What to take on school trip to India

[fatsamsgrandslam]

Hi,

My 13 year old daughter is going on a school sports trip to India at Easter.

We haven’t had a prescriptive list from school of things to pack apart from the obvious (sports clothes/money/sunglasses etc). What extras should we pack? what do I need to think about to get her prepared?

I am thinking - Imodium/dioralyte etc, Portable charger, mosquito bands,

She will be on the coach a lot and I don’t want her to use data on her phone. What tips can I give her about staying entertained while travelling without WiFi?

Thanks for any travel packing advice.

book/s to read?

One of those piercingly loud alarms she can set off if she feels unsafe?

If you want her to have data at all, get an Esim (Holafly is good for India) as roaming is very unreliable- I've never got my EE phone to switch to roaming in India even though it's enabled and colleague had same issue.

What else she needs depends massively on whereabouts she's going- are you able to share cities/ states?

I went on a school trip to India maaaany moons ago, but I would also recommend hand sanitiser (tbh I recommend whenever I travel), sun screen (I went in April and it was high 30s, even low 40s a couple of time), a hat and something to cover shoulders (in case they're visiting temples etc - not sure how much cultural stuff they will be doing).

We went to Thailand recently and we got an e-sim that was £15 for 2 weeks with unlimited data, so there might be a similar kind of deal for India.

Can't remember what plugs they have in India, but perhaps adapters if they're different to ours.

When we went to Thailand, I bought some things that look like really thin towels and you get them wet and then wear them round your neck etc to try and keep you cool

Wet wipes.

Thank you so much for those suggestions - all really helpful. Will definitely look into an eSIM. They are going to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

It is probably worth checking with the staff about their medicine policy. And also to check about requirements for travel vaccinations and antimalarials
Are the kids allowed to hold on to their own medicai?
If so in the event of serious injury how do the staff know what has been taken?

sanitary products

Hand sanitiser. A large lightweight shawl/scarf and some lightweight trousers with elasticated bottoms. Comfortable trainers and sandals that are easy to get on and off. Wet wipes. Immodium. Dioralyte sachets. A wide brimmed hat. Some mozzie repellent that contains DEET. A few plasters and some antiseptic wipes like the sort you use to clean skin wounds. Blister plasters. A tube of Lanacane anti-chafing gel in case it's very humid and she needs to do a lot of walking, especially if her legs are on the chubby side. She's better off in light trousers than skirts as in high humidity your legs get sweaty and your inner thighs end up rubbed raw.

Insect repellent that is 50% deet based - mosquito bands won't cut it in India. I would also recommend a room plug-in repeller.
Definitely check vaccinations - you usually fill in a form for your GP saying where you are going and they will then make recommendations. At the least you need up to date MMR, Tetanus, Typhoid and Hepatitis. I would crack on with this asap if you haven't already as they usually say to do this around 10 weeks before travel

Also a good insect bite/antiseptic cream
Power bank for phone

These are the adaptors you will need for India
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KNHVVDZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sanitising/dettol wipes for all cutlery /glassware before eating
Hand sanitiser
Imodium
Plasters (surprisingly hard to get)
Antiseptic cream
Insect bite cream/repellent
Toilet roll/packets of tissues (baby wipes for upper tums and nappy sacks to dispose of everything quickly)

Power bank for phone
Pashmina type scarf
Mosquito repellant
Arrange an E-sim for phone
Plug adaptor
Loads of storage space on phone or camera for all the videos and photos she'll take of her fun experience!

Are you doing the Visa yourself? If you are when it comes back, make sure you go to the end of the email and download the actual photo version - this catches a lot of people out as it reads like the email is the acceptance/Visa. When I went last year the check-in staff were coming down the queue checking that people had the right document and having to help people get the right one so it appears to be a common issue