Your India Booking Pack
Starting in Delhi
The Dragon Trip is the all-encompassing, flexible trip for adventurers seeking to discover the real India, showing you the very best parts – including cultural, historical and adrenaline-inducing attractions, jaw dropping scenery, and mind-blowing cuisine! Over the next few weeks, it’s our goal to show you a side of India you’ll remember forever.
Joining your tour in Delhi
Meeting Point
Please meet your adventure leader in the morning, at 9am at the common area of the hostel for a trip briefing. After the briefing, we will leave the hostel and head to the train station.
If you are unable to meet at this time, please inform us at trips@thedragontrip.com.
Your hostel’s address
ZOSTEL DELHI
Railway Station 5
Arakashan Road Opposite New Delhi Railway Station
New Delhi, Delhi
110005
Phone: +91 (0)114116 9532
If you have any queries or issues with your trip, email our Ops team on mytrip@thedragontrip.com.
We can collect you from the airport
We can arrange an airport transfer to pick you up from Delhi airport and drop you off at your hostel for an additional cost. If you are planning on spending additional time in Delhi before your trip starts, we are also able to book pre-trip accommodation for you. To find out more, email info@thedragontrip.com.
How to get to your hostel
By Taxi: There are pre-paid taxis available at Indira Gandhi Airport at all times of the day/night. We suggest to take a taxi from the operator called Meru Cabs – expect to pay approximately around 500-800 INR. Alternatively, you can take an Uber from the airport directly to Zostel Delhi. The cost is slightly less than the prepaid taxis, around 450-550INR – depending on traffic.
Please note, you can locate Zostel Delhi both on Google Maps (if you have internet) or on maps.me (offline).
By Public Transportation: Taking the Delhi Metro is the quickest way to reach Zostel Delhi from the airport. Take the Airport Express (orange line) from Terminal 3 and alight at New Delhi Metro Station – the journey around 25 minutes. You can purchase the tokens or smart card from the ticket counters or the ticketing machines at the stations – a single journey ticket fare is 60 INR.
After getting off at New Delhi station, take Exit 2 and it’s around a 10 minute walk to Zostel Delhi.
In and around New Delhi station, avoid anyone trying to help you by giving travel advices, or telling you the road leading to the hostel (or hostel itself) is closed due to the festivals, riots etc
For more information, read full details here.
Covid Policy
Travellers are no longer required to have proof of vaccination or, if unvaccinated, a negative PCR test. If found symptomatic for COVID-19 during travel or on arrival, you will need to follow the instructions of the health authorities, which may include testing or isolation at a designated medical facility.
Insurance
Please don’t forget your insurance! It’s compulsory to have travel insurance on all Dragon Trips. Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you to the pre-departure briefing. In the event of an accident, we may need to contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number, as well as your policy number.
Please make sure your insurance offers ‘Bad Weather or Natural Disaster Coverage’.
Please fill out our online emergency contact and insurance form: https://forms.office.com/r/YmArdefrvG
Don’t forget your passport!
Have you sent us your passport details?
The Dragon Trip needs your passport copy to book accommodation and transport tickets in advance of your trip.
Please ensure that you passport is valid for six months of onward travel, with a spare page for every country you plan on visiting (all those stamps!). If you need a new passport, make sure you send us your new passport details as soon as possible, or you may experience some difficulties whilst on tour.
Do I need a visa?
Yes you do. An e-visa is available online for most nationalities. To apply for it, click here.
If your country of origin is not eligible for an Indian e-visa, then you must apply for the visa at the nearest embassy. Visa information is subject to change without notice. For the most current information, please visit your nearest embassy.
Book Optional Excursions
Some of the most popular activities that we offer need to be booked in advance. Please book and pay for these activities at least three weeks in advance in order to guarantee your space. We may not be able to guarantee availability if you make a last minute request to join.
Airport Pick Up in Delhi (£30)
Go straight from the airport to the starting accommodation with our airport transfer service (per cab, max. 4 people to share).
Pre Night in Delhi (£15)
Settle into the accommodation with a pre night in Delhi. You can choose the dorm rate above or contact us for a private room (£50).
Keep in touch!
We want to hear all about your amazing travels across India.
Whether you’re on the tour or reliving your amazing experiences, be sure to use the hashtag #thedragontrip to join in with our amazing community of fellow Dragons.
