US$10 per load generally.
13 - How often will they have access to phone and internet?
Students will have daily access to the internet and telephones for the week they are in McLeod Ganj, while internet and telephone access will be limited when spending a week in the small town of Tashi Jong. Parents will receive safe arrival emails upon their student’s arrival and should also remember that many
students get to India and to fully immerse themselves in their trip and new
opportunities stay away from things like phone and internet which connect them back to their lives at home. This is completely normal and parents should remember that ‘no news is good news’ if they don’t hear from their child
during the course of their trip
14 – 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.
Also, please plan on the possibility of some nights being chilly, so pack at least
one long sleeve shirt or sweat shirt with you on the program.
15- Will I receive community service hours on this program?
Yes! At the end of summer you will be mailed a certificate of completion for the number of hours that you volunteered on the program. You will have the opportunity to receive the maximum number of hours listed for this program as long as you work hard and with a positive attitude on each and every day of service. We do however reserve the right to deduct hours from your certificate of completion if you refuse to do service or do not complete the service with a positive of effective attitude after talking with our staff.
16 – How physically strenuous is this program?
This program is not very strenuous, but students should be able to hike short
distances, and be in fairly good physical shape. Students with health concerns
should contact our India staff at: india@rusticpathways.com
17 – 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.
18 - 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.
19- 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.
Life in the Clouds 
Service Alongside Tibetan Friends
High in the Himalayas