Traveling India at $15 a day — Tips, Lessons & Hacks
Travelling is awesome, life changing and an EXPENSIVE affair. Managing my trip finances well is one of the factors that lets me get the most fun out of my trip.
I am an Indian and I have traveled only in India so far, but there is much to explore here & I’ve been doing it for a while now!
I like to travel light, adventurously and actively. I enjoy having experiences of doing things while on a trip. I avoid too much time on sightseeing destinations and spend more time of the trip doing things like — exploring places on foot, trekking, camping, swimming in waterfalls, travelling locally in public transports, cycling, surfing . . . you get the gist.
If you are this kind of traveler or would like to know more about how you can plan and go for such trips then find out a few hacks that I discovered during my journeys and read on.
SECTION I — OVERVIEW OF A DAILY EXPENSE
These are going to be your prominent expenses no matter where you travel. This breakup is my average budget breakup from any of my trips.
Accommodation — Rs. 200, $3
$3 a day for accommodation sounds like a steal. This comes this low for me because I carry my own tent around and pitch it wherever possible.
Where I am not able to, I choose to stay in a dorm/hostel/private campsite which brings down my average down on overall accommodation to somewhere around Rs. 200 per day.
For instance, I traveled to Hampi, Jog Falls and Honnavar recently. I was unable to find a public spot, safe enough to pitch a tent in Hampi, so I found a decent privately owned campsite which charged me Rs. 150 per night and provided a tent with a mattress in it. (More about this trip in the hyperlinks)
If I have multiple destinations, I’ll avoid getting accommodation and instead choose to travel at night from Spot A to B. This will save one day of my accommodation expense.
A few tips on finding public camping places to stay in & budget stays in India, in the next sections.
Food — Rs. 400, $6
This is where most of my money goes. I like to try good restaurants/cafes if the destination has something to offer. So I balance my day with one good restaurant, some snacks, and a filling but cheap meal.
I prefer eating at a Dhaba on the highway if I am on the move. A Dhaba is like a local motel offering meals and a rest stop for travelers on the road.
At the destination, I’ll find a great spot offering decent meals and then go there whenever hungry.
I’ll try the famous spots once or twice when I feel like it.
This brings my average to Rs. 400 a day.
Transport — Rs. 200, $3
Taxis usually eat up a lot of budget on a small trip. So I avoid them as best as I can. There are always alternate modes available to skip the cab ride. I love travelling via Public Transport for 2 reasons — It’s quite cheap & the money goes to the government so deep down it makes me feel that it’ll be redirected for public welfare (on the scale of things, the thought is not very revolutionary, but makes me feel better).
You have other substitutes like walking/bicycling which allow you to explore more at a very small hit to the wallet.
More on how to figure out your transport options ahead.
Miscellaneous — Rs. 200, $3
This is a variable portion of the budget usually used up on shopping, repairs, buying some necessities, tickets, etc. Or they are used to cover up for excess cost of food, accommodation or transport.
Extra Costs
The above costs cover your daily needs. You can easily explore the places in a city or natural surroundings on these budgets. You can enjoy going on long hikes and treks, camp at beaches, eat at a cafe, buy some souvenir, swim in waterfalls, view the museums, go on a sight seeing tour and check the major tourist spots under government supervision in these costs.
However, there are expenses above and over these involved where you buy an experience or a service from providers. For example, surfing instruction fees, parasailing, jet skiing services, scuba diving fees, tourist guide charges and many other expenses you may incur on the travel based on what you plan to do on your trip. These will keep varying from trip to trip. Thus I am not documenting such expenses and not focusing on the extras. Just the basics.
However, for your reference, I usually plan a trip wherein I can manage at least one new experience the place can offer. When I plan it like this, the extra cost added in the total trip budget varies from somewhere between Rs. 2000–6000 ($30 to $85).
On a recent trip I took to Gokarna, Karnataka for 4 days, my budget came to about Rs. 800 per day. We camped in my tent on all these days and explored the entire region on foot, for the most part. The additional cost for Surfing Lessons and renting the surfboard in Gokarna came up to Rs. 2,000.
This kind of expense will be there on all my trips, but the main budget for Food, Travel & Stay is where there are multiple possibilities where you can cut down on the expense of the trip.
The next sections should help you get some info on this.
SECTION II — WHAT TRAVELING IN INDIA IS LIKE
Now let me shed some light on how things usually work in India, mostly in and around tourist destinations and on the journey that helps me plan my trip to fit this budget.
TRANSPORT
Public Transport is available at every place you can imagine. The frequency and mode will depend on the place and its remoteness. But wherever you see people residing, you will find a mode of public transport used by all of them.
The bus network is usually good in between two spots which are nearby or in the same state. All the local spots and villages will have an intercity government/local bus or shuttle services running. You may have to commute via one spot to another in some cases but you will get there.
