India Blockprint
& Textile Trip

Day 1 - Meet & Greet

Today we will meet in our hotel in Jaipur at 4pm for a meet & greet over chai and biscuits. We will go through the plans for the coming days, chill in the garden and have a thali dinner at the hotel.

Day 2 - Hellooo Jaipur

It's time to explore Jaipur, the Pink City! We will be whisked around in riksja's for some fun sight seeing and our first glimpses into the wonderful textile world of India.

Lunch and dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 3 - Workshop Blockprint

Today we will travel to Bagru to visit with a traditional blockprint family and will get to work along in a studio on their family compound.

Packed lunch. Dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 4 - Workshop Blockprint

Today we will spend another day diving into the art of blockprinting with the family in Bagru.

Packed lunch. Dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 5 - Free time

Today you can explore Jaipur on your own or you can hang out at the hotel for a day of R&R.

Tonight chef Monty will be taking us on a delicious and adventurous street food tour!

Day 6 - Workshop Blockprint / Natural Dye

Today we are traveling to the countryside just outside Bagru to work in a rural art studio where we will learn hands-on about natural dyes and natural pastes, both in combination with blockprint.

Packed lunch. Dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 7 - Workshop Blockprint / Natural Dye

Today we are traveling to the rural art studio again where we where we will learn even more about natural dyes and blockprint. You can work on your own projects and experiment as much as you'd like.

Packed lunch. Dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 8 - Workshop Blockprint / Natural Dye

Today we are traveling to the rural art studio again where we where we will learn even more about natural dyes and blockprint. You can work on your own projects and experiment as much as you'd like.

Packed lunch. Dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 9 - Optional Art or Craft Workshop

For our last day in Jaipur we will visit a beautiful, special project where we can take an optional workshop.

Goodnight dinner in restaurant or hotel.

Day 10 - Goodbye

Today we will all go our own way again and say goodbye with a backpack full of memories and experiences!

Hotel Arya Niwas in Jaipur is our home base during the trip. It's a lovely place with a large garden and verandas where you can hang out and relax.

We chose this hotel for many reasons. It's (by Indian standards) quiet and the large garden and the cafe-restaurant are very pleasant and very convenient.

Additionally, the hotel is very safe, has a helpful reception, is in a convenient location, and has excellent amenities.

The price for the 10-day trip will be 1895 euro excluding airfare.

The trip cost includes:

• 9 nights accommodation

• All workshops and materials

• All activities and tours

• All transportation in and around Jaipur

• Most meals and non-alcoholic drinks

The trip cost does not include:

• Travel to Jaipur (more info in FAQ)

• e-Visa (now quick and easy to obtain online)

• Travel insurance

• Any necessary vaccinations

• Personal expenses such as shopping and alcoholic beverages

Once the trip is open for bookings, you can make a reservation via the button at the bottom of the webpage.

Note: Your reservation is only confirmed once your deposit has been received. Your spot will be held until the payment deadline for the deposit has passed.

All payments are made to STO Garant, not directly to Cobo&Co. You can read more about this under the section "Guarantee Scheme." This doesn't make any difference for you; you will automatically receive payment requests and confirmations from STO Garant.

Payment Deadlines:

1. The deposit for the trip is 395 euros. You will receive the invoice within a few working days after booking. The deposit will guarantee your spot and must be paid within 14 days.

2. On Sept 1 you will receive an invoice for a payment of 750 euros.

3. On Dec 1 you will receive an invoice for the remaining payment of 750 euros.

Cancellation policy: the deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel after September 17, the deposit PLUS the 750 payment is non-refundable. If you cancel after December 17, the total trip cost is non-refundable.. If you find another Minerva student to take your place, you are free to transfer your booking after consultation with Cobo&Co. Please consider a cancellation insurance with your insurance company before, or within 1 week after, your booking.

How do I travel to Jaipur?

The easiest way to travel to Jaipur is to book a ticket to Delhi and then take a taxi, train or plane to Jaipur. After you book the trip, you will receive extensive information and tips on the trip from Delhi to Jaipur.

How big is the group?

We will travel with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 students.

Is India safe?

For travelers, Jaipur is definitely not unsafe. In fact, we have never felt as safe in a far-off destination as we have in India. However, it is still advisable to stay vigilant: Jaipur is a large city, and like anywhere in the world, there may be people who target inattentive visitors.

