Textile and Handicraft Tours
The Treasures of India uncovered for you
India is a treasure trove of colour, talent and design. Touring around this jewelled country provides a daily feast for the eyes and manna for the soul, especially if you have a passion for fabrics, handicrafts and traditional skills. Indeed, India is such a vast treasure trove that it provides an overwhelming challenge for the casual traveller. Just where do you begin?
Off the beaten track
You could book a tour through one of the major tour operators and find yourself on a large tourist coach being herded around the obvious sites, thereby missing the amazing wealth of local crafts that are just off the beaten track. Or, you could go it alone and waste precious time on research and organisation, perhaps a solution for the bravest travellers. India is a wonderfully safe place but it can be overwhelming. Travelling alone without expert guidance one can feel vulnerable.
Specialist Tours
Specialist tour guide and fashion expert, Jane Shoebridge has plenty of experience of travelling around India. She toured the country buying fabrics for her main business, designing and making clothes. Now, her love of India has taken over and she organises small group tours of Rajasthan and Kerala. Working with an Indian guide and a driver throughout, Jane takes groups to explore traditional hand block printing of fabrics with vegetable dyes or the weaving of brightly coloured dhurries (rugs). A maximum of ten people with a shared passion for handicrafts are taken to visit Indian women embroidering saris and throws in their own houses or to meet thelocal village potter as he forms water pots on a wheel set into the earth.
Ideal for unaccompanied women
Jane's tours are ideal for single women wanting to make new friends and travel with like minded people wanting to explore their own interests. She provides you with an inclusive package of accommodation, transport, food and local tours without you ever feeling as if you are on a ‘package' holiday. What is more, Jane's own expertise enables her to point out details of design that may otherwise be missed. She delves a bit deeper to unearth some of the hidden treasures of India to lay out before you.
Palaces, Forts and Luxury Tents
Accommodation is rarely in the standard, homogenised tourist hotels. Instead, Jane checks you into a series of Maharaja's palaces, hilltop forts, friendly guesthouses and luxury tents. Many of these buildings are attractions themselves with exquisitely painted walls, carved stonework and beautiful furniture unique to your room.
Camel Rides or Rickshaw Rides
The tours are extensive but the tone is relaxed and informal. For anyone wishing to play, Jane can arrange camel rides through the desert or thrilling motorised rickshaw rides around winding alleyways. The itinerary is also varied. Jane takes her guests to some major tourist sites but there is also plenty of time to walk along village streets and chat with friendly locals. What is more, she is particularly good at employing the most knowledgeable guides in each area visited. Above all, Jane's greatest asset is perhaps her own personality. She is constantly charming, quite gregarious and genuinely interesting to listen to. She cares enough to ensure that your visit to India is special and unique.
Jane Shoebridge's next tour of Rajasthan is 31st October - 18th November 2008.
For further details please contact Jane directly.
