GOOD TOUR MEMBER
Your own personal cooperation will be appreciated by everyone in your group. Please make a point of being on time for group activities so as not to hold up the group. Whenever your escort or guides are speaking to the group, please make a point to refrain from talking at the same time. If you wait until all information is given, you will avoid asking redundant questions afterwards. If you have special requests, please direct them to your group escort, who will convey the group's interests to the local guides. Please remember to rotate seats on the motorcoaches so everyone will have an opportunity to sit near the front of the bus during the tour.

Also, please note you are requested to refrain from smoking on your tour. Rest stops are made along the way at periodic intervals to accommodate smokers. Finally, for the comfort of all passengers and to prevent blocking of seats, you are requested to limit your hand luggage to be brought aboard the tour bus.

GOOD GUEST
Please be sensitive to the local customs of the Indian people. Many daily activities are conducted differently in India & Nepal than in our own country, so you should try to maintain a tolerant understanding attitude. You will find a polite, gentle approach goes a long way in India, while a loud demanding or condescending attitude will not. Goodwill toward your fellowman, a readiness to understand, and good manners will help to make you the Ambassador of Goodwill, which the Indians respect.

BAGGAGE
In India, passengers are allowed only 44 pounds of luggage per person on domestic flights. We suggest you take just one lockable check-in bag per person if possible, to avoid having to pay excess baggage charges within India. On international flights, two pieces of checked luggage are allowed, so if you make purchases in India, you can easily buy a second suitcase for bringing these additional items home. In all cases excess luggage fees will be charged if you check more than the stated allowances, and these charges are your own responsibility.

Due to security restrictions at most major airports, when you arrive in a new city, you will be required to claim your own luggage. Baggage carts are available usually for a small additional fee. After exiting the security area of the airports, your baggage will be taken by local baggage handlers and delivered to your room in each hotel. Upon leaving each hotel, you will be instructed by your escort to place your bags in the hallway outside of your room at a specified time for baggage collection. If you add or subtract the amount of check-in baggage during the trip please advise the Tour Escort who needs to know the exact number of check-in baggage to be transported for your group at all times.

HEALTH
Immunizations are not required by India or Nepal. You may wish to consult your personal physician or local public health authorities as to recommendations regarding tetanus, typhus, typhoid and gamma globulin shots.

It is advisable to carry a few basic remedies with you in India & Nepal. Stomach upsets may be due as much to the richness of the Indian food as to the lack of hygiene. Ask your physician to prescribe suitable remedies for stomach upsets. The sun can be very dangerous in India if you are not careful. Beware of overexposure while sightseeing. Take a sunscreen and use it! A hat is also a worthwhile precaution. Always carry a tube of antiseptic cream, with adhesive or lint bandages and treat any minor scratches, cuts or blisters at once. India is a dusty place and dust carries infection. Water is said to be safe in most big cities, but it is strongly recommended you use only bottled drinking water. Be cautious over Indian food at first if you are not accustomed to such spiciness. Eat only fruit that can be peeled (do it yourself).

TOUR SERVICES
Please note your group will be assigned various types of guides. In each city, a local English-speaking guide will meet the group upon arrival and handle all arrangements, including sightseeing commentary, while the group is in that city. In addition, groups of 15 or more passengers traveling together will also be accompanied by a US Escort, who will travel with the group to and from the United States.

TRAVELING ON YOUR OWN
Tour members are permitted to leave the group and explore on their own in each city. Should you decide to spend a day on your own without the group, please make sure you advise your Tour Escort in advance, so that the group will not waste time waiting for you. Of course, there is no refund for any unused group arrangements. In all cases, you must check with your Tour Escort first to make sure you will be able to meet the group later that day, as it may not always be advisable or possible to do so on certain travel days.

HOTEL FACILITIES
You will be accommodated in modern, comfortable hotels. All these Western-styled hotels have private bathrooms, air-conditioning and heating, and a variety of shops, restaurants and recreational facilities. Electrical current in India and Nepal is 220 volts with 50 cycles rather than our own 110 volts at 60 cycles. American appliances will function only with transformers, which some of the major hotels will have. We suggest you bring your own travel converter kit to avoid any inconveniences in the event of limited availability.

