Tours for Teachers in India

India is a fascinating and thought-provoking country. It is a place of unique contrasts – geographically, culturally, ethnically, linguistically, economically, religiously, and politically.

Economic growth, recently based on technological and scientific developments, has been centred in India’s towns and cities. Impressive architecture, the rail system, the legacy of the British Raj, and many employment opportunities, have led to a burgeoning middle class. However, poverty exists side by side with the wealth here, with many villagers subsisting on less than two dollars a day.

Hinduism is the largest religion (around 81%) in India with Muslims making up just over 13%. Christians make up nearly 2.5% of the population and Sikhs about 2%. Proportions of adherents vary depending on the part of the country you visit. For example, more Christians live in Kerala and around Kolkata and east India (Calcutta) and more Sikhs live in the Punjab.

The British Raj, formalised in 1858, lasted until partition and independence in 1947. Raj literally means ‘rule’ and comes from a Sanskrit word. British involvement with India pre-dates the formal Raj period by at least 200 years. It extended over almost all present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, except for small colonies of other European nations such the Portuguese, Dutch and French in areas like Goa, Pondicherry and Kolkata.

Escorted Tours

Escorted tours of varying length, usually between 12 to 16 days are a great way for teachers and others to encounter the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this fascinating country.

Our teacher’s tours are carefully tailored to include a range of experiences and opportunities that provide insights into the religious and historical India as well as into contemporary life. Options include our Encountering Religions package , the Coast-to-Coast tour of South India and The Valley of Flowers tour.

Hotels accommodation on our tours is high quality and most tours include dinner, or bed and breakfast, with all entrance and travel fees in India included in the tour price. We build plenty of time for rest and relaxation on our tours, as well as time for site-seeing, photography and artefact buying.

The tours take place at the end of July and into August. This gives teachers the space to enjoy more than a snatched few days in India. As it can be hot on the plains, air-conditioned hotels and travel are arranged, with many tours visiting a cooler Raj hill station. Some of our teachers’ tours include time in a local school in one of the towns or villages you visit.

Our tours for teachers are also open to those who are not teachers, so a spouse, partner or friend is welcome too. Places for children of participating travellers are available but, on these tours, they should be aged 16 or above.

Personalised School Tours

At Soul of India, we are experienced in organising tours of India for students from your school. The shortest time we would recommend is 10 days (possibly over the Easter holiday or over the end of May Bank holiday period, leaving on the Friday of the half term holiday and arriving back in the UK on the Sunday before term starts again on the Monday). Alternatively, the tour can be organised for the end of July into August for up to 14 days.

We recommend the age-group being either 14 to 16 or 16 to 18. We price the group tour based on one member of staff travelling with 12 students. We suggest that you allow at least 12 months for payments to be made. We require a small non-refundable deposit to secure the tour booking, which will allow us to plan the full itinerary and travel, followed by full payment 10 weeks before the date of travel.

Accommodation options can be arranged in a range of settings, from Youth Hostel type lodgings through to 5-star luxury hotels, depending on your budget.

The group tours will be personalised to your requirements and can include a religious education (RE) and/or history focus, or we have also organise a geology, geography and ecology focused tour. If you have a theme or idea, we would be more than happy to discuss it with you.

We suggest that your tour includes an Indian cultural evening, such as Bhangra or Kathakali dancing (depending on where the tour is based), to ensure your students have a full cultural experience. We can also organise a day’s walking and an opportunity to either visit a school to teach some English or to volunteer in a local charity. Our tours are always bespoke, and our team will be happy to discuss the type of experiences and site visits that would suit your tour plan.

We will create an immersive tour itinerary for your independent tour or group travel on the basis of your requirements, budget and preference. Contact us today to discuss your tour of India.

Email: enquiries@soulofindia.com

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