Ấn Độ và Nam phi là 2 địa điểm mình muốn đến trong tương lai. Kế hoạch của mình là một năm đi 1 chuyến lớn và 2 chuyến nhỏ ( Trong khối ASIAN) :) Nhấc mông lên và phi thôi
Source: http://www.twomonkeystravel.com/2014/05/budget-trip-to-maldives.html
Backpacking in India in 2014 is different to what it was a few years ago, however, it can be as cheap as $8/day or you can splurge up to $30 depending on the convenience.. Jon and I initially set a $25/day or 1500 INR budget as couple (meaning $12.5/person), then we withdraw our money weekly so we have $175/ week budget, with which we might decide to splurge at the beginning then become complete cheapskates by the end of the week… Or when we flash-pack and book a 3-star hotel then we will decide to have our breakfast buffet to last for lunch so we only have to pay for our evening meal. Also, we’re not a museum and temple kind of traveler; we can check it out if it’s free or maybe pay for it if it’s something like the Taj Mahal in Agra or the Forts in Jaipur. It’s all up to you.. The exchange rate in India is $1 : 60 Rupee and £1 : 100 Rupees.
Summary
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Cheap
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Average
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Flashpacking
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Accommodation
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$ 5 to $8 – Dorm bed or a really small non-AC private single room
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$10 to 20 – a Private room (AC or Non-AC) which you can share up to 3 person depending on a place
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Above $25
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Food
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Less than $1 to $2/meal- street food or very basic meal
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$2 to $5/meal – can be even shared with another person
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$10 above
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Transportation
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$2 to $4- Non AC sleeper
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$ 4 to $8- Non AC sleeper or 3rd class depending on the distance
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$ 15 to $30 – 2nd class or 3rd Class
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Tourist Entrance Fees
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All up to you but you can spend $ 10 to $30 for the tourist fees and day trip taxi
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Alcohol
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All up to you if you want to have a crazy night partying or just have a dry trip.
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TOTAL per day:
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$8 to $14
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$ 19 to $25
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$ 30 above
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Per week (7 days)
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$ 60 to $80 – considering you’ll do a little shopping, drinking or do some touristy things.
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$100 to $190- considering you do a day of sightseeing, a night of drinking and buying souvenirs for the family.
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$ 250 above – It all depends on you. India is the only place where you can splurge like a King but spend way less compared to your own country.
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Backpacking in India in 2014 is different to what it was a few years ago, however, it can be as cheap as $8/day or you can splurge up to $30 depending on the convenience.. Jon and I initially set a $25/day or 1500 INR budget as couple (meaning $12.5/person), then we withdraw our money weekly so we have $175/ week budget, with which we might decide to splurge at the beginning then become complete cheapskates by the end of the week… Or when we flash-pack and book a 3-star hotel then we will decide to have our breakfast buffet to last for lunch so we only have to pay for our evening meal. Also, we’re not a museum and temple kind of traveler; we can check it out if it’s free or maybe pay for it if it’s something like the Taj Mahal in Agra or the Forts in Jaipur. It’s all up to you.. The exchange rate in India is $1 : 60 Rupee and £1 : 100 Rupees.
In India, there are different levels of accommodation depending on your budget; dorm style hostels are not as common as in South East Asia, but you can still find some in Goa, Mumbai, Jaipur and even in Varanasi which will cost you $5 to $8 per person. But if you’re traveling as a couple or a group of two or three friends it’s worth booking a private room in a hostel or guesthouse for $10 to $20 per room - AC or Non AC depending on the city. If you want to flash-pack with a little more convenience with a buffet breakfast, wifi and if you’re lucky a swimming pool, then expect to pay minimum $25.
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| Our $6.5/ night bungalow in Galgibaga, Goa |
If you’re traveling on your own, we’d suggest you choose the hostels where other solo backpackers stay. As a couple we prefer to book a nicer guesthouse or a hotel with nice amenities and a strategic location. If you’re with a group of friends then just stay anywhere you want but better if you book it in advance – hostels tend to be more spread out than in SE Asia!
You can also couchsurf, volunteer and work in hostels in exchange for a free bed. Also, only in India you can afford to book a 5-star hotel for as little as $90/ night for a deluxe room with buffet breakfast. It’s good to splurge sometimes for a 5-star just to relax and recharge yourselves especially if you can’t do it in your country as it’s too expensive.
You can see the pictures and price of where we stayed in India, please check our FB page : Two Monkeys Travel
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| Bodh Gaya Train Station- Jon slept there for the night while waiting for our train to Kolkata |
Transportation
We are traveling India almost entirely via trains, not just because it’s super cheap, but it’s a much more authentic experience than flying. Also, we’re actually really impressed with the Indian railway system, in spite of some long delays which happen in every country. Since we usually travel via overnight sleeper train, we save a night per trip on accommodation costs.
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| Day Time- Non- AC Sleeper Train (The upper bunk was my bed that night) |
There are 4 kinds of sleeper coach on the trains which are ideal for foreign tourists: the 1st class, 2nd class, 3rdclass and the non-ac sleeper which we actually prefer. To save a lot of money, I highly suggest you register yourselves with IRCTC so you can book your tickets in advance and to save money from the travel agent’s fee.. When you book online you’ll pay as little as $4 for an 8-hour journey for the non-ac to $10 with 3rd class AC. If you want to experience the real India and enjoy the scenery, we suggest you just book the non-AC sleeper train or the 3-tier AC.
