In this section, we attempt to offer advice that deals with:
- Maintaining your health
- Credit Cards & Finances
- Your tech toys
- Required paperwork
- Security precautions
What to bring
Pack as lightly and as minimally as you can. Then do a practice pack, and reduce what you have chosen by at least one-third. You’ll thank us for suggesting it. We also advise you to work together rather than buy and carry all the items listed.
Luggage – Use a backpack and not a suitcase
- A 50-litre pack at most, but smaller if possible. 35 litres might do it
- You can check your backpack for air travel, but you must be able to lift it to top shelves when travelling by train in India
- Second smaller bag for valuables etc. with a heavy strap you can loop over your head and shoulder, big enough to hold what you need for the day
Footwear
- Sandals (when walking in unpaved areas or through wet areas, closed toed shoes are safest)
- Light runners
Other Essentials
- A good hat with sun block rating
- Light scarf /shawl with a sun block rating (women will need the lightweight cottonhawl to cover their heads when visiting temples)
- Sunglasses
- A light jacket, that is moisture resistant in case of rain
- Umbrella (compact travel size)
Clothing
- Wear modest, conservative clothing. Even in areas where other tourists may be wearing revealing clothing, it is recommended that you maintain a modest look. Please remember, you are an ambassador of MRU and a respectful guest.
- Comfortable light coloured clothing: shirts with sleeves and no tank tops.
- Loose fitting, and easy to clean travel pants / long skirts (no shorts shorter than the bottom of your knee).
- Quick drying travel underwear/ socks is a good idea.
- For exercise (Crossfit and yoga) plan on wearing loose sweat pants / capris / very long shorts over typical exercise gear such as Lululemon.
- Not-too-tight sports bras are recommended.
Nice But Not Necessary
- Playing cards / Travel games
- Small musical instruments
Please avoid:
- Wearing t-shirts with slogans that encourage alcohol use, offensive statements, etc.,
- Wearing tank tops, or other revealing clothing – http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/travel+clothing.html
Personal toiletries
- A bar of soap for washing clothes. We should have laundry service at LPU but won’t at the ashram. Camping stores sell palm sized plastic containers of “soap” sheets. Laundry soap is available in India.
- Kleenex packs / Travel Toilet Paper/ Couple rolls of regular toilet paper. General supplies will be provided at hotels, Sri Ram Ashram and Lovely Professional University (note: in most cases, toilet paper isn’t flushed, but is instead discarded in waste baskets)
- Disposable washcloths (discs that you just add water to – come in a packet or tube – found in travel stores or Home Outfitters/Sears/Bed Bath and Beyond)
- Sunscreen and bug spray/Insect after bite
- Hand soap, washcloth, travel towel, shampoo, or shave your head (kidding!)
- Hand sanitizers – gel and/or towelettes
- Feminine Hygiene Products (Tampons are hard to find in India)
- For packing tips, check out this site: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Travel/HealthSafety.jsp
Other handy items
- A small pen sized flashlight or head lamp
- Extra batteries
- Combination lock
Maintaining your health
An absolute key to staying healthy in India is to stay hydrated, and to use electrolytes. Electrolytes help restore and maintain the minerals in your body. Taken by tablet with water, or as crystals added to your water, they will you deal with the heat. In past field schools some students have also used probiotic supplements to help with the change in diet you will experience. Food served at the ashram and LPU is healthy and clean, but it is still much different than we are used to. So if you are prone to having stomach issues you might want to consider using a supplement.
Medications
Bring enough of any prescribed medication you need and in the original prescription bottle.
- Tylenol or similar
- Band-aids and ointment
- Other first aid needs such as sunburn ointment
- Over-the-counter diarrhoea treatments such as Imodium
- Anti-nausea treatments such as chewable Gravol ginger tablets, regular Gravol, candied ginger, Pepto-bismal
- Most previous field school participants used a product called Dukoral, which helps prevent traveller related diarrhoea: https://www.dukoralcanada.com/ This medication can be obtained from a pharmacist and should be taken prior to departure
- You should also seek and fill a prescription for antibiotics for bacterial infection as a precaution
Disclosing medical concerns
If you have a medical issue that requires medication, or allergies that may require use of an EpiPen, an inhaler, or routine meds, we ask that you inform the field school professors. Your information will be maintained in the strictest of confidence and will only be used by the professors should you require their help. For anyone with potentially life-threatening allergies, please consider creating a flash card that visually and in Hindi, English and possibly Punjabi, indicates what you’re allergic to.
