India Experience Program
Adventure, Authentic Experiences and Volunteering in India, in 2 weeks or less.
- No worries about organizing everything.
- No boring museums with “Human Tape Recorder” guides.
- No Cancellation Fee.
- No missing out on amazing volunteering experience.
- No boring activities and long waiting times.
- Being well taken care of, right from arrival.
- Being well informed and supported.
- Feeling safe.
- Great, authentic cultural experiences.
Realise that you are travelling with real travel experts by knowing the following:
- Operating Travel programs since 2000.
- Served over 19000 young travelers and volunteers, from 36 countries
- Full Member of the World Youth and Student Travel Confederation.
- The only company that has thrived since 2000, while many have come and gone.
- Large travel brands like STA Travel, Kilroy and Flight Centre have worked or arestill working with us to enable Young travelers to volunteer with us.
More about our programs:
We specialized in young people travelling for the first time. And because this is mostly young people, you will find enthusiastic, young people from all overthe world on your program.
We only offer limited number of programs and choices that we have developed and perfected over years of experience. You need to know that you are going to get the very best volunteering and cultural experiences that the country has to offer (or even that money can buy).
Our “String of DiamondsTM system allows a young person of any age, and any language level to make positive lasting contributions to the volunteering and experience many life enhancing benefits as a resul
Program Details
Our services begin here. You will be greeted by Idex representative at the Indira Gandhi
International Airport, New Delhi. Upon being picked up, you will be then escorted to your
accommodation and shall be assisted with check-in. The representative will explain your next
few hours and days on the trip in detail and hand over the essential documents to you.
Important Notes for Travelers:
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If you arrive early on the program start date, you would find yourself having mostly free time because the formal program starts on Day 2.
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Please refer to the arrival and departure system to know which flights would be suitable for you to start your program on time.
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Carefully read the pre-departure information of the program and the Code of Conduct.
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Keep a copy of emergency contact information sheet (inside the pre-departure) with yourself in case you need to contact our representative before being picked up.
Overnight stay at accommodation, Delhi (No Meals Included).
Morning – After breakfast a sightseeing tour of New Delhi including- visit of some important cultural symbols of India. Drive past through impressive India Gate, Parliament house, Gandhi Museum, Birla Temple and President’s Palace. At greater ease visit of Raj Ghat, the memorial built in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation. Learn a bit more about his life and philosophy that helped India get free from the British Empire. During the sightseeing, you will stop at a local restaurant where you can buy your lunch, after which, we will proceed to Agra by our Airconditioned vehicle. After Arrival in Agra, Check-in into hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at Agra Accommodation (Meals- Breakfast & Dinner).
We wake up early in the morning and visit the magnificent Taj Mahal, a pristine white marble mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife – Mumtaz Mahal. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, it took 20,000 workers from neighboring Islamic countries, 22 years of ceaseless toil to create this exquisite white marble monument upon which peopled have waxed eloquent throughout the world. Experience a viewing of the Taj Mahal and the return to your hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast – Check out from your accommodation and visit the Agra Fort. Agra Fort, built by the Mughal dynasty's greatest Emperor, Akbar, in 1565.A number of the fort’s beautiful palaces, mosques and gardens were built by his successors in later years. A few of the priceless examples of artisanship from the Mughal era include the exquisite Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque, the Diwan-i-Khas, the Diwan-i-Am, the Jahangir Mahal and the Shish Mahal.After visiting the Agra Fort, we set upon our journey to the Pink City of Jaipur. The journey will take around five hours during which, we would stop by at local restaurants for lunch. Late afternoon arrival in Jaipur and check-in into accommodation. After checking in and a bit of rest, you will be given an Orientation on your program in Jaipur and the volunteering activities that you are starting from the next day.
About Jaipur: The origins of the beautiful city of Jaipur can be traced back to the eighteenth century, during the reign of Jai Singh II who ascended the Amber throne in 1699. Jaipur today, epitomizes the spirit of Rajputana. In-spite of growing into a bustling metropolis, it still retains its character and history - A beautiful fusion of the yesteryears and modernity. Jaipur is popularly known as the Pink City because of the extensive use of the locally abundant pink plastered stone, painted so in honor of the visit of the royal consort of Queen Victoria. Jaipur thrills the soul with its massive forts, magnificent palaces, exquisite temples and lush gardens.
Stay overnight at the accommodation, Jaipur. (Meals included – Breakfast)After breakfast, you will begin your welcome meeting and orientation.
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Orientation includes talks & presentations on India & its culture
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Info about your volunteering project, activities and beneficiaries
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Cultural responsibility
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Personal safety & Code of Conducts
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Your program itinerary
Following the orientation, you will visit your volunteering project to commence your
volunteering work.
In the late afternoon, you will have a Hindi language lesson for fun, use during trips and volunteering work.
