Tag Archives: Budget

  If there’s one thing that can be said for almost any country in the world (with the exception of the truly small ones!) is that to truly experience it, you need to travel to at least 3 or 4 different places within it. Time and money constraints, unfortunately do not allow for such itineraries. However, if you have 10 days to spare and a desire to do a whole country, north to south, then think no more and head to Croatia! With a healthy mix of natural beauty, eclectic art and culture, a thriving urban scene, best beers (Karlovačko and Ožujsko) and some of the hottest music festivals in Europe, Croatia is a small package that has something to offer for every traveler. The fact that they use the local currency i.e. Croatian Kuna instead of the Euro makes it easy on the pocket too. So without further ado, let’s get started on the trip which we completed in less than 900 Euros!   Pro-tip 1: Before you book your tickets, check the season you plan to travel in. Tourist season begins in March, hits its peak in June-July and completely fizzles out by August. If you’re looking to engage in a few activities, but want to avoid the tourist rush, March-April is perfect for you. The warmer period of June- July is great for those who don’t mind the crowds, who are interested in the music festivals and who are looking to bumming around on the beach as well.   Pro-tip 2: Always look out for last minute announcements especially in the European airports. We got so lucky at the Frankfurt airport where we received 300 Euros just for agreeing to take a delayed Lufthansa flight through Munich instead of flying to Zagreb directly. Yes, it does not …

We believe anyone who has done a road trip in Ladakh has done everything, now most things in life don’t hold any meaning. We salute everyone who has taken time out, spent the effort in planning, reading forums, convincing friends, bosses, family. Once you hit the road, you realize everything, every effort was completely worth it, you were rewarded more than what you came for. Now the ones who are still planning, think no more and make sure you are in Ladakh this summer, Take a bus, take a tour package or if you are ambitious enough get a ‘BULLET’ and ride through heaven on Earth. We did the same last year in our lazy style spending about a month. So feel free to ask all the questions that may arise in your mind. For starters, below is a break up of the money we spent in this road trip. Category Expenses for 2 people  INR USD Fuel 11500 186 Accomodation 18750 303 Breakfast 3760 61 Lunch 4210 68 Dinner 7110 115 Bike Rent 18200 294 Miscellaneous 3400 55 Total 66930 1082 For those who love to see pie-charts The route we followed was Delhi – Manali – Leh – Nubra Valley – Kargil – Zanskar Valley – Kargil  – Srinagar – Jammu – Delhi Summary of where we spent our money. 1. Bike Rental : We have a BULLET, but did not take it for this trip and had to rent one out. It cost us INR 650/- a day and was a major chunk of our daily budget.  They are easy to rent in Karol Bagh in New Delhi. All you need to know about renting motorbikes is here 2. Food :  Once you are in the mountains, food tends to get simpler, tastier and international at the …

We stayed on the beautiful island of Samosir surrounded the mystical Lake Toba in Sumatra at an expense of around $22 per day. Rate 1 USD = 10,800 IDR Rate 1 USD = 60 INR Expense Item Per Day (USD) Total Stay 17 Days (USD) Per Day (INR) Total Stay 17 Days(INR) Breakfast 4.17 70.8 250 4250 Lunch 2.22 37.8 133 2267 Dinner 2.22 37.8 133 2267 Special Dinners / Eating Out 2.31 39.4 139 2361 Juices / Drinks Etc 2.31 39.4 139 2361 Accomodation 6.48 110.2 389 6611 Water 0.83 14.2 50 850 Laundry / Miscellaneous 0.93 15.7 56 944 Total $21.48 $365.2 1289 21911 We know its not easy to keep a track of your expenses especially while traveling but we did it. And we have renewed our love for PIE CHARTS. Where we spent our cash: 1. Accomodation: Rooms are cheap at Lake Toba. We got a beautiful, spacious room with a huge bathroom at 70,000 IDR. 2. Food: Breakfast 45,000 IDR Lunch and Dinner would usually be one dish each about each costing 12,000 IDR so average IDR 24,000 We kept our health in check and had a glass or two of juice each day about 8000 – 10,000 IDR. One 4 nights we ordered Vegetable Pizza’s and always ended up getting a 2nd one. Each costing about 30,000IDR. 3. Eat outs: We ate out only once at a place called Junia which was way expensive than Liberta Homestay and one meal cost us about 100,000 IDR at our friend’s recommendation. He later agreed that the food at the guest house we were staying at was not just the best value for money but most appealing to taste buds as well. 4. Sightseeing: All the sight seeing we did was on foot, but we paid entry …

This panorama defining hostel is set on a mountain in a quiet village of Gimmelwald. A few steps from the Gondola station, Mountain hostel offers views like a dream. You stand up close and personal with the Mount Eiger and can sit forever in a conversation with spell binding vistas on the terrace restaurant of the hostel and watch the snow clad giants in the backdrop. In the evening their lobby is buzzing with enthusiastic resident travelers, almost all of whom are American. People talk at length about their days’ spoils, how far they walked, what trek they did and where they are headed on their round the Europe tour. Yes, this place is very popular amongst American backpackers with a Euro rail pass and almost all of them end up landing here. Although food is cheap, but it is not as great as what a little more money can bring you to the table. But hey, they have a kitchen and you could do your own cooking. Don’t forget to bring your own pasta sauces and bread because when I went last, there were no stores around. All in all, Mountain Hostel is the perfect place to compare notes and find companions. If you are an American you will at home here. It is one of the cheapest options for food and stay in the area. Given its popularity with the backpackers, you may find a few things amiss and the employees and owners may seem a little brash with their policies and paid showers, but nothing beats the views of this place. It is truly one of the most stunning places I stayed in.