Frequently Asked Questions
Between the time you get accepted into a cohort and arrive into Calcutta, you will have many more questions.
Here are a few popular one we get!
Yes. More than you’d expect.
Afternoons are entirely unscheduled and genuinely yours — no agenda, no group activity, no gentle suggestion about how to spend them. If you want to wander into a market, find a rooftop café, book a massage, or simply disappear into your hotel room and sleep for three hours, all of that is right.
Calcutta rewards the curious. The Victoria Memorial, the Indian Museum, the Marble Palace, the botanical gardens. Neighborhoods that look like nothing else on earth. A city that has been accumulating history for centuries and wears all of it at once.
If you want to explore beyond the group itinerary, there is room for that too. We can point you in the right direction based on what you’re drawn to.
And the evenings — while we eat together every night — are open after dinner. Some nights the city pulls you out into it. Some nights you follow. Some nights you don’t, and that’s equally fine.
What we’ve found is that most people arrive planning to do more and end up wanting to do less — not because Calcutta disappoints, but because the mornings do something to the pace of the rest of the day. The stillness starts to feel like the point.
But the city is there. All of it. And you’ll have access to every bit of it.
We have created a fully comprehensive experience designed so that you can focus on one thing — being present. From the moment you land, you are welcomed. A personal greeting at the airport is just the beginning of the legendary Indian hospitality you will carry home with you.
Included in your experience:
• Airport greeting and all transfers to and from your hotel and volunteer sites
• Hotel accommodation for the full duration of your stay
• All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with your group
• All listed excursions and activities
There is also plenty of unstructured time — to rest, wander, and explore alongside your fellow cohort members at your own pace.
What is not included, we will make sure you know about in advance. Our goal is simple: that you arrive with as little to worry about as possible, and leave with more than you expected.
Five people per cohort is intentional.
This experience is designed to be intimate. A larger group changes the dynamic, the conversations, the quiet moments, the way you move through a place. Keeping it small protects what makes this what it is.
Because of it's intimate nature, spots fill quickly. We do add additional cohorts based on demand, so if your preferred dates are unavailable, it is worth reaching out. We also maintain a waitlist for last-minute cancellations. We understand people do sometimes have to step away, and those spots are offered immediately when they do.
It's simple. And intentionally so.
Step 1: A conversation.
Before anything else, we get on a call. This is not an interview — it is a chance for you to ask every question you have and for us to make sure this experience is the right fit for where you are right now. No pressure. No pitch. Just an honest conversation. Schedule yours through the Schedule a Call link on this page.
Step 2: Secure your spot.
If it feels right, booking is done entirely online. A $400 refundable deposit holds your place in the cohort. If your plans change, that deposit is fully refundable up to 30 days before your trip date.
Step 3: The remaining balance.
The remaining balance is due 30 days prior to departure. After that, we handle everything else — and we mean everything.
Step 4: Show up.
Seriously. That’s it. We’ll send you a full preparation guide with everything you need to know before you land. You just have to get yourself to Calcutta. We'll greet you there and have taken care of the rest.
No. And that distinction matters.
Volunteer trips are built around output, hours logged, tasks completed, a measurable contribution you can point to. This is not that.
You are not going to Calcutta to fix anything. You are going to be present with people whose lives look nothing like yours and to let that presence do what it does. No deliverables. No performance. No cape.
If anything, you are the one receiving something.
The research backs that. So does everyone who has exprienced Calcutta and come back different.
Less than you think.
Comfortable, modest clothing. Calcutta is warm and humid, and the organizations we visit are traditional spaces, so shoulders and knees covered. Good walking shoes.
Once you’re enrolled, you’ll receive a full preparation guide covering visa requirements, recommended vaccinations, what to pack, and everything practical you need to know before you land.
The only real preparation is this: come with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to be moved.
Physically the pace is moderate. Mornings involve a few hours at our partner organizations. Getting there requires walking and a few stairs. At the homes there will be sitting-- think bedside, chairs, floor. The climate is warm and humid. The pace is human. You do not need to be in peak physical condition. You need to be able to show up. Let us know what you need.
Emotionally: honest answer,yes, there will be moments. You will sit with people who are dying. You will meet children who have nothing and are somehow lighter than you. You will feel things you may not have words for.
But this is not trauma tourism. The weight you carry out of those mornings is different from the weight you carry into a shift. It fills something rather than draining it.
Most people describe the experience as challenging and better than they expected. Usually in the same breath.
Yes. Calcutta has a reputation that doesn’t match the reality on the ground, particularly for visitors.
You will not be navigating any of this alone. Transportation is arranged. The neighborhoods you’ll move through are safe and walkable. You’ll be with a small group of people who are in it with you from day one.
That said, Calcutta is a real city, not a resort. It is alive and sometimes loud and occasionally chaotic in the way that only cities of that age and density can be. That is part of what makes it work. It is not dangerous. It is just real.
Each cohort’s timeframe was created from personal experience. It was designed to expose you to real, unfiltered humanity — while protecting space each day to reflect and process what you are taking in. Too much, and it becomes overwhelming. Too little, and it feels superficial. That balance is intentional.
This is also worth naming directly: the absence of downtime is one of the quiet drivers of burnout. The ability to pause, feel, and integrate what you are experiencing is not a luxury here — it is the point. The structured days are fixed to honor that.
No. But it is more nuanced than that. You are not here to work. You are here to be. Your health care background is respected and welcomed — but it is never required. If an opportunity arises and you feel moved to assist with something clinical, like bedside wound care or physical therapy exercises, you are welcome to. And if you are not, a simple ‘not today’ is always enough. You may find that sitting with someone, holding a hand, listening to their story or simply being present is the most meaningful thing you do all week. This is your time to take in, reset and be re-inspired. There is no pressure.
This is not for everyone.
That's by design.
The Human Kind Project is small by intention.
Five people per cohort. Two cohorts per month.
Carefully chosen.
Anyone can apply.
We were founded by a healthcare worker and most of our cohorts reflect that — but burnout doesn’t belong to one profession.
If something here resonates with you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us to review all the options you have.
We want to understand where you are, what you're carrying, and whether this is the right moment for you.
The first step is a quick conversation. We will layout the trip, what it is like and answer all of your questions. We will review pricing, wait lists and if this could be right for you.
If it is, we'll walk you through everything after that. There's no pressure.
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This may be the thing you've been looking for without knowing what to call it.
October
Transition. Energy. Awakening.
November
Clarity. Celebration. Movement.
December
Stillness. Depth. Ease.
January
Felt. Contrast. Perspective.
February
Lightness. Openness. Renewal.
March
Heat. Energy. Endurance.