Travel & Accommodations
International Travel
Participants are responsible for arranging their own air travel to and from Delhi. As a guide to the airfare, as of spring 2010 the fares shown below in US dollars were in effect for air travel to Delhi on December 26, 2010 and return on January 24. This is the “shoulder” season, not as costly as the high season, nor as inexpensive as the low season. These fares are for round-trip travel, and include all taxes and service charges and are subject to change. Fares with one or more stops are very likely to cost less.
Since it is possible, although highly unlikely, that the Workshop may be cancelled, it is recommended that you purchase refundable tickets, check cancellation penalties and verify departure times and flights. Take account of the time difference when making reservations; for example, it will be 101/2 hours later in Delhi than in New York at the time of the Workshop.
Newark to Delhi, Continental Airlines, $1,246
San Francisco to Delhi, Emirates Air, $1,448; Cathay Airlines via Hong Kong, $1,300
London to Delhi, Air India, $736
Arriving in Delhi
Since most international flights to Delhi arrive between 9:00 pm and 4:00 am in the morning, you may want to consider arriving in Delhi the night of January 1 or the early morning of January 2 for the Workshop, which will start with Orientation at about 1:00 pm in the afternoon on January 3. The alternative is to arrive the night of January 2 or early morning of January 3. Prior to departure you will receive information on getting from the Delhi airport to your accommodations and checking into them.
Visas and Health
For US citizens complete information on obtaining a visa for travel to India is available at www.travisa.com. You should apply for a tourist visa. Participants traveling from other countries should consult the Indian Government Travel Office or Indian Consulate in their country.
Although immunizations are not required to enter India, you may want to take precautions against certain diseases, such as malaria. Check the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for health information on India and the US Department of State’s website:
www.travel.state.gov, for useful information on travel to India.
Travel Insurance
For your protection it is strongly recommended that you purchase travel insurance, which covers flight cancellations, lost baggage, accidents and emergency medical care. Among the agencies in the US offering travel insurance are Travel Guard International and CSA Travel Protection.
Travel Assistance
If you would like personal assistance with international travel or on visiting India before and/or after the Workshop, you may want to consult a travel agent who specializes in India. In the US you can consider: VGo World, located in New Jersey; phone: 732-257-3846, email: vgoworld@att.net; or Mercury Travels Ltd., also in New Jersey: phone 212-967-0050, email: mercurytravelsusa@gmail.com. An India-based agency is Timeless Travel, timelesstours@gmail.com
The 2009 edition of the Lonely Planet guide to India is an excellent source of information on Delhi and other parts of the country.
Accommodations
In Delhi participants will stay at comfortable accommodations convenient to the Workshop’s venue. Among the possibilities are guest houses or quarters in the Habitat Center. Accommodations will be mainly double-occupancy rooms. Single-occupancy rooms, for which there is a supplementary charge, will be available on first-come, first-served basis.
If you would like to stay with another Workshop participant in a double room let us know as soon as possible and we will make every effort to match you. For the double rooms we will match individuals with each other (matching people of the same sex) and notify you in advance of your roommate. Let us know about any smoking/non-smoking preferences for the double-occupancy rooms. Accommodations for the weekend trips will be in moderately – priced hotels. Check the Updated Information section of this website for news about accommodations.
