I once had a dream.
I was walking on a road that was surrounded by corn fields on both sides. It was yellowish green. The land was flat and I could not spot anybody on the horizon. The clouds on the sky were clear. The golden rays of the sun were lighting the place. The road that I was on led to a beach that was gold, and waters that were sapphire in color. I kept treading on without stopping.
It was like Robert Frost’s poem. But I was already asleep and wish I had never woken up from the dream. It was three years ago.
In these three years, I have gone on a ‘trip’ to many places. Note, it’s a trip! I’ve always had this debate with my parents. It is never ‘traveling’ unless you get to absorb the environment. Just because I visited Eiffel Tower doesn’t mean that I have traveled across France. I have just visited France. There is no fun in being in a bus surrounded by the same people, staying in posh restaurants, and eating Indian Food.
It is traveling only when you meet new people, share your stories with others, imbibe in their culture, connect with nature, connect with their heritage, eat their food, look for the cheaper options, spending time at the place where you love the most and learning a lot through your experience.
I’ve always wanted to explore every single latitude and longitude on the earth. So, I do my best to save money and spend on traveling. I always have 10% of my income as a traveling budget. (That’s the best-fixed rate you can use especially when you’re a son of a banker). So, with summer approaching, I knew I needed a break from my life and explore a new place. ‘So, where can I go and explore?’ was the first question on my mind!
Everybody has their niche. Thankfully, I found mine even before I had the dream. My idea of a vacation is never going to an exotic place, entering a pub, ordering Red Bull and dancing the stress out! (Teetotaler Tales). It’s always about being in a place that’s uncharted by many. It’s about being a part of a small community. Because that’s where you meet people that are the happiest and that’s where you get to connect with nature.
Having a bunch of friends with the same thoughts is a huge gift. Because then, you don’t get to quarrel over which places you want to go to. You just come to a conclusion in a jiffy and start charting a travel plan. It was either Vietnam or Thailand and we decided to go for the latter since the airfares for Vietnam was damn high.
‘25000? Are you kidding me?’
Is what people told us when we decided to travel. I wanted to travel on a shoestring budget. I wanted to make it happen and let the world know that money is never an issue if you know how to travel. That’s the best part about being a traveler. The biggest lesson it could teach you is to adjust with what you have. It’s not about being pushed over, but it’s an essential step to be happy with whatever you have.
I hate staying at posh properties. Because when you’re at a 5-star hotel, you stay in your room alone or with the same people. But in a hostel, you get to share your room with people from all walks of life and stay all night talking to each other. During this trip, I met too many people, shared too many experiences, and even helped a Canadian with this business plan! That’s what happens when you decide to stay cheap. In fact, we had to pay just 400 per day for our beds and found it more comfortable than Waldorf Astoria.
So, before I start spamming with the experiences I had and the lessons I learned in Thailand, I have one advice for travelers going on a shoestring budget; act soon! Start booking your flights and hotels at least 3 months prior departure.
We booked our flights and rooms for just Rs.13000! And that’s for 10 days remember!
For Flights:
-Subscribe to Scott’s Cheap Flights and look for deals.
– Use Google Flights to find out the cheapest up and down dates in a month.
-If you can’t find any use Skyscanner and change the location. You can often find flights cheaper when you use UAE, Brunei, or Israel.
-If none of them work, use a VPN. I have Kaspersky’s VPN. But if you use one, ensure that the VPN is trustable. Some VPNs might download harmful software into your devices. And you’re going to enter your credit card details as well. So, ensure it is a safe and secure VPN. When you use one, find deals using Kayak, Momondo or Opodo.
We booked our flights using the Dutch server and saved about Rs.2000. It does take a lot of time. But hey, when you have the desire to travel on a low budget, you need to invest some time. We at least spent two days looking for the deal and saved ourselves enough money.
For hotels:
Always use booking.com . They list some of the best properties and hostels. The customer service is exceptional as well. Just check hostels and search for the properties in the city that you intend to visit. Look for the rating, read about 6 reviews, and then make a booking. I’ve stayed in at least 10 hostels now and not once did I feel that I made a mistake. And it comes at a very cheap price!
Happy landings!
#RandomThoughts 