Dear Governor:

 

The purpose of this correspondence is to announce that we are in the final planning process to organize a trip of about 35 people to travel to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, India in February 2014 to participate in the polio eradication program.  You are receiving this correspondence because, as Governor, we are inviting you to let the Rotarians in your District know that an announcement for such a trip is coming up in the next few weeks.  Even if you are not planning on joining us in February, please share it with anyone in your District who may be interested.

 

Currently, we do NOT have the final dates of the program, the cost of the trip, and we are not accepting membership.  However, we wanted to give you advance notice that we expect to have all of the details in the next few weeks.  Now is the time to prepare for the possible trip for anyone who may be interested in such a trip.

 

Permit me to itemize a few key points:

 

1.       We expect this trip will be held the second half of February 2014.  The trip, including travel days, will be approximately 10-12 days.  Currently, we are not sure if the polio immunization exercises will be February 16 - 18 or February 23 - 25.  The Indian Department of Health is expected to make this decision shortly.  Last year, the final February dates were decided by the government in late November and we announced the trip in mid-December

 

2.       Our trip will include hotel accommodations, all transfers, most meals, Rotary meetings and events, project site visits, interaction with local Rotarians, attending the Polio Summit and at least two days dedicated to in-field Rotary immunizations.  We will also visit the Taj Mahal, Jaipur and other significant and popular tourists sights in Delhi.  Last year, the trip cost approximately $2400 per person, based on double occupancy.  Additionally, the traveler will need to purchase roundtrip airfare and the cost of securing an Indian visa.  Many tour members have used frequent flier mileage to secure their air tickets, but for those who purchased their tickets, airfares have been as low as $1,250 from many U.S. cities.  We can help our members secure their air reservations and tickets, if needed.

 

3.       This year’s trip will be unique as we expect to include participation in a Polio Summit.  This Summit is being planned by Senior Indian Rotary leaders and the Indian government to recognize and celebrate three years without a case of polio in India.  This accomplishment will allow the World Health Organization to designate India as a polio free nation.  We expect that this will be an extraordinary event to attend.

 

4.       We have been organizing these trips since 1998, and have taken almost 900 Rotarians, family and friends on these trips.  This program will be the 20th such trip we have organized; the sixth to India.

 

5.       Last year, we announced this trip at 5:00 p.m. on a Thursday, and the trip was sold out, with a waiting list by 12:00 p.m. on the following Monday.  We expect that this trip will sell out just as fast.

 

6.       If some is interested in joining this trip, this is what they should do to be prepare for this trip:

 

a.       Make sure they have a passport that is valid until AT LEAST August 31, 2014.  They SHOULD NOT attempt to secure an Indian visa.  They will need instructions and a letter of invitation.  We will facilitate that process when they are confirmed on the trip.

b.      Make sure their travel vaccinations are up to date.

c.       We will send you another e-mail when this trip is ready for membership.  We will also post it on our web site – (www.howardtours.net).  We will also post an announcement on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/howardtours).  If they “like” Howard Tours, they will receive a notice as soon as the trip is announced.

d.      After the announcement is made, we will confirm people on the group first come, first served based on when we receive their completed application that will be a part of the announcement.

 

Please rest assured, we will announce this program as soon as we have received the firm dates from the Indian Government and we have secured all reservations and reservations for the trip so that you have confidence in the cost of travel and the program.  We look forward to having members from your District join us.

 

Best regards,

 

Brad

 

Bradford R. Howard

Rotary District 5170

Governor, 2002-2003