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?
This trip follows India’s famous “Golden Triangle,” which is made up of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. This area of northern India is full of India’s rich history and world-famous monuments such as the Taj Mahal, Amber Fort, and a rich weave of cultures. For more information on the day-to-day itinerary, please click the ‘Itinerary’ button above.
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?
This program does not include a service component as it is a touring and cultural immersion program.
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 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 in restaurants throughout the trip.
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?
Students will be staying in a mixture of comfortable guest houses and hotels. This includes a range of 3-4 star hotels and some even have swimming pools to cool off on those warm India days!
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! In most of our guest houses and hotels, students will have western style bathrooms with hot showers. Sometimes the hot water is limited.
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 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! Since this is a one-week trip, students should plan on just packing for the week. Laundry will be the equivalent of about US$10 per load generally.
23 - How often will they have access to phone and internet?
Students will have access to phones and internet throughout their travels and have the time to use them about every 2-3 days, but this can vary through the trip. 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
Inspiring India Adventure 
Exploring the Pink City 
Take a Time Out at the Taj