Accommodation

After a long, often inter-continental flight and the initial culture shock, the most important thing you look forward to is a safe and comfortable place for you to rest and get over your jetlag. At Yearoutindia we believe that all volunteers should have a clean, safe and comfortable place to rest and relax, before, during and after their placement. Our projects are often at locations far away from the tourist tracks and in rural communities.

At these locations, we strive and often go to great lengths to provide really safe and comfortable accommodation for our volunteers and staff. These accommodations will by no-means be a luxury, but you’ll get to live like a local with the support of the community we work with. The communities adopt YOI volunteers and gives them the opportunity to be apart of their day to day life and experience a unique cultural immersion which cannot be describd. Life long friendships and bond are often made. All our previous volunteers have found this love and acceptance of the community to be one of the highlights of their placement.

YOI supports the local community by renting accommodation in the project area, building up good relations with the community members, some of whom become our trusted members of staff. We also buy our daily supplies of vegetables, fruits etc. from local farmers directly or local shops.

Yearoutindia Volunteer Houses

Yearoutindia volunteer houses are independent houses that are staffed and have all basic infrastructure in place to provide for the volunteers needs. Our program coordinators select and monitor their maintenance on a weekly basis to ensure that they are ideal and well equipped for our volunteers.

The rooms are clean and comfortable with beds, pillows and blankets. Our volunteer houses always have clean and well maintained toilets and clean running water.(These can be both Western and Indian Style toilets) At some sites we even have "en-suit" western toilets. The rooms are also well lit, have ceiling fans, shelves, clothes rack, a tables and chair etc. Our staff also ensure that rooms stay mosquito and bug free.

We ensure that there are only 3-4 volunteers at any one time at these houses in tandem with our ideology of not having more than 2-3 volunteers per project to ensure a more direct interaction with the community, locals, culture and a very personal experience for the volunteer.

Homestay

Homestays are almost always houses that belong to a local family that have somehow directly benefited from Yearoutindia activities over the years. The families are always well know to the staff and program coordinators. This ensures that the host family is completely supportive, trustworthy, deserving and committed to Yearoutindia’s cause and our volunteers` contributions to their rural community.

The family homes are full of local traditions, religious rituals and other specialties which give the volunteers an insight into Indian way of life from within. Most families grow their own vegetables, herbs, chillies and fruits which ensure a constant supply of fresh food for the Kitchen. The family members try to involve the volunteers in all aspects of the house like cooking, traditional customs and provide a friendly, welcoming, warm and homely atmosphere! Almost all volunteers learn to cook Indian food and get an in-depth experience of Indian cuisine. The families also provide other services like laundry, local sightseeing, temple visits, treks etc.

Camps, Tents and Mud houses

At some locations we also use tents, camps, tree houses and even mud houses as accommodation. These are usually for short durations during weekend breaks, or at remote locations in/near forest where no other form of accommodation is available. These provide a unique experience of the wild and experience nature at its best. Naturally basic in its offering, these accommodations are an ideal way to sample outdoor life at truly stunning locations.

FOOD

With its exotic aromas and complex flavors, Indian cuisine is one of the world's best. It's no wonder that all our volunteers adore it--and also no surprise that everyone seems to want to learn to cook Indian food at home.

Our staff will prepare all your meals for you. They will be predominantly Indian and western where possible. Both Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian food will be provided. Our staff will also customize the food according to your taste and spice tolerance levels. All meals are included. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Teas/coffees, snacks, local fruits etc) They will be predominantly Indian food and will be prepared for you. You can supplement this diet at your own expense with other foods like pasta, western foods, or anything that you fancy as long as you/we can source them. You can also cook anything you want for yourself. There will be utensils (no ovens though) that you can use. In case you want to try your hand at preparing your own food, you are welcome to do so.

All our volunteer accommodations have clean, reasonably equipped kitchens with all necessary utensils to enable our volunteers to sharpen their cooking skills. The staff also help you learn to cook - Indian style.

*Please note that all the project accommodations provided by Yearoutindia have all basic facilities. Amenities like Internet, ATM's/Cash machines, Fax etc are usually located walking distance from the house. At some locations ATMs (cash machines) are only available in the nearby towns which can be about an hour's drive away.