Travel With A Purpose
This artisan travel experience is for slow travelers who wish to get a behind-the-scenes look at our approach to ethical and sustainable fashion, and have an immersive, purposeful travel experience. Over five days you will learn about traditional Indian handcraft techniques, including embroidery, natural dyeing, weaving, and more, directly from our artisans in our Saheli center, while being immersed in everyday Indian culture. Your week will be split between Jodhpur and our colorful village centers in Kaliberi and Bhikamkor. Accommodation will be with a local Indian family, complete with homecooked meals, for a truly authentic experience.
These trips run on a request basis; please let us know your dates and we can accommodate you. The minimum group size is two travelers, maximum is four. Because this is a female-run center, the artisans are more comfortable with female travelers.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Jodhpur
Upon your afternoon arrival in Jodhpur, enjoy a welcome dinner at IPHD founder Madhu Vaishnav’s house and enjoy chai and fresh local food. Meet your host family and transfer to their home.
*Meals included: dinner
Day 2: Kaliberi
Breakfast at your host family’s home, followed by a Hindi Basics class and an Indian cultural and caste workshop. Drive 30 minutes to Saheli Women’s Kaliberi village center, where you will observe the women at work, and learn natural dyeing and block printing directly from the artisans. Option to create a tie-dyed scarf with you. Overnight at your host family’s home.
*Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day 3: Bhikamkor
After breakfast at your host family’s home, drive 90 minutes to Saheli Women’s Bhikamkorvillage center, specializes in traditional Indian handloom techniques and embroidery. Observe these dedicated, energetic ladies at work, relax and enjoy chai breaks and a tiffin lunch box while talking with the women, and create your own embroidered hand towel on traditional khadi cotton. Tonight you will have the unique experience of staying in the village. Watch the sunset over the Thar Desert sand dunes, enjoy a traditional village meal, then sleep either under the stars in a rustic rooftop tent (weather dependant), or a conventional charpai bed laid with handwoven textiles inside the center.
*Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Back to Jodhpur
After a morning walk over the dunes, enjoy breakfast, followed by another visit to Saheli Women’s Bhikamkor village center. This will allow you more time to understand women’s role in sustainable, ethical fashion, and to get to know women more deeply. In the afternoon, take a stroll through the village and sip chai in a local home, before driving 90 minutes back to Jodhpur.
*Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Jodhpur
Begin the day with breakfast, followed by a one-hour discussion, integrating everything you learned during your stay with Saheli. Madhu will also happily answer any remaining questions you have.
We recommend that you add a day or two before or after your time with Saheli, to explore Jodhpur’s famous old town. Sightseeing could include a visit to Mehrangarh Fort, a walk through the indigo-hued streets of the Old City, a visit to the iconic stepwell, and shopping in the local Clock Tower Bazaar.
Book your trip Here
*Please note that a travel visa is required for US and European citizens to visit India and must be acquired in advance.
Cost: $750 USD per traveler
The above cost includes:
• Accommodation: Middle-class Indian host family
• Meals: Food cooked with organic ingredients using fresh local produce and traditional Indian recipes
• Transport: We employ a local driver who can safely take us to and from the airport and other destinations.
• Educational Workshops: We will provide all the essential materials for the workshops, which can be taken as a souvenir at the end of the trip.
• A portion of your fees will go towards funding our girls’ education and skills development program.
This trip is for curious, open-minded travelers who wish to travel slowly, and have immersive experiences that will transform the way they see the world. This is a truly regenerative travel experience, that is helping to resurrect traditional Indian craft techniques. It empowers not only the female artisans from all castes, and their entire families and villages, but also you as a consumer, by providing you with in-depth knowledge about how the clothes you wear every day are created. Lose yourself among these powerful 80 ladies, in order to find yourself.
This is also a powerful experience for designers (and aspiring designers) looking to source materials from Indian suppliers, and integrate more ethical, sustainable practices into their business.
For a taste of this experience, read a first-person account in this recent article, published in Australia’s most widely-read travel publication.
Who This Trip is Perfect For:
- Designers looking to source materials from Indian suppliers
- Fashion Design/International Studies/Business/Social Work university students looking for a short-term experience
- Groups of friends and/or family looking for a uniquely Indian cultural experience
Saheli Women 