Trains are a good network to use when you have a long journey between states. Intercity trains are also a reliable method of commute.
Getting reserved tickets on long journey trains is a trouble though.
You either need to book as long as 4 months in advance for many trains or you have to risk taking an on spot general ticket and travel with a massive crowd.
Ferries work in small distances at places which have water bodies or the ocean in the vicinity.
Rental cars and bikes are not available all across India. You will be able to get them in all the major cities and the prominent tourist destinations. Most of the local rental businesses won’t be registered online in the tourist places. You will have to conduct a physical inquiry with the locals to find one. They will be easier to locate in and around the bus stand and the main market. It’s pretty easy to find one in a tourist destination so fret not about what you are going to do there.
In the major cities, you have registered business like Uber, Ola, Zoom Car, etc. that you can book online. Local travel agents also have some vehicles available to rent if you need.
Taxis and Auto Rickshaws can be spotted anywhere across India. All the tourist destinations have a strong taxi union and they are always overpriced. Bigger tourist destinations will have online cab calling services but the smaller ones still operate via the taxi stands.
There usually are no dedicated pedestrian walkways and cycling paths allotted for tourists in any destinations except the major spots in the bigger cities.
Domestic flights connect all the major cities, however, if you are looking to travel like me, going via flights will greatly skewer your budget.
I’ll help you in the next section for identifying the right and reliable sources for using each of the modes of transport.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels are in an abundance near every tourist spot that you have heard of in India. The quality of hotels will vary greatly though. You will get ultra-luxury stays and resorts at every major city and in all the popular tourist places. They all will be registered online on all platforms so getting them is pretty easy based on your choice. Have given some of the reliable sites to book hotels in the next section.
Hostels & Dorms have sprung up very recently in India. This concept is gaining widespread popularity with places that are popular with youth. There are chains of hostels and campsites that have sprung up in all the famous locations. They are a good alternative for the backpackers and solo travellers. Have linked some of the famous ones in the next section.
Air BNB, Guest Houses & Couch Surfing
Air Bnb has a wide range of options now in India and you will find these at every popular spots. There are many alternatives to Air Bnb in terms of local startups that offer similar services to compare and check your rates.
Guest Houses are basically locals offering their premises to tourists and often not registered on many online platforms. They are offered by local tourist agents near popular hill stations and are in a good condition to choose from.
Couch surfing is gaining popularity in India. It is not a huge network yet but it is developing well, so yes you have the option to couch surf too.
Camping
The experience of Camping is fast evolving, especially with the millennials. Private campsites have sprung up in the vicinity of every modern cities for weekend getaways. A lot of trek organisers offering services in the Himalayan regions offer camping and trekking trips. Other popular destinations near the beaches or on hill stations across India also will have private campsites.
There are no definite set of rules laid out for camping openly in public places or government lands. It is not permitted to camp in any of the national parks of India without prior permissions. And getting these permissions is mostly a long arduous process.
However, pitching your own tent on trails in the Himalayas and some isolated beaches across India without any permissions is possible. I have camped like this at nearly 6–7 such places and had no hindrances. The locals will be friendly at such locations which are not too urbanized and commercialized. As long as you are in harmony with the environment and respect the locals you will have no problems camping at less densely populated areas.
FOOD
I’ll not go too deep in this section for two reasons
- I am not a Foodie
- It is easy to understand the food scenario in India as it is pretty much the same as anywhere else.
So briefly I’ll let you know about where you will get food and of what type when on a journey through India.
Restaurants & Cafes are to be found at every tourist spot or in any town & city. There’ll be a wide variety for you to choose from based on your preferences. I’ll list down some helpful information sources to check out your food options at your destination below.
Dhabas are restaurants on highways that offer food. Most of them won’t be registered on any digital platforms and are run by locals. There are some that serve some really amazing food. These are meant for you to eat on the journey by road.
Vendors & Street Food will be present at every tourist spot. There are vendors selling basic snacks and fast food on treks and the most remote tourist spots as well. And every city will have spots known for the local cuisines and the street food that will be worth trying. There’ll be abundant information on the web about this so no need to search much.
Finding food is not a problem, but finding good food could be difficult sometimes, at tourist spots. Try to go for a well known or luxury hotel’s restaurant at small towns, it usually doesn’t disappoint.
SECTION III — THE PLANNING PROCESS
The Planning for a trip of 3–10 Days usually takes me about 3 hours.
I will read different things on the web, check out videos, blogs and social media (mainly Instagram) to check out some great spots and things to do and then schedule my itinerary based on the locations and the travel plan.
These are usually the platforms that I use when I am planning for a trip
Food
www.zomato.com — for food reviews, restaurant lists & ratings (only in major cities)
Google Maps is also a helpful tool to see the reviews of the spots near you
Asking a local will be a good choice to start exploring your options in smaller places.
