Planning to volunteer in India and not sure how to go about it? Booking for a volunteering program with an organization is not just enough. You will have to prepare yourself mentally and physically in order to successfully accomplish the desired result out of your trip. Starting from flight tickets, visa, vaccinations, preparing your backpack to choosing the volunteering placement it is highly recommended to sort these out before leaving home . To avoid the last minute rush,  here are some of the tips on how to prepare yourself for volunteering in India:

1. Educate Yourself

First of all, reading about the country where you would be heading is must and by doing so you can relax during your trip as you would be knowing what all you want to do in India. Prepare yourself by reading literature and watching documentaries on India as that is the easiest way to educate yourself. For more info please visit Wiki Travel

2. Flights and Visa

Always book your flights well in advance and there are 2 specific reasons behind this. 1) You can get the best price if booking in advance and 2) You will have the availability with best flights. If you delay the bookings then there is a chance that you would be paying much more for the airfare and the flights which you wouldn’t have even cared to book at the first place. Same goes for visa, sometimes embassies ask for too many documents due to which the visa process gets delayed and chances are that it would obstruct your traveling plans.

3. Packing Your Stuff

If you are packing your bags for your trip to India then I would recommend you to wait for a while and try to learn what weather it is right now in India as you get to experience every weather in India which attracts many travelers from all over the globe. Volunteering India provides detailed information in the pre departure booklet to its volunteers so that they won’t face any challenges during their stay.

4. Vaccinations

As I have mentioned earlier it is necessary to prepare yourself physically so getting proper vaccinations well in advance is highly recommended. One should always consult this with their doctors and apart from that we always recommend Hepatitis A, B and Typhoid vaccinations which are must and volunteers should take these well in advance. You can also carry mosquito repellent and chlorine tablets. Kindly click here, for more information.

5. Cultural Shock

First time travelers always feel bit apprehensive as they are not sure what to expect. Anarchy is the word that best describes Indian roads! Sometimes a visit in a taxi can be a hair-raising experience, let alone trying to cross a road by yourself. People also wonder if cows really roam around the streets in India. Actually, it’s true about the cows in India as one can witness numerous cows everywhere roaming on roads in India and it is not at all risky as they have adjusted themselves like that and same goes with the people. Apart from that at times you will feel annoyed by the smells and sounds around you. Also, Indian society is closely bound to each other in relations and personal space and privacy concepts are not practiced by them. Since, Indians are warm hearted and curious people, they tend to stare and ask lots of questions, many of them personal in nature and my advice would be don’t be afraid to ask the same questions in return. You won’t cause any sort of offense. In fact, people will be happy that you’ve taken an interest in them. All in all, it does take a while to adjust to being in India but rest assured, most people start feeling more comfortable after a week or so.

6. Indian Food

If you are trying the Indian food for the first time then my most important advice would be give yourself some time and go at slow pace as Indian food is quite spicy. There is a golden rule, if locals are avoiding something you should too and try to eat at places where there are loads of families with young kids as that would be the safest bet. Always prefer water from reliable sources or bottled water is highly recommended to avoid most common stomach issues. Above all a little care, a little common sense and your health in India should be fine.

These are our top 6 picks to lessen the pressure and help you ‘keep calm and volunteer in India’!

Have anything to add? Others can learn from your volunteering experiences too. Comment and help your fellow volunteers!