TRAVELLER’S GUIDE

Kabani travelers as stakeholders
It is impossible to compare the experience of being part of a mass of tourists and being integrated into a community. Mass tourism often focuses  on a single locality and the effect of this tourism is  not integration but division.

Stepping outside the bounds of the comfortable luxury hotel, on the other hand, opens up new ways to meet the world.

When Augustine wrote that “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” he did not refer to being transplanted from one homogeneous cultural setting to another.

When Rumi said that “travel brings power and love back into your life” he was not talking about better prices on alcohol, food and hotels or even fantastic sunsets or new beaches.

Community tourism builds new connections and in doing this, it helps shape our collective consciousness in surprising and important ways.
In order to help to achieve these goals and to make your stay as enjoyable as possible, please go through the following. This will make your stay more meaningful and enjoyable.

What you should expect 
Your hosts are welcoming you into their homes, this is not a hotel and that’s what is great about it!

Expect authentic village family life.

Superb traditional, local food can be served at breakfast, lunch and dinner

Private, secure and clean bedroom, with clean washing and toilet facilities

Please accept there may be some cultural differences between you and your host…

This guide will help you enjoy an ethical and enjoyable stay.

Creating sustainable communities
Our home stays promote travel that improves the lives of local community. Not only does your stay provide a great chance for you to experience Indian family life, you will also have helped generate income for our village fund that helps enhance the community.

Your part in the story
Your money will help deliver community projects that benefit the lives of people like your home stay host(s).

• 60% of your money goes to your host(s)
• 25% goes Kabani for its training programme and this money reinvest to expand its operations to other parts of the country.
• 15 % directly goes into community projects in the village of your stay. This ensures more benefit sharing mechanism with other villagers who are not part of the direct service providing. This is monitored by KABANI- the other direction the non-profit organization while it continues its work on the negative impacts of tourism and communities and human right violations caused by the industry. This includes awareness creation, research, advocacy and lobbying.

 How you can help further
 Help us spread the word about our fantastic ethical home stays—tell your friends, share with your networks and blog about us.

 Happy home stays; happy communities

Our home stays are committed to caring for the places local communities love to live and guests are inspired to visit.
We believe tourism should benefit local people, without damaging the environment or diluting traditional unique cultures.

Therefore, during your stay, we ask our guests to consider some points to help keep your village stay a beautiful and special place to live and visit…

  Tips for an ethical stay

Culture
* Embrace other cultures, some practices may be different to yours (e.g. religious traditions and meal time etiquette), respect them and maybe even try them
* Your culture may be very different to your host(s), demonstrate your practices politely, e.g. dress appropriately (covering legs, chest and shoulders), do not consume alcohol if your family does not, couples should refrain from intimate displays of affection

Environment
* Clean water in India is a precious resource, use wisely, do not waste
* Help us save energy, turn electrical appliances off when not in use
* Recycle all that can be (separate materials), composting is available at your homes and reduce waste where possible (especially plastics, we can provide clean water to refill your bottles)
* Refrain from flushing toilet paper down the toilet, use bins provided

Exploring
* Use public transport, it’s inexpensive and better for the environment
* Your host(s) can provide local information to get the most out of your stay in and around our village

We’re confident your stay will be a memorable one, with a chance to get close to nature and make friends for life…
Thank you
We hope you have a very enjoyable and memorable stay.