You are responsible for managing your medical and personal needs.
Required vaccines
All field-schoolers are required to have the following vaccines:
- Hepatitis A/B (Twinrix)
- Typhoid Fever
To discuss your individual needs, consult with your doctor or prescribing pharmacist at least 2 to 3 months before departure. We will be in north India and above the malaria line. We will also largely be in cities and/or with our host agencies.
Note: Most pharmacists consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You can too. Here’s the link.
You should also get a flu shot and ensure your Tetanus shot is up to date.
Alternative Medicine
Ask to be connected with former Field School members who used homeopathic/natural/Ayurvedic remedies if you would like suggestions for the trip. They can truly yield big benefits.
Food & Nutrition
Most meals are provided by our host organizations. Most host partner meals will be vegan/vegetarian and comprised heavily of grains and legumes. Fruit and vegetables are costly for local Indians. Protein and greens can be less than what you are typically accustomed to. While you will not go hungry, the following items recommended by previous field school students may make your trip more enjoyable.
- Flax seeds, protein powder, greens supplement and chia
- Multivitamins and energy bars
- Chicken soup packets (if not feeling well)
- Herbal teas
- Vitamin C tablets (Emergen C super “C” packets to boost your immune system or to use if you get sick)
- Bring yourself (and the group!) a treat from home if you have room – chocolate, candy etc.
- Instant coffee such as Starbucks Via – chai (tea) is everywhere but you cannot get coffee at the ashram or on trains
- Sugar alternatives (packets) if you use them
Food And Water Precautions
- Drink only bottled water or filtered water (the ashram has clean filtered water)
- Make sure purchased water bottle seals are unbroken
- Avoid ordering drinks with ice – the ice might not be made with purified water
- Brush your teeth only with bottled water
- Be cautious of consuming street food – in fact, for a short trip it is best not to try it at all!
Money
Credit Cards And Finances
- To avoid extra charges, put some cash against your card before you go & notify your bank of your travel plans to avoid having your card cancelled or suspended.
- Ensure you have at least 2 money sources: credit card and debit card
- Carry some U.S. cash ($150) in smallish bills on you just in case there is a bankcard or ATM issue. Large hotels and banks will exchange US dollars for rupees
- Order Indian rupees (INR) through your bank so you have some cash upon arrival; $5000 INR is about $100 CA. We are also considering ordering some Rupees for you prior to our departure
Technology
- Make sure your ipads, cameras, etc., are insured and that you leave a list of the serial numbers at home
- Cell phone – use a free option only: wifi – download Whatsapp or use email/i-message and/or get prepay for a roaming plan
- Cell costs are expensive especially with a Canadian phone, so check with your provider for a roaming package, or consider leaving it at home and buying a phone card in India… you can buy an Indian cell phone but unless you are staying afterwards for several weeks a phone card should do to check in at home
- We should have access to Internet (wifi) most of the time
- If you bring an e-reader or other devices you’ll need an adaptor for Asia to recharge them, so consider going low tech for a few days and bring a paperback, small notebook etc., and leaving the iWorld behind you for a bit
Required Paperwork
- Current Passport with an expiry date of January 2019 or later
- This is required for ALL Passports (if you have dual citizenship)
- Indian Visa (apply for this in March 2018)
- Students must make 6 copies of the following:
- Itinerary, which you MUST show to gain access into the Delhi airport for your return
- Passport information page
- Travel insurance cards
- India travel visa
Note: you will need to provide MRU international education office with a copy of your passport and your flight itinerary as well.
Security Precautions
In addition to leaving this information in a secure location at home, save the following information in a PDF document that you can access via email:
- Credit card number, expiry date and security number
- Passport information page
- India travel visa
- Flight Itineraries