What about health risks?

• Vaccinations: Check with the GGD for which vaccinations you need. Many vaccinations are now found to be effective for longer than previously thought, often resulting in fewer new vaccinations.

• COVID: Currently, there are no restrictions for entering the country.

• Stomach and intestinal issues: Hygiene standards have greatly improved in the last 10-15 years. Many dishes are thoroughly cooked and easy to digest. Most of the food is vegetarian. Our program includes a street food tour, and the local chef who leads this tour has been taking foreign visitors around for years without anyone getting sick.

The advantage of staying in the same hotel and having a private room with a bathroom is that, should you still get Delhi Belly, you can rest and we won’t be on the move or sharing a bathroom.

What about insurance and such?

It is mandatory to take out travel insurance.

You may also want to consider cancellation insurance (get this before or right after booking!) if you don't want to take any financial risks, such as being unable to attend due to illness.

Since you book the flight yourself, make sure to carefully check the cancellation conditions. After all, if the trip is canceled by Cobo&Co / Academie Minerva, you will get the trip cost of 1895 euro back, but not the expenses you have already incurred, such as the plane ticket.

It is also wise to check with your health insurance provider about the conditions for foreign travel.

Note: Cobo&Co and Academie Minerva are not liable for damages resulting from:

• Failures due to circumstances attributable to the traveler.

• Actions of third parties.

• Circumstances not attributable to Cobo&Co.

• Force majeure situations such as natural disasters, wars, political unrest, strikes.

• Theft, loss, or damage to property.

• Illness of the traveler.

Cobo&Co and Academie Minerva accept no liability for personal injury or damage to participants' property, nor any liability arising from events during the trip.

Is this trip suitable for people with limited mobility?

The hotel has an elevator, but other places on our program only have stairs. Additionally, the roads and sidewalks in Jaipur are full of holes, cracks, and gaps. It is difficult to make an assessment for others, but unfortunately, Jaipur is not very suitable for people who have difficulty walking.

I'm not sure if India is for me?

See the section “Is This Trip For Me?” at the top of the webpage. You can always email or call us if you have doubts!

Is it very hot in India?

We go in February because this is one of the most pleasant months to be in Jaipur in terms of climate. It is pleasantly warm during the day with little chance of rain and cool in the evening. It can still be quite cold at night.

Do you have tips for a packing list, books and movies about India, a phone plan, destinations to extend my trip, the best markets in Jaipur, and other ins and outs?

There will be a special webpage for all participants where they can read preparation tips and information about Jaipur well in advance of departure! There will also be a (virtual) pre-trip meeting for participants to see each other’s faces and ask questions.

Good to know: Cobo&Co works with as few intermediaries as possible so that our expenses directly benefit the artisans we work with. We also collaborate with various organizations dedicated to poverty reduction and women's empowerment. Cobo&Co strongly discourages encouraging begging, especially by children.

The travel payments (both the deposit and the the remaining payment) are made to a third party, not to Cobo&Co.

Here's how it works:

For several years now, it has been mandatory in the Netherlands for us to use a guarantee scheme for our trips.

For small entrepreneurs like Cobo&Co, a simple solution has been devised: participants pay the travel cost to a third-party account (not to us) to ensure the money is secured until after the trip. This protects travelers in case we go bankrupt.

The legal text for this arrangement:

To comply with the legally required guarantee, Cobo&Co uses STO Garant, a guarantee scheme recognized by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM).

You can verify this via the STO Garant participants page (www.sto-garant.nl/deelnemers). All information about STO Garant can be found at www.sto-garant.nl. For each (travel) offer from Cobo&Co on this website, you can read whether the STO Garant guarantee applies. The guarantee scheme explains what the guarantee entails and the applicable conditions. You can find this guarantee scheme on the STO Garant website (www.sto-garant.nl/downloads).

How it works:

If the STO Garant guarantee applies to your booking, you do not pay the travel cost to Cobo&Co but to the third-party account of Stichting Derdengelden Certo Escrow, a payment service provider registered with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Financial Markets Authority (AFM). This third-party account safeguards your travel cost until after your booking has ended. The day after the end of your booking, the travel cost is released to Cobo&Co. If Cobo&Co becomes financially insolvent before the end of your booking, STO Garant will execute the guarantee. The guarantee scheme explains how you can claim this in such a case.