Our 2-week India Road Trip is a one-of-a-kind experience where you will have a taste of the diverse cultures and communities of India as you volunteer.

Week 1

Day 1: Monday

After your arrival on Sunday to Udaipur, you will have an introduction to India, a few language skills, do’s and don’ts as a traveller in India, and a summary of your 13-day tour and your social projects. Then you will visit the fabulous City Palace of Udaipur, visit Shilpagram, a traditional village, and then witness a Rajasthani cultural dance and music concert. An exciting start to your tour!

Day 2: Tuesday

Experience a few Yoga moves before you learn some Rajasthani cooking and Rajasthani art. Then your day is free to roam about and explore your surroundings.

Day 3: Wednesday

Begin your social project at the speech and hearing impaired school for underprivileged children or at the kindergarten. Here you will get to work on renovation activities such as painting the classrooms with educational pictures, renovating the playground, gardening and various other means to create a good environment to encourage children, and to emphasise the importance of education.

Day 4: Thursday

Continue with your work on your assigned project

Day 5: Friday

Continue with your work on your assigned project. This evening, we head for Agra to visit The Taj Mahal. We travel by The famous Indian Rail from Udaipur to Agra.

Day 6: Saturday

Arriving in Agra, we check you into a hotel situated very close to the Taj Mahal. After an early breakfast, we set out into the city of Agra by a rickshaw. Your activities for this day will be visiting the local markets and the Taj Mahal. We stay overnight at Agra.

Day 7: Sunday

Today, we travel to Delhi by train and fly to Goa. We arrive late evening at our centre in Goa, where we have a great Goan meal waiting for you, before you retire for the evening.

Week 2

Day 8: Monday

After some early morning Yoga and a healthy breakfast, get to know the regular project group in Goa. You will then be oriented on how you are going to spend the remaining days. Later, this morning we visit old Goa to learn about the history of this famous and beautiful state. After a good spread of Indian lunch at our center, we head to one of the beautiful beaches, where you can soak up the sun and watch a stunning Goan sunset.

Day 9: Tuesday

Today we head off to a spice garden located in the western ghats which is also a world UNESCO heritage site. Here you will get to know how various Indian spices are grown and how they get to your shops back home. Enjoy a great spread of Goan lunch by a beautiful lake at the plantation.

Day 10: Wednesday

Get involved in some volunteer work on a social project, painting and renovating an old school. Alternatively, you can teach English at a local school or take part in a local Animal Welfare project. The choice is yours 🙂

Day 11: Thursday

Continue with your project assignment.

Day 12: Friday

Continue with your project assignment. In the evening, we will have a barbecue at our centre during which time you can share your experiences and say goodbye to your fellow travellers.

Day 13: Saturday

Departure.

Our exciting India Road Trip takes you from Udaipur to Agra and then down south to Goa before settling for the week on your volunteering project.

Udaipur

Udaipur, commonly called the Venice of the East and nicknamed ‘the city of lakes’ is located in the princely state of Rajasthan. Primarily known for its art and architecture, it has temples dating as far back as 950 AD and palaces dating back to the Rajput era. The Lake Palace (Jag Niwas) located in the middle of Pichola Lake is an architectural and cultural marvel. The grand City Palace on the banks of the lake along with the Monsoon Palace (Sajjan Garh) on the hill above enhances the beauty of this magnificent city. Udaipur is also the centre for performing arts, crafts and its famed miniature paintings.

About Agra

Agra is famous for being home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World- the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid reminder of the opulence of the legendary Mughal Empire, of which Agra was the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries. It’s quite a slow town with a pleasant pace of life, and is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soapstone by craftsmen who are descendants of those who worked under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather.

About Goa

Goa in southwest India enjoys a warm and humid climate throughout the year. It is known the world over for its pristine beaches, delectable cuisine, laid back lifestyle and warm and friendly people. Consistently ranked among India’s top tourist destinations, it is the ideal place for first-time travellers and adventurers alike to acclimatize to a different culture. From caves behind waterfalls to villages hidden in sandy coconut forests, there is always something more waiting to be rediscovered. The mountain ranges and spice plantations enhance the beauty of this glorious state.

About the Accommodation

As you travel, you will have overnight stays in hotels/guest houses, buses and trains. The accommodation is standard with 2-6 people per room on a gender basis.

Food Arrangements

Your meals are included in the programme and are a mix of Western and Indian food, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables.

Facilities

Along the route of our India Road Trip, there will be ATMs and small local stores. However, we cannot guarantee when! So, please make sure you have enough money with you before starting the trip.

Capital: New Delhi
Language: Hindi, English and 22 other officially recognized languages
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
Time zone: UTC +5:30

India is known for its pyramid-like temples, its colorful streets and it’s crowded cities. This country represents one of the most vivid and the largest cultures in the world. From the golden triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra to the coast where Ayurveda medicine was born, India offers a 360 degree journey through the most magical of lands. Known for being the second most populated country in the world, India will show you the faces of thousands of Hindu gods in its very vast collection of temples all throughout the country. The land of colors and smiles is ready to take you on your next adventure whether road tripping or helping out in local communities, this sub-continent will amaze your senses. India will shift the way you see the world.

India’s literacy rate is around 60% for women and 80% for men. The principal language is Hindi and English is also commonly used in all major cities. New Delhi, the capital of India, is what many would call the real deal when travelling through the country. It is one of the biggest and most populated cities in the whole world with up to 25 million citizens. New Delhi is known for its amazing cuisine and its new modality of “street food”, which means restaurants with every specialty you can imagine are available to you all throughout the city! Chennai is another of the biggest cities in India, known as the “Detroit of India” for its automobile industry. If you are looking for a quieter spot Kerala is the centre of lifestyle, art, architecture, language and literature in all of the country!

Gap year programs to India are enjoyed in a country with wonderful history that dates back several thousand years. In particular, one of the most incredible historical points of India is how four separate world religions originated here – Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Beyond this, however, India has only truly been independent as a nation since 1947, just a couple years after World War 2 concluded.

In that time, India has grown to be the eleventh largest economy in the world as well as the second most populous nation, second only to China. This isn’t particularly surprising when you consider that India has been an economic powerhouse for trade routes in the past, but it is very impressive to consider that India has almost reached the status of superpower over the course of 66 years.

The geography of India has been a target for nature lovers for many years but is finally becoming an easy place to visit and explore for foreign tourists. With the Himalayas to the north, the desert in the centre and the luxurious beaches to the west, India has a type of climate that suits the desires of just about anyone. Even if you have a soft spot for snow, you can easily embrace that love by visiting some of the northern mountains which are nearly always capped in snow and ice!

With thousands of years of history and an incredibly diverse climate, India is not a place you can simply read about and understand. You have to visit and immerse yourself within the various Indian cultures before you get an idea of just how amazing India really is. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch now to find out more about our amazing gap year volunteer programs and holidays in India or browse the latest experiences below.

Please Note TRU are not currently able to accept any volunteers in India due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. We will be sure to update you when it is safe to travel and restrictions ease in India.