In addition, if you tag our profile in your photo with the handle @thedragontrip, we might just feature it! We love to see all the fun you get up to on your adventures.
Lastly: if you don’t want to have your photos appear on our social platforms, please do email us to let us know.
Meet Your Fellow Dragons
As many of our Dragons travel solo, we want to take to make the process of meeting your fellow travellers as easy as possible. We create WhatsApp groups for every departure date in advance, meaning that you can get to know everyone on your tour before you hit the ground.
You can also like us on Facebook and join ‘The Dragon Trip: Adventure Advice‘ Facebook group – here, you’ll be in a community of past, present, and future Dragons who can all share tips and advice.
Our Ultimate Packing Check List
On all of our trips you will be required to carry your own bags so pack light. India has tonnes of local markets in case you forget something and you can always borrow from others in your group – that’s what friends are for!
Documents:
- Passport (with a copy of the photo page)
- Insurance Details
Money:
- Your credit/debit card
- USD
- Local Currency
The Essentials:
- First Aid Kit (with medicine for diarrhoea, paracetamol, disinfectant etc)
- Camera and charger
- T-shirts
- Shorts/skirts
- Long pants (for hiking)
- Long trousers and sleeved shirts (when visiting temples and some of the local villages)
- Swimming costume
- Flip-flops
- Sensible walking shoes/hiking boots
- Towel
- Washbag
- Flashlight/torch
- Mosquito repellent
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Lightweight waterproof
- Earplugs (for a better sleep in the dorms, night train and sleeper buses)
- Warm clothes for camping
- Moneybelt (pick-pocketing and motorbike snatching is common in some cities)
- Locks for bags
- Waterproof backpack cover
FAQ’s
Do I need to bring power adaptors?
Yes – these are available to buy in airports or various stores before you arrive. Make sure you get adaptors that will work – India uses types C, D and M.
Do I need to bring a sleeping bag?
All bedding/linen is provided at the hostels.
Who looks after our bags when we are on transport and/or excursions?
Your bags will be stored at the hostels, where they are tagged and recorded. On a couple of occasions, they will be stored at storage facilities in railway stations.
Can I bring loads of stuff?
We strongly recommend packing very light for The Dragon Trip. All the cities will have places you can wash your clothes and you can easily pick up supplies.
Suitcase or backpack?
A suitcase is OK, but a backpack or holdall is much more convenient.
Will my phone work?
Your phone is unlikely to work, but it’s possible to buy a SIM out there. Wi-Fi is available in all of our hostels.
Your Welfare on Tour
Our adventure tours are a safe space where everyone is welcome. We kindly request that you show respect to your fellow adventurers, our Adventure Leader, as well as the local people and places we encounter throughout our journey. Any form of discrimination, bullying and violence is strictly prohibited, and we expect all travellers to adhere to the laws, customs, and regulations of each destination we visit. Behaviours that contradict these expectations or impede our staff’s ability to fulfil their duty of care or follow the planned itinerary, may result in the removal of the individuals involved from the trip. If you encounter any concerns during your travels, please promptly communicate with your Adventure Leader or local guide. Alternatively, you can discreetly contact the Adventure Leader via WhatsApp. They will be able to address the issue directly and help find the best solution.
Top Tips from The Dragon Trip
Try saying that tongue twister really fast.
On the weather:
- Between December and February, it can be quite cold in India – particularly in the evenings. Remember to pack a couple of warm items, especially for when sleeping out in the desert.
- July to September is rainy season and when it rains, it pours. Pack clothes you don’t mind getting wet and that dry quickly. It can also get very hot and humid.
On how to travel sustainably:
- We cover the cost of up to 15kg in weight on our flights. This keeps fuel usage down, and reduces the impact of the flight on the environment.
- Packing as light as possible keeps your carbon footprint low. We recommend 10-15kg, especially as you are expected to carry your own luggage.
- Use local laundry services. This money goes straight into the local community, and is available in most of our hostels with the price of $1-2 per kg.
- Pack a reusable water bottle. Many of our hostels provide filtered water, which reduces your need for single use plastics on tour
Stay connected:
- Your Adventure Leader will invite you to a WhatsApp group chat on Day 1, to keep in touch with you and the rest of your group.
- Maps.me: This is a great app to stop yourself from getting lost! You can download it to your phone for free. We recommend downloading many maps from different cities in India before your trip and using these maps later when you don’t have Wi-Fi.
