My parents are scared to send me on a volunteer trip in India for one week...

Parent Cafe
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<p>I really would like to volunteer in India for just one week this summer with a friend. Rustic Pathways seems to offer the perfect timing and appears to have good supervision system.</p>

<p>My friend and I really wanted something more “structured” with excellent supervision and somewhat affordable…what are your opinions of Rustic Pathways? Do you have any suggestions? I’d like to show my parents this thread after you share some of your opinions.</p>

<p>Please suggest other companies that you might know of as well…that would be helpful too!</p>

2

<p>What’s wrong with volunteering in your own hometown?</p>

<p>You might as well vacation in India if you just want to go there.</p>

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<p>You will not like this but India is a long ways away for a seven day volunteer opportunity. Is there nothing closer that will satisfy your desire to volunteer? Are you in HS or college? Are you asking your parents to pay for this trip or did you earn the money to pay for it yourself? Do you have savings you can take out to pay for it? What will you be doing there exactly? Something unique to India, I hope, like working in a Leper colony, which is what one college student I know is doing this summer.</p>

4

<p>Well the reason I chose India was because I am originally from there. I have a lot of family in the area whom I plan to visit afterwards. I am currently a high school student. </p>

<p>My parents are not willing to send me anywhere for more than a week but I wanted to go somehwere myself to experience traveling on my own with a purpose beyond just “exploring” or “vacationing” so this seemed like a decent opportunity.</p>

<p>Any other opinions…?</p>

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<p>I applaud your desire to serve!</p>

<p>What year are you finishing in HS? My response would be very different for a senior vs a sophomore.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the encouragement LasMa.</p>

<p>I am going to be a senior in high school this fall.</p>

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<p>My daughter went to India with Rustic Pathways last summer. She went to Ladak. She had the best time of her life. From India she went to Thailand, also with Rustic Pathways. I know that a lot of people have problems with community service programs where you pay, but we have nothing but fabulous things to say about Rustic Pathways. I do know of other families where the extremely bright child did a gap year with them, has worked with them now for a couple of summers and will now go to an Ivy League school, fluent in Mandarin. All in all I do think that Rustica Pathways is an excellent program. My daughter enjoyed every day she spent with them and would go back in a heartbeat.</p>

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<p>My thoughts
If you have family there- I assume they are related to one or both or your parents or are they estranged?
Perhaps family tension is an underlying concern?</p>

<p>One week depending on where you currently live, does not seem time enough to make it worth it. For every few hours of travel, I like to stay a day at least & it will be a long, trip to India- summer is also not the best time to visit.</p>

<p>India seems to be an amazing place- but seriously- I do not think that one week will leave you anything but disappointed and overwhelmed
I would suggest [India</a> Travel Forum | IndiaMike.com](<a href=“India Travel Forum | IndiaMike.com”>http://www.indiamike.com/) for specific travel information.
My daughter is currently in India through a program with Projects Abroad, but for three months</p>