MEALS IN INDIA
Your trip to India would not be complete if you do not try, in all its infinite variety, the food that India has to offer. The history and the culture that you gaze at in awe extends to the culinary fare on which waves of traders, adventures and conquerors also have left their mark. To get the most from your trip, we encourage you to try the regional cuisines. There is no cause for self-congratulations if you stray from the straight and narrow roast chicken and order a Tandoori chicken in every city you visit. The north, the south, the east and the west of India, all have their broadly culinary individual specialties. Western buffet breakfasts are served in the hotel.

TRANSPORTATION
All intra-India transportation is pre-arranged. For air travel, you will fly on a variety of US and European-made jets. If your itinerary calls for train travel, you will be surprised at the clean, comfortable, modern standards of the worlds largest rail system. Travel by motorcoach is in air-conditioned deluxe coaches.

MAIL
We recommend you purchase stamps and postcards when you arrive in India. You may have long waits at airports on occasions and you will appreciate having the time to catch up on correspondence during these times.

PACKING
Please do not over pack! India is not a very formal country, so you may take a variety of casual separates with climate and comfort in mind. However, it is always advisable to dress properly when visiting temples and other religious sites. You will do a good amount of walking on sightseeing tours, so please take your most comfortable walking shoes with you. Also, you might consider taking a small quantity of tissues and Wash-n-Drys for use during the day.

CLIMATE
India's climate can be described as monsoon-tropical, in spite of some local variations like the winter rains in the northwest. Keep in mind, India is a subcontinent, and allowances need to be made accordingly. The cool weather lasts from October to the end of February and the really hot weather from the beginning of April to the beginning of June, at which time the monsoon (rainy) season sets in until the end of September. The clear cool weather arrives again and moves gradually eastward and southward. The monsoon deserves special attention. This seasonal trade wind blows across the Arabian Sea and reaches India with almost mathematical regularity in May and traverses the country in June and July.

TIPPING
India does not have a rigid system of imposing a service charge on restaurant bills although most service charge is usually 10%. Waiters, housekeepers, porters, and doormen all expect to be tipped, as they do in the rest of the world. You will not go wrong if you tip Rs 5 per night to your room attendants. Bell boys and bell captains should be paid Rs 1 per bag.

SHOPPING
All India & Nepal tours include time for shopping. India is a rewarding terrain for entertaining bargain hunters and has an array of exotica well designed to embellish the collection of even the most discriminating souvenir hunter. State run emporiums have the advantage of bringing the country's regional crafts. Here, souvenirs are of good quality and the prices are fixed. For "local color" and some bargaining, visit the bazaars where silversmiths, goldsmiths, gem~cutters, enamelers and copper beaters work and sell in tiny shops, practicing their trade. Street peddlers usually ask about three times the price they hope to get. It is best to decide beforehand how much the coveted object is worth to you and to remember that the vendor has been at the game much longer than you have. Whenever shopping please adhere to the old adage: "Buyer Beware!"

Whenever there is time allotted for shopping within your group, please make your purchases 10 to 15 minutes or more before your announced departure time. Do not wait until it is time to leave the store before deciding to buy an item, or you will delay your entire group's scheduled departure.

Finally, it is important to note shoppers are sometimes encouraged to buy large items and ship them back to the US from India. In addition to the very long and tedious paperwork process involved, shipments from India are for the most part very reliable, however there are times they may arrive late, broken or improperly delivered. If you buy large items and arrange to ship them home, this is certainly your prerogative. In such cases, however, Orient Flexi-Pax Tours cannot be held responsible for any lost or damaged merchandise and will not intervene in the event of problems.

CREDIT CARDS & LOCAL CURRENCY
Hotels and most major art and crafts stores accept major credit cards such as American Express, Visa and Mastercard. However, for street shopping, you will need local currency. We suggest you purchase travelers checks in small denominations ($20 or $50) that can be exchanged for local currency at the hotels.