Linden Tour to Gulf and South Asia
Update #1 – December 20, 2012
Communication
The Group and Tour Leaders
Itinerary
Options Form
Airlines
Passport and Visa Checklist
University Profiles
Shipping Materials
Orientation for New Tour Members
Flyers
Cultural Suggestions
Coming Soon
Welcome to the February 2013 Linden Tour to the Gulf and South Asia! I am looking
forward to traveling with you throughout these wonderfully diverse and fascinating
regions. Our goal is to introduce you to the students and cultures of six unique cities in a
professional and comfortable manner.
Communication
Updates
This is the first of several updates that you will receive from us. Each update will have a
revised itinerary as well as important details about our tour. We will also be sending
reminders about Action Items, those things you need to do to get ready for our trip.
These are important, so when you see an action item, please put it on your calendar. All
tour updates will be available on the tour member website.
Web Site
Everything you need to know about our tour is in the member section of the Linden web
site. Please note that the information is divided into three categories:
• Tour-specific information (relating to this tour)
• General Tour Information (a must read for all Linden newcomers)
• Country Information (about the countries we are visiting)
For now we ask that you pay close attention to the Action Items, the Itinerary and
Shipping information. As the tour draws nearer, you will probably want to focus more on
the country specific information and the packing list. Your feedback on the site, its
navigability and the usefulness of the information it contains is always welcome.
ListServ
To ask a question or share information with everyone on the tour, simply send an e-mail
to lindengulfindia@listbox.com. Responses should go to the person who posted the
message, not to the entire group.
The group and tour leader
We currently have 15 colleges and universities on the tour this February and more will
be signing up over the next few weeks. Our group is truly representatives of the diversity
and quality that U.S. higher education can offer international students. We have schools
from every major geographic region in the U.S., and we offer a wide array of institutional
types – from small liberal arts colleges to specialty schools to major research
universities. A complete list of the participants can be found on the Gulf South Asia Tour
home page.
I am JoBeth Brudner, and I will be your main contact person for this tour. This is the 29th
tour that I will be leading for Linden and my tenth tour to this region. I am especially
looking forward to exploring all the opportunities of this fascinating region has to offer
with all of you. I am confident it will be a great professional and personal experience for
us all.
Itinerary
An updated draft Itinerary is available on the Gulf South Asia Spring 2013 home page. I
will keep you informed of changes as they occur via updates. All updates will also be
posted and kept on the Gulf South Asia Spring 2013 homepage.
What is Fixed
As mentioned above, with each update, you will receive a revised Itinerary. For now,
please note that the following items are fixed on the itinerary:
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Airlines
Hotels
Briefings
University Fairs (dates, times, venues)
More details about these events will follow in subsequent updates.
What is in Progress
We are still working on the details of the counselor events, visits and cultural programs.
Options Form
This is your tool to select the schools and agencies you would like to visit, as well as any
cultural events that are offered. We have included a description of all the cultural
activities in the hopes that it will help you make the best choice for your personal goals.
This allows you to personalize your itinerary and assist me in arranging the visits.
The options form is due January 3rd . This form is now on the website so please review
and select the schools that you want to visit and return to me via email at
jbrudner@lindentours.com or jbceo@hotmail.com.ar .
Airlines
Please contact Jennie Hendrickson (via e-mail at jennieh@tvlon.com and by
telephone at 301-656-4060) if you would like her to purchase your overseas airfare.
As you know, the overseas airfare is not a part of the tour. Each of you will meet the
group in your first city and arrange your departure from your final stop, we recommend
that you use them for the overseas portion as well, but this is, of course, up to you.
Please note that Intra-Gulf flight arrangements are being handled by Travel On, and we
will book you on the tour flights. With regards to your inter South Asia tickets, we have
already purchased those, through our local logistics team, Vesna Tours Inc. Our contact
is Mr. Mishkat Ahmad.