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The volunteering project and activities will be chosen for you and pre-organized because we draw upon years of experience to decide for our travel guests, what kind of volunteering would be most suitable for the local people as well as giving maximum chance of personal contribution and satisfaction to the travelers
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A short introduction to the possible type of activities that you may be involved in is further down in this program information.
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Volunteering work includes approximately 5 hours’ work in morning.
Overnight stay at accommodation, Jaipur (Meals- Breakfast, packed Lunch and Dinner)
After beginning your day with an early morning yoga lesson, you'll enjoy a hearty breakfast before embarking on your volunteering shift in the morning.
In the afternoon, following lunch, we'll take you on a visit to the renowned Amber Fort. We keep you away from boring museums on this trip but you don’t want to miss out on visiting at least one of the historical Forts of the region of Rajasthan (where Jaipur is located).
Later, you'll have the opportunity to visit the iconic Wind Palace, a famous historical monument and a symbol of India's rich cultural heritage. You'll also have time for some budget-friendly shopping. No tourist traps, but only those places where local people shop every day.
Note about Amber fort – You will see many “tourists” being hauled up and down the fort on Elephants. Now having elephants carry people is nothing new, but in this case, it has become an outright industry where the welfare of the animal is highly doubtful. For this reason, in line with the global call for more humane treatment of animals, we do not include any elephant riding on this trip
Overnight stay at accommodation, Jaipur (Meals- Breakfast Lunch and Dinner)
If you are still up for early morning health boost, join the Yoga class for the day. After the class, have your breakfast and move for your volunteering project for the day.
Later in the afternoon, we learn about the famous “Henna” painting art of India, and an Indian traditional dressing and photo sessions, dress up like the local and add to your experience of brief part of the daily culture.
Overnight stay at accommodation, Jaipur (Meals- Breakfast Lunch and Dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, we begin our volunteering project. In the late afternoon, we return to our accommodation to rest. After a short break, we will enjoy a Bollywood dance lesson from a local instructor, where we will learn some Bollywood dance moves. Later, we will preparefor our next day of volunteering."
Overnight stay at accommodation, Jaipur (Meals- Breakfast Lunch and Dinner)
We start the day at a more leisurely pace and head out for the final day of our volunteering project after breakfast. After completing the volunteering project, we bid farewell to the project and then head to Jaipur for a Bollywood movie show. Following the Bollywood movie experience with our assisting staff, we prepare for another immersive cultural experience by visiting a local family's home for dinner. Visiting a local, urban, middle-income level family and observing their way of life is one of the best ways to gain an up-close and personal understanding of how regular Indian people live.
Bollywood Movies:
Bollywood movie shows for foreigners in India can be a unique and enjoyable cultural experience. Bollywood, the informal term for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), is known for its colorful and vibrant films that often feature elaborate song and dance sequences, intricate storylines, and a mix of genres including romance, drama, action, and comedy. Here's what you can expect when attending a Bollywood movie show as a foreigner in India:
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Attending a Bollywood movie show is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Indian culture. You'll witness the passion Indians have for cinema and get a taste of their entertainment preferences.
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Popular Bollywood films often attract a diverse audience, including locals and tourists. This can create a lively and energetic atmosphere in the theater.
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Bollywood movies typically have an intermission halfway through the film, which provides a break for refreshments and a chance to discuss the movie with fellow viewers.
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Bollywood films are generally longer than Hollywood films, often running over two to three hours. Be prepared for a longer cinematic experience
Visiting a family involves both observation and participation. While we select host families based on their ability to converse in English, it's possible that not all family members may interact with you equally. Approach this experience with an open mind, take in the atmosphere of a local home, and enjoy a homely, mostly vegetarian meal
Overnight stay at accommodation, Jaipur (Meals- Breakfast, packed Lunch & Dinner with family)
After breakfast – check out of the accommodation and drive to Pushkar, which is about a three hours journey. Arrive at Pushkar, you can put your luggage in a hotel and pack a smaller bag for your camel safari. During the few hours before the camel Safari starts, you can take a leisurely walk around the Pushkar town and its charming market street. Later in the afternoon, we take you on another form of travel, more suited to the desert, Camels! We take a camel safari atop the “ship of the desert” going through sandy ravines, local villages where we can absorb the harsh yet colorful landscape of the Thar Desert. Our safari concludes in a tent camp. After sunset, we can enjoy a view of the star-lit night sky Barbecued Dinner & overnight at tent-camp in Pushkar.
Note : In the (rather) unlikely event of rain during your camel safari or stay at the tent camp, we may need to cancel the safari and accommodate you in a hotel for the night for your safety.
After breakfast in your tent camp, we bring you back into Pushkar town, where you can do some washing and freshening up. After this, you can join a leisurely guided tour of the Pushkar town with its small lanes, colorful markets, but most importantly, the steps to the Holy Lake and about 500 temples around it. Our tour would bring you to visit the Lord Brahma’ temple, the only temple of the “Creator God” of the Hindus. Later in the afternoon, we bring you to the nearest train station for a journey back to New Delhi. After arrival in New Delhi, we bring you to the accommodation for overnight stay.
