You will stay in simple but comfortable hotels, guest houses, and homestays, which have shared space for discussions and evening get-togethers. Most of our accommodation will be in twin shared accommodation, and if you wish to have a single room please let us know. The details of the accommodation for each location will be provided in the preparation pack and at our meeting before the trip.

The journey includes two overnight sleeper train journeys and we will spend a night on a houseboat down the backwaters of Kerela. The remaining travel will be in minibuses and taxis, and we will use autorickshaws for local transport.

Some days will involve very early mornings, and some days will involve a lot of travelling from one location to another. The process of some days will involve the journey at the heart of the activities, as opposed to simply a means to getting somewhere. You will be able to ask questions at each place that we stop, and there will be opportunities for your unanswered questions to be cleared at the end of each journey. Questioning, enquiry, exploring, and observing are all very much part of the process.

Kiran Sahi from the Stepwell Team will lead this trip. This trip is a guided and supported travel experience and you will be accompanied by our team throughout. They will coordinate with you before the trip to talk through the process of the journey and how to prepare. They will meet you on arrival in India and will guide you throughout the journey to interpret, explain and facilitate the journey.

The costs for each of our journeys vary, depending on the needs of the suggested itinerary of travel and accommodation. As a guide, most of our adult ‘special interest’ projects for cost around the region of £1000 per week (without flight.) - the final cost will depend on the final itinerary that you choose. We hope that this will help to give a sense of the cost involved. Please be in touch with us via this link and we will send you the suggested itinerary, the relevant cost, and what is included.

We have a thorough pre-trip preparation process to work closely with you from the point of booking until the trip ends in India to ensure you are fully supported, adhering to British Standards (BS8848):

Our preparation pack: This includes pre-trip operational logistics, information about the accommodation and facilities of where you will be staying, travel advice, kit lists, and health and safety guidance. We will give advice and guidance for purchasing flights, insurance, and obtaining visas that participants purchase alongside our support. We require that your flights are purchased through a travel company that provides ATOL protection for your bookings.

Meetings: We will organise an online meeting to go through the preparation pack together and to cover your needs and questions nearer to the trip, looking specifically at health and safety guidance, how to travel responsibly in India, how to stay safe whilst travelling in India.

Social media: Usually, a social media group is created via WhatsApp for keeping all participants in touch with each other before, during and after the visit, for sharing common questions and logistical information.

On arrival in India, we will provide you with a written resource booklet created specifically for your visit, highlighting health and safety for travel in India, travel guidance, and essential contact details. The booklet includes written case study material to support the experiences and excursions, suggesting activities to help you engage with the places you visit.

Our journeys in India require that participants book a return flight to India independently, timed to arrive and depart at the relevant Indian airports according to the programme attached. This allows for flexibility of flight costs and carriers and allows participants to travel before/after the journey in India if they wish. We require that you purchase a flight that includes ATOL protection.

The trip is carefully assessed with risk management procedures and security protocol in place to ensure that the programme adheres to British Standards (BS8848). All our adult trips are run on the basis and understanding that you are joining a group of independent adults and will be responsible for your own safety alongside the support, care and guidance that we provide throughout.

Your finances are protected securely through Travel Vault which is authorised and regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). ABTA, ATOL and AITO also recognise them.