Passport and Visa Checklist
Check your passport to make certain that it is valid until July 2013 and that it has at least
4 blank pages. If not, apply for a new passport and/or additional pages.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING YOUR OWN VISAS (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
KUWAIT). IF YOU ARE NOT A US CITIZEN, PLEASE START THE PROCESS NOW AND LET US
KNOW IF YOU NEED A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION.
DUBAI: U.S. citizens can get visas upon arrival. For more information visit:
http://www.uae-embassy.org/travel-culture/visas-passports
KUWAIT: Email a clear scanned copy of the photo page of your passport
(lolson@lindentours.com) to Linden so that we may begin processing your visas for
Kuwait. If you are not a U.S. citizen, please also send Lauren a copy of your green card.
INDIA: You will need a visa for India. The Indian Embassy has outsourced visa
applications to:
http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com
Apply for a tourist visa. Kindly note that it is a good idea to get the 10-year visa if you
plan to recruit in India at least 3 times in the next few years. It will ultimately save you
money and hassle.
NEPAL: If you are a US citizen and traveling to Nepal, visas may be obtained upon
arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Please make sure you bring two
passport photos with you. The fee for a 15-day multi-entry tourist visa is US$25 to be
paid in cash upon arrival.
University Profiles
We have a web-based method for you to update the information we have about your
university. We’ll use this information to produce our tour brochure for students who
attend the public fairs and the fairs at schools. You should have received an e-mail
about how to access the site and update your information. Please do this immediately.
Shipping Materials
Estimating the number of pieces you should ship, how to get them there and deciding
which pieces to send is one of the bigger challenges you will face. On the Gulf South
Asia Spring 2013 home page we have provided useful information to guide you,
including an estimated number of students and counselors that will be at each program.
These are total attendance numbers not necessarily the total number of students you will
see. Not everyone who attends the fair will take materials from each university.
We strongly suggest that you use our courier, OCS to ship your materials and take no
responsibility for materials shipped with other vendors. The staff is friendly and
conscientious, and the company is reliable. They will be sending you a shipping kit that
explains how to use their service. PLEASE READ THE ACTION ITEMS LIST FOR
SHIPPING DATES. If you cannot meet the deadline or have any questions, please
contact Pauline Sousa at fairs@shipocs.com.
Kindly keep in mind that we will have a total of 6 OCS drop sites; all of them will be to
our hotels.
Orientation for New Tour Members
Newcomers’ meeting at the beginning of the tour: this gives you a chance to meet your
fellow travelers, walk through the itinerary and become intimately familiar with the tour’s
logistics and professional activities. The Newcomers’ Meeting for the Gulf South Asia
Tour is scheduled for Sunday February 3rd, at 7:45am in Kuwait in the Six Palms
restaurant at breakfast.
Flyers
The PDFs of the flyers announcing our fairs will soon be on the website, please feel free
to print them out and send them to your mailing list as soon as they are available.
Cultural Suggestions
To get you in the mood for our trip I would like to recommend a great introductory book
about India, it is the first one I read and it certainly helped me get prepared: HOLY COW
– An Indian Adventure, by Sarah Macdonald.
Holy Cow is Macdonald’s often hilarious chronicle of her adventures in a land of chaos and
contradiction, of encounters with Hinduism, Islam and Jainism, Sufis, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians and a
kaleidoscope of yogis, swamis and Bollywood stars. From spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war
zones and New Delhi nightclubs, it is a journey that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love
life—and her sanity—can survive.
Coming Attractions
In the next weeks I will be sending you more important information for our journey. You
will receive the name of your buddy (a Linden tradition - it is our way of making sure we
are looking out for each other), a call for volunteers for our school visit presentations and
guidelines for Linden fair and school visit protocol.
Wishing you all the most Joyous Holiday Season,
JoBeth
JoBeth Brudner,
Tour Leader,
Gulf South Asia February 2013
jbrudner@lindentours.com