I recently returned from a 6 month adventure overseas! I started off in Peru and then went to America to work as a camp counselor in Massachusetts.  After camp I met up with my boyfriend who was also working at a camp over in California.  We traveled the east coast, down to Florida then across to Austin, then up to Las Vegas and down to San Diego.  In between we took a 2 week trip over to London, Ireland and a few days in Iceland! Every second of the trip was incredible and I'm glad I got to travel with someone I love and like.

 Here is a video I made from all the footage we took along the way. I'm quite proud of it. Enjoy!


Here are a list of places that I recommend anyone traveling to India to visit.  Even though some of these places are very touristy, there are listed for a reason.  All these places have interesting history and are some of the most breathtaking places I have ever travel to.
8. Auroville
Not a typical Indian Community but definitely one of the most interesting places to visit.  Auroville is a community that belongs to nobody, where everyone is treated equal.  Filled mostly with people from outside of India it has an interesting mix of hippies and creative minded people.  
Sites to see:
-The solar kitchen is one of the most popular food joints in town with everything cooked via solar power.  
-The city center has everything you need to know about Auroville.  Take a gander at the giant gold Meditation dome known as the soul of the city.
-The forest.  Marvel at what this community has grow in just a few years.




 7. Old Town - Delhi
Delhi isn't much to rave about however old town Delhi has great character.  Take a rickshaw ride through the narrow streets or Walk through the red fort and gaze at the amazing arches
Sites to see: 
- The Red fort Delhi. 
- Jamma Masjid: a mosque built by the architect who also built the Taj Mahal 






 6. Gandhi Museum - Delhi
Learn about what an Gandhi's amazing life and what he achieved for the community. Every quote in this memorial shows the visitors what a spiritual and intelligent man Gandhi was.  A great visit for anyone that wants to learn more about India's history.


5. Red Fort - Agra
In the morning just before the fog lifts this fort is a rich red colour and amazingly beautiful.  One of the most interesting things about this fort is that this was the place that the emperor that built the Taj was imprisoned until he passed away.  They held him in a cell that overlooked the Taj (Built for his late wife).



 4. Ranthambore
If you want to try your luck and spotting some tigers your best chance is at Ranthambore. The most famous national park in India where Maharajahs used to holiday and hunt tigers.  You will be picked up from your hotel in the morning in an open air bus and taken into the park.  You will see plenty of monkeys, spotted deer, crocodiles and cheeky birds landing on your heads. Even though we went on 3 safaris, we did not see any tigers.  Nonetheless, it is a beautiful park to visit, and you will see wildlife that you wont see anywhere else in India at Ranthambore.
NOTE:  In the winter the morning safaris are FREEZING.  Make sure you wear very warm clothes and a beanie, however they do provide blankets.


 3. Jaipour
Jaipour is home of the amber fort located along the cliff face outside the city.  Each morning tourists line up to take an elephant ride up a steep road to the fort.  I enjoyed the ride however when you think about how these beautiful animals are treated I would have preferred to walk.  The inside of the fort is lavish and green with gardens.  Warning: watch out for the monkeys.
Sites to see in Jaipour: 
- The amber fort obviously. 
- Textile making.  Jaipour is famous for its prints and printmaking.
- Walk the city streets.  There are some great stores where the locals shop and since tourists don't usually wander around the streets they are extremely cheap.


















 2. Taj Mahal - Agra
There are no words to describe the Tai Mahal except, Perfect.  I have never been to a more beautiful place in my entire life.  You may think that I am exaggerating but once you leave the hustle and bustle of the busy Indian city streets and enter this calm perfect surroundings with a pure white temple, you will understand. It does get quite busy there but don't pay attention to what other people are doing. Enjoy every second of this perfect place made by the emperor for his wife that passed away during child birth.  It is a temple built on love.  Make sure you take a close look at the tiles on the inside of the Taj and all the fine details.