- Bring electronic products at your own risk. Some customers choose to travel with iPhones, tablets and laptops, and although theft is rare on The Dragon Trip, there is petty crime in some areas we visit.
Food & Drink:
- There will be lots of great nights out on The Dragon Trip, but please remember to always drink within your limits. Never journey home by yourself at night, and never leave another person in the group alone. Always follow the legal drinking age limit (Delhi –25, Goa– 18, and 21 in other cities we visit).
- Drugs are illegal. If our guides see you committing any crime while traveling with us, they are obliged to report to Head Office and to the police, so please don’t put them in that position!
- The food is delicious throughout India and you won’t be able to get enough of it. Try anything and everything possible. Your Adventure Leader will be able to recommend all of the best spots.
- Unless you are eating somewhere that your Adventure Leader recommends, we suggest sticking to vegetarian meals in an attempt to avoid Delhi Belly.
- Stay hydrated. It can get very hot and humid in India, and it’s important that you drink enough water. You may want to pack re-hydration sachets with you, just in case.
Pack patience:
- India is still a developing country and it is very different from home. Some systems or ways of doing things which you may take for granted back home aren’t necessarily the same here. Please be patient with The Dragon Trip and India as a whole, as sometimes things don’t run like they may back home, despite our best efforts.
- You may meet many people from lots of different backgrounds and cultures on this trip. You may have different opinions or ways of doing things. Treat everyone how you wish to be treated and remember to work together as a group.
- Always try to arrive a couple of minutes early to check outs or departure times. Being late may mean missing transport connections, and you don’t want to delay the whole group.
Navigating a new culture:
- Be respectful of local culture and dress appropriately at temples and religious sites. You may need to cover your shoulders, wear longer trousers and go barefoot.
- Be polite and kind.
- Agree on a price before getting in taxis or tuk-tuks. Ignore the tuk-tuk drivers telling you the temple is closed because of a religious holiday, and turn down any offers to be taken to a shop. It’s going to be an out of the way market with outrageous prices.
On safety & security:
- Uber is one of the safest, easiest and most hassle-free options of getting around in India.
- Vaccinations may be required for our India trips. Please consult your doctor or travel nurse for up-to-date medical travel information and anti-malarial requirements.
- We recommend that you to carry a small first aid kit, including any personal medicines you’re using, as they may not easily be obtained in some of the locations we visit.
- Keep an eye out for any potential scams and avoid anyone trying to help you by giving travel advice. The common scams: (i) Taxi drivers, tourist information providers even sometimes ‘policemen’ who might tell you the road leading to your hostel (or the hostel itself) is closed due to a festival, riots etc. (ii) ‘Train station attendants’ telling your train is cancelled and you need to visit a travel agent for the next one.
- Beware of pick-pocketing on buses and trains as well is in busy streets. Always keep your valuables close to you, and distribute your most valuable items across your bags.
- Female trippers: dress conservatively, avoid isolated areas if you’re alone, don’t walk around alone at night.
India tipping policy:
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Although tipping in India isn’t compulsory, tips are expected and appreciated in many places throughout the country. If you’re happy with the service provided those who have assisted you on your tour, leaving a tip is a good way to show your appreciation. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels.
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The exact amount you tip is a personal preference, however, we suggest 1500-2000 INR per person for the whole trip, to tip your local guides, drivers, boatman, and others. You may choose to tip individually, but in order to make the process more simple, your Adventure Leader will offer to collect money on the first day for the entire tour and divide the tips each time on behalf of the group.
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If you’re happy with the service provided by your Adventure Leader, at the end of your trip, you may consider tipping your leader as well. If you are happy with the service our Adventure Leader provided, feel free to tip him what you like on the final day of your tour.
In case of Emergencies
No matter where you are or what you do, safety always comes first. We conduct our own health and safety checks but sometimes things happen that our out of our control.
Emergency services numbers are listed below:
India: 112
To contact our staff:
Email: mytrip@thedragontrip.com
24/7 emergency contact number: +84 284 458 1410
Contact Us
Any questions or feedback?
Contact our London Team: info@thedragontrip.com
(Please note that this email is only monitored from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 and 17:30 (Friday 17:00) UK time, if you have any urgent issues, such as flight delays or last minute trip cancellations, please contact our India Team.)
Contact our India team: mytrip@thedragontrip.com
To read our full terms & conditions, click here.
