An Insider’s Tour of Northern India With Go Eat Give Founder Sucheta Rawal

ATLANTA - Aug. 14, 2014 - PRLog -- Of the six and a half million tourists who travel to India each year, few can claim to have had a personal insider’s guide to authentic Indian culture. Most visitors to north India take a tour of the Golden Triangle, or settle for overcrowded yoga retreats. Instead, Go Eat Give’s program offers an insightful journey across small towns, dinng in private homes, and daily interaction with locals. The nonprofit’s mission of “connecting people, places and palates” resonates during these trips. Gina Cooper, an HR professional from Atlanta who accompanied Ms. Rawal on one such tour in 2012, says, “I am eternally grateful for having gone to the land of enchantment with a native, as the insights and authenticity were invaluable. The people that I encountered along the way not only opened their homes to us, they opened their hearts as well.”

The 12-day tour will begin in the country’s capital of New Delhi, where guests will get an eye-opening look at the diversity of India’s religion, architecture, and food – all housed within a few miles. Guests will spend a few days volunteering at a women’s shelter in Chandigarh, Ms. Rawal’s hometown and the residence of her 84-year old grandmother who is a renowned social worker. Chandigarh, the capital city of adjacent states Punjab and Haryana, is the most well-designed city in India and is recognized as the best place to live in India. “I want the guests to see the real India, where everyday people live, and also to understand the education, healthcare and social system of India,” says Ms. Rawal. There will be organized workshops at Carmel Convent School, Punjab University, Khalsa Orphanage, and more. The tour will also include unique cultural programs, such as music, dance, sari shopping, tailoring, and cooking. A visit to the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, and to the Golden Temple of Amritsar, one of the most spiritual sites in the world and located at the India and Pakistan border, is also on the itinerary.

Go Eat Give provides all of its travelers with the opportunity to give back to the local community they visit by giving donations, time, and skills at Go Eat Give’s partner charities. Individuals will spend time teaching life skills and women’s empowerment programs at Nari Niketan, a safe house for battered, trafficked, and homeless women.

The Go Eat Give Cultural Trip to India is scheduled for November 20 – December 2, 2014 and is open to anyone. The cost of attending the program is $3,600 per person based on double occupancy and does not include international airfare to India. Group size is limited to 15 guests. More information and registration form can be found on Go Eat Give’s website (http://www.goeatgive.com/volunteer-vacation-in-india/).