 1. Udaipur
My favorite city that I visited.  You can tell that this city has the most money generated from tourism because it is so clean and well kept up.  This picturesque city surrounds the central lake with the Lake Palace located in the water.  The Lake Palace was the Maharajas summer home. My family and I were lucky enough to stay at the lake palace for a few nights and my god it was amazing.  After taking a private boat to the palace you are showered with rose petals on arrival.  Each night there are traditional music and dance performances and you can eat a candle light dinner at the restaurant that overlooks the city palace.  It's not cheap to stay here, at all, but it is well worth it for the experience. It's probably the most lavish and fancy hotel I will ever stay.  
Also Udaipur, the monsoon palace and the lake palace were the set for the James Bond film "Octopussy".  
Sites to see in Udaipur: 
- The city palace.  The city palace is beautiful and there is a nice very of the whole city from the top of this palace.
- The monsoon palace.  You will need a driver to take you to this palace as it is located on the highest mountain overlooking the lake and Udaipur.  The view is incredible and worth the long winding drive
- Get a little lost in the narrow city streets.  There are some great little shops with locally made items.  Watch out for expensive tourist traps and remember to bargain down, a lot.
- The city park is great.  It's nice to relax somewhere outside of the city for a little while.  The park has a miniature train running through it and there are lots of monkeys hanging around the park floor.  




 
















Some more places to visit:
Humayun's Tomb: Built for the Mughal emperor, the grounds and architecture are are as breath taking as the Taj. 

Qutab Minar



Salim Chisti




The City Arc in Delhi
So most people believe that camp programs like Camp America and Camp Leaders are life changing and going to camp will be the best summer of your life. The truth is there are a lot of downs to the program.


**Just on a side note this was my own personally camp experience. Nearly all the people at my camp had the same opinion however, camps are all different.

I was placed in a Camp in the Berkshires in Massachusetts.  I was hired to teach arts and crafts, pottery and golf.  The schedule was very straight forward, 6 lessons a day with nightly activities.  We got one night and one 24 hours off a week. It rained 70% of the days.  Here are some of the things that I found out and wish I'd known before signing up to the program.
You will lose 50% - 75% of your paycheck to the agency.
Ok so this is something that you will know before you join the program (or you should know) but nonetheless, it is a huge amount they are taking.  With most companies charging over $750 to join the program and then taking over $1500 of your paycheck you can understand why it is such a big business. 
Camps have the tendency to over hire
Often camps will over hire nowadays because labor and staff are so cheap and if they fire people they have others who will replace them.  At the camp I went to there were over 50 counselors and 10 head staff for a camp that only had, in some weeks, 100 kids on site. One other reason there were so many counselors hired during my summer was because the year before a high number of people were fired, which meant there were not enough counselors left towards the end of the season.
There is a possibility you will get fired
5 people were fired from my camp when I was there and 3 people left on their own accord.  If you are fired, your visa is cancelled and you will have to fly home.  There is a possibility that you will be placed at another camp but unless it is near the start of the season chances are slim. 
And you will be constantly fearing that you will be fired
Toward the end of the season our camp was seriously over staffed and everything we did was being scrutinized.  My advise is to watch what you're doing and don't give them any reason to sack you.
The food is awful
Get ready for 2 whole months of chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, cardboard waffles and American mac and cheese.
My boss did not introduce herself once
Neither did she say "Thanks for coming 1000 miles to work here" or "Thanks for all the hard work this season". I'm not sure if this was because she viewed us as disposable staff or she didn't feel the need to make a relationship with us.  The only time she graced the staff with her presence was to worn us not to stuff up or we would be fired.  Try and find a camp where the boss or manager approaches you, this way you will already have an idea how the business runs.
You will be counting down the second till your time off 
Cherish it.  You only get such a small amount of time off a week and you need to make the most of it.  To be honest my time off from camp was some of the most fun over the whole 6 months I was away.  Go down to the nearest waterfall, swim in the lake, go exploring.  Don't just waste your day off drinking the whole time.  However if you do drink, be careful.  The drinking age is 21 in America and if you are over 21 remember you can still be fired for supplying the underage counselors with alcohol.
It's not all terrible
I did have some amazing experiences.  I made some life long friends and laughed harder than I ever have.  I don't regret participating in Camp America but I am disappointed in how the camp treated its staff.  I've never worked in such an environment where the boss and head staff feel like they can bully their co-workers.  Luckily all the staff were in the same boat and we bonded over the experiance.
















Let me just remind people that this was my experience.  My boyfriend went to a camp in California and absolutely loved it, so much so that he is probably going back next year.  His camp was the complete opposite of mine: No firing, fun, friendly boss, and local organic food.  Our camps could not be more different but I wrote this article to give people a heads up to what your camp may be like. My advise would be research the camp that approaches you before accepting the offer.  Find out what their schedule is like and if you can get in contact with a ex-counselor.  All you want to know is that you will be appreciated and they don't over hire staff.
Jess Charlesworth. Powered by Blogger.

About me


23, Foodie, Traveler, Civil Engineer. I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.

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