Transport
Every state in India has a bus transport system making a network of buses all through the state. State bus transport is cheap but not luxurious, however I find it reliable enough plus a chance to travel like a local.
These have an online portal to book your tickets and check the availability. They are named like this — GSRTC — Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC — Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation etc. A quick search will direct you to the right platform.
Redbus & Paytm is another app that let’s you book tickets for local private buses, trains and flights.
IRCTC stands for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. The official website to book your train tickets is https://www.irctc.co.in/
Zoom Car, Royal Brothers & Bounce Bikes are one of the providers of rental cars and bikes in major cities and popular tourist spots. These are one of the many that have made a name for themselves. You will find a lot of alternatives to them, I have personally tried two of these, so I am recommending them.
To find a shuttle or sharing public transport between two spots, just ask the locals (not the auto & taxi drivers) and they’ll guide you about the availability. No data about this will be online or on any registered websites.
Destination Details
To find a complete guide with genuine details about a place is difficult for any destination. Every website usually ends up pushing the generic info they have or cover details about the place and bombard you with a biased information that helps them sell their package for that destination. I don’t find these too reliable, a few sources that I choose to use are —
Government tourism websites — every state usually has a tourism website talking about the spots it has to offer. Then there’s the official Incredible India website, the Indian Tourism Department’s official website that helps you get a glimpse of the place overall.
These won’t be very detailed and won’t talk about trending places which are offbeat.
Xplore The Earth Full Disclosure — I own this website . We are trying to create a genuine first-hand database of brief but detailed itineraries and travel details of users who have visited a destination. Our aim is to be true, honest and unbiased while providing travel-related information, as we feel it is quite rare and scattered all across the web.
India Hikes for treks in the Himalayas.
Tripoto for reading some personal blogs and finding trending destinations to visit.
Feel free to visit the website and leave some feedback for us if it helped in your trip or if we can improve something.
Personal Blogs & Vlogs are a huge help in finding some great hidden info or a local experience about a place. However, I don’t like to go through the long content of someone’s journey for a little bit of info. (I have thus tried to make a format for sharing such information easily on Xplore The Earth which emphasizes only information and less on personal experience)
I love checking Google maps and seeing different spots around the region I wish to explore. I find some great spots which may not be popular but worth visiting. It’ll also give me some good reviews and pictures for me to decide if the place is worth visiting as per my plan or not.
Accommodation
Camp Monk owns campsites that you can pre-book at multiple places in South India at the moment.
Zostel A chain of hostels across India with great vibes.
To book hotels cheaply I prefer Booking.com & Oyo Rooms
There are other popular websites that’ll give you great accommodation options with just one google search so won’t post much about it.
SECTION IV — LESSONS LEARNED
Every factor is volatile, so plan to adapt. No matter how much I plan and make an itinerary before a trip, almost 100% of the times I have ended up changing my plans. There are just too many factors at play that change your plans when travelling on a budget in India. You may find out about a new source of transport available that might be cheaper, you may find that the places you wanted to visit have been closed off from the public due to safety reasons or maintenance works, or the government has made changes to the rules about the visiting and permissions for a trek, and multiple other possibilities will spring up every time. So make sure you are ready to adapt to these conditions. Just jump on to the next alternative and change your plans as per the moment. This will ensure that you don’t lose the fun of your trip and will have the thrill of planning things impromptu and go where the journey takes you.
Locals are a great source of help. They’ll let you know all the little details that won’t ever be available on the web. The details about the timings of local transports, how to reach a place using government modes of transport, availability of food and accommodation on remote places and a great deal of information about the culture and traditions of the region. They’ll be more than helpful to help you out and I personally like talking to a few of them on my trips. However, do make sure that you respect their privacy and don’t disturb them unnecessarily. If you’ll respect them, they’ll be more than happy to help you.
Negotiation terms at tourist places in India is a big big factor. Almost every service & product provided at any major tourist spots by local vendors will be up for negotiations. There is a huge margin by which you can negotiate. On an average to make a good bargain, start by negotiating at 50% of what was quoted to you. It won’t work at the same margin for everything, but it’ll help you get a good bargain for most of the things.
Packing according to the weather is a must as the climate varies vastly in different parts of India. Additionally, the monsoon stretches almost 3 months and carrying rainwear will be important then. Do check the climate of the region you plan to visit and carry optimum clothes as per your itinerary.
That was my take on helping you out for travelling India on a budget of 15$ a day. I have tried my best to mention the information sources and details that I learnt on the journeys, which I wasn’t able to find too easily on the web.
If you take a trip through India and you felt that your itinerary and the information you gathered while travelling will be helpful to someone planning a trip similar to yours, then do contribute your information on Xplore The Earth’s share your trip page. You’d be helping others plan their trips better.
I hope the article helped you gain some insight towards budget travel and my experiences.