Meals included (Breakfast and Packed Dinner)
After Breakfast, we have a short debrief of the last few days and the trip in general. Later, transfer to New Delhi airport for flight to Goa to start this new phase in the trip. You bid farewell to your tour leader on the trip so far, at this point. Arrive in Goa and be picked up at the airport by our representative. After pickup, we drive you to your accommodation, where you settle in for the day followed by a briefing for the program for the next days and tips on the local area. Early in the evening, we bring you to a popular beach where you can enjoy time off and have dinner of your choice. We pick you up again around 9 PM to bring you back to the accommodation.
Overnight at Accommodation (Meals - Breakfast)
We start the Goa part of our journey with visiting the most famous of Goa’s beaches, the palolem Beach, hidden at the southern extreme of the province. You will leave for Palolem Beach after breakfast and will relax around the beach and the local markets for the whole day. In the evening, we bring you back to the accommodation for overnight stay.
(Meals- Breakfast only)
Note : Weather permitting, you can take an optional Dolphin sighting cruise for which we will guide you.
Today, after breakfast, you leave for visiting old Goa and its famous monuments. A Portuguese colony, until 1971, Goa offers a view of the unique culture. We also visit a Spice Plantation to see how the different spices that are part of the Indian cuisine are cultivated. Later in the afternoon, we return to the accommodation to relax for a while. In the evening, take a ride out to the nearest beach to have a relaxing time.
(Meals- Breakfast)
Today’s visit includes the popular Baga Beach in the north of Goa, The Donna Paula beach and viewpoint after which, we will have a visit to family of Goan Fishermen that will allow to interact with the families and observe their lifestyle that revolves around making a living from fishing. Post visit, you can have your dinner and then return to accommodation.
(Meals- Breakfast)
On this day, we bid farewell and conclude the tour. Have a leisurely time until its time for your flight, upon which we bring you to the airport.
(Meals- Breakfast, if flight departure times permit)
Volunteer program activities
Renovation and beautification projects:
- Cleaning and dusting the walls, ceiling, scrapping off the old paint.
- Apply base color (once or twice as per requirement)
- Plan out the required drawings as per requirement of class
- Renovation and painting the walls
- Drawing and writing the educational Pictures, maps, shapes etc.
- Invite the children and their parent to receive the feedback
- Draw and paint animals, alphabets, colors, fruits, vegetables, body parts, tables, rainbow, shapes, etc.
- Cleaning of the classrooms
- Handover the beautified classrooms to children/community
Fun fair for children
- Playing memory games.
- Playing on beaches like cricket, volleyball, football.
- making sand castle
Creative art workshops with children
- Drawing and painting.
- Art & Craft.
- Music workshop
- Watching Movies.
- Toy making and Clay Modeling.
Services Included
- 14 Nights’ accommodation on entire trip.
- Accommodation on sharing occupancy basis.
- All transfers and sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary.
- All Meal as indicated.
- Volunteer work as per the itinerary in Jaipur.
- One Camel safari at Pushkar with overnight camping in the desert.
- One Cycle Rickshaw Ride at Jaipur.
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Learn the famous Indian art of “Henna making” by local experts.
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Learn the interesting forms of “Bollywood” dance by the professional instructors.
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Learn the typical and traditional dress styles of India by the instructors.
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One dinner with local Urban Indian family.
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One visit and meal with local rural family.
- Yoga session as indicated.
- Accompanying English Speaking Tour Escort throughout the journey.
- A pre-planned volunteering project including all necessary materials.
- Road OR Train travel Ajmer - Delhi by Air-Conditioned class.
- Road taxes, parking fee, fuel charges, interstate taxes
- Representative for assistance on all arrival and departure transfers.
- All currently applicable taxes.
Services not Included
- Any Flights. (Domestic & International)
- Any personal expenses such as tips, laundry and drinks.
- Entrance tickets to the Monuments.
- Any extra meals (other than those specifically laid down).
- Any additional expenses caused by or liability for disturbance in trip program due to circumstances, weather conditions, sickness, natural disasters, riots etc.
- Liability for or insurance against injury, loss of life, accidents or loss of goods
- Personal Travel Insurance, visa etc.
- Camera fees (both still and video).
- Miscellaneous.
Arrival and Departure Procedure
Arrival Procedure
IMPORTANT NOTE: The trip starts around 8 AM on Day 2 – so arrive with a flight on Day 1 (mentioned as “Start Date” on the above chart) so you can get some rest before starting the journey).
NOTE: We will attempt to get you checked into your room as soon as possible but it cannot be guaranteed before 12 noon due to accommodation occupancy situation)