Tips to plan a Budget Trip
Once we get out completely from the Covid-19 crises, we will resume travelling to our desired destinations. I am sure many of you must have prepared your travel wish list which you would like to fulfill once everything gets back on track. So, here let’s discuss a few things about planning a budget trip in India.
Travelling to a particular destination doesn’t require you to be rich or to have a good amount of money. Today, within a few bugs, with advance planning and with a bit proper research you can explore whatever place you want to. The days are gone when travel was counted among the luxury. These days, you can use the internet and plan a budget trip for yourself without involving any intermediary in between.
Below are the few tried and tested tips that will help you in planning a holiday within your budget.
1) Make up your plan first
Visiting a particular place in an unplanned way is great and exciting, if you have enough time and money to spend. But if you are budget conscious for travelling, then you should first come up with a plan. It is not necessary to prepare a detailed itinerary, but you should have a plan for how long you will be staying in a particular town or city. Also, you should be aware of all the routing that you will be taking while on a tour. Planning most of the things in advance saves you from unnecessary chaos and expenditures at the last moment, whether it is related to transport or accommodation.
2) Travel in Off-Season
In India most of the families, friends, office colleagues, etc. travel during long weekends and holidays. During this time, the price goes really high, especially in hotels and guest houses. So, to avoid paying heavy amounts, it is advisable to research the best time to visit your preferred destination, and then travel pre or post the long weekends and holidays. Like in India, after the summer holidays in school gets over, most of the families avoid travelling. This is the time of monsoons also when you see less tourist movement. But for a budget traveller like you and me, it is the best time to take a trip as the hotels and other travel service providers reduce their prices just to attract tourists during this time.
3) Choosing Accommodation
Choosing a right type of accommodation is very important. Being a budget traveller, we seek for not so luxury but a basic accommodation which is neat and clean and has a proper bed to sleep comfortably at night and a clean washroom. You should opt for sharing a room as it divides the costs in two, three or whatever. One can also go for dormitories having bunk beds or single beds. This also offers an opportunity to meet new people who might get interested in travelling with you. Other alternatives for choosing accommodation are websites like Hostels.com, Zostel.com, Couchsurfing.com etc., from where you can book your accommodation in a hostel or a homestay or an apartment.
If you have any relatives or friends in that town/city or somewhere en-route where you are travelling, you can reach out to them as well and plan a stay in their place.
4) Pack all necessary stuffs
Before starting your journey, make a list of everything that you would require while you are on a tour so that you don’t have to visit a supermarket or a shopping store during your travel. You should pack at least one pair of long jeans, t-shirts/shirts, lowers, few pairs of socks, sunglasses, caps/hats (if required). Also, you should be wearing comfortable walking shoes during your trip. If you are travelling in winters or if you are travelling to mountains where the temperature remains low then you should keep a pair of thermal inner wears, warm lowers, warm hoodie and waterproof jacket for unpredictable weather conditions.
5) Using Public Transport
For a budget traveller or a backpacker, using public transport for commuting from one place to another or within a city, is the most convenient mode of transportation which saves a lot of money. State Roadways/Private buses and trains are the cheapest modes of transportation in India. Within a city, you can take the local city bus or a shared auto-rickshaw for your sightseeing. These days shared cabs concept is also being preferred by people in India to commute within a city. If you are travelling from one city to another by train, then look for an overnight journey which saves your money from taking a room in a guest house/lodge or hostel.
6) Choose the right eating joint
It is often seen, travellers enter any café or restaurant randomly for having their meals which is completely wrong as you may never get to know whether the place is offering a meal at a good price or is it overpriced cafe or restaurant without any good food quality. So, it’s always better to first wander around before choosing a place to eat. If you enter any café or restaurant you see, you won’t know whether you are paying the right amount or you are overspending without having a good meal experience. Some hostels and homestays let you prepare your own meals in their kitchen which is a very good idea to save a little money by cooking for yourself.
Also Read:
15 Budget Trips in India for the year 2020 – https://budgetescapes.in/15-budget-trips-in-india-for-the-year-2020/