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| Overnight Sleeper Train (12 hours) from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri |
Also, from the train stations, you better off look for the Prepaid Taxi or Rickshaw booth stand wherein they have a fixed rate to book your transport from the trains station to your pre-booked accommodation or the tourist street where you can find a place to stay. So to stop the hawkers or scammers, tell them that you’re looking for the Prepaid booth stand and they will all leave you alone.
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| Prepaid Taxi Booth Stand in Goa Airport |
Food
Before arriving in India, a lot of people warned us about “Delhi Belly.” So far we never experienced that despite eating street food and the food in trains but you must always be careful. In the north, you can have a budget meal for less than $1. Jon and I used to buy 3 dishes and share it between us, we have a budget of $5 per meal together or maybe more if we saved on the transportation and accommodation budget. Also, you can easily buy bottled water everywhere and it should only cost 15 to 25 INR (about 50 cents)!
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| "Duck n' Chill Agonda, Goa" Amazing view and amazing food! |
Sometimes when Jon and I are doing a long distance train trip, we buy bread, jam or butter, some chips or chocolates and just put it on our “foodie bag”. Yes, we have a foodie bag, which is really useful if you’re having a break from Indian. Plus when we go to a restaurant or coffee shop we can sneak in our bottled water and some snacks if outside food is not allowed but we badly needed to use their Wi-Fi for a day! (LOL) But don’t worry during train rides as there are a lot of food vendors passing by and some of the AC express trains have food included!
Tourist Entrance Fees
This all depends on your preference, for example in Agra as a foreign tourist you have to pay 750 INR or $ 12.5 for a 1 day valid ticket in the Taj Mahal, entrance to the Agra Fort and some other tourist areas. Also in Jaipur, when you go to the Amer Fort you can purchase a combo ticket of $6 or 350 INR which includes several other famous forts/museums. If you have a student ID card then you only paying 250 INR (almost $2 savings!)
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| Taj Mahal, Agra |
However, if you plan to see these tourist things, also consider the price of the taxi or rickshaw for your sightseeing which is usually quite pricey, we had to pay $25 for an 8-hour sightseeing just for the 4-seater taxi but luckily we were sharing with two other people.
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| Amber Fort, Jaipur |
Alcohol and partying
Jon and I haven’t partied like crazy in India, (it seems like we had enough of that in South East Asia) but if you want to the cost of a large Kingfisher beer in a shop is only $1. If you buy it from bars then it’s more like $2 to $ 3 per bottle. Goa’s probably the cheapest place to drink, but in the larger cities like Mumbai and Kolkata it gets a bit pricey.
Shopping
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| The famous Anjuna Flee Market (Day time) in Goa every Wednesday |
I can’t give you an estimated price as we’re long-term travelers and shopping is not ideal for us but if you prefer to go shopping then there’s the famous flee market in Anjuna, Goa. In Mumbai, there’s the Kolawa Causeway which is famous for tourists but if you want to buy cheaper price where the local Indians shop then head for the Crawford Market. If you plan to buy silk then Varanasi is the best place to be. There are plenty of marble shops in Agra, but like any tourist hot spot you’re likely to get cheap tourist stuff and high tourist prices!
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| Kashmiri Silk |
Tourist visa cost depends on from where you’re from, the length of stay and number of entries you want. We planned to travel for a few months, so Jon and I had a multiple entry visa for 6 months which we were able to get from the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. As a Philippines passport holder, I only paid $80 while Jon, who has a British Passport, paid around $135. There are countries, like the Philippines, who can avail a 30-day Visa-on-arrival from the airport and just pay $60, this is ideal if you plan to stay in India for less than a month but take not that you can only avail VOA twice every year.
Airfare
For the cheap airfare, we always use different websites such as Skyscanner, Kayak and you can even go to the Airlines website to check if they have promotions. If you’re coming from the Middle East or Europe, you better fly in to Mumbai or Delhi while if you’re coming from the South East Asia then its way cheaper if you’ll be flying in at Chennai or Kolkata International Airport. Actually, we’re impressed how modern the International Airports in India and I bet you will like it too.
Another tip before you book that flight, India is a massive country so if you’ll do a week or 2-weeks backpacking then you’re better off flying in and flying out at different airports unless you’re willing to fly domestically. For example, you’ll start a 2 week trip in the North and have a round trip ticket flying in and out of Kolkata (Calcutta) but you are planning to also visit Agra and New Delhi, then you might waste 2 days by just traveling by train.
Tips in Budgeting
If you’re traveling alone then it’s really easy to budget your money as you decide fully on where to stay, what to eat and which places to go. But if you’re traveling with a group where all of you will decide the things together it is suggested that you guys talk to each other before the trip on how much is your budget for everything, as it can easily get complicated once you’re on the road. As a couple, it’s very usual that one of you is in-charge with budgeting and tracking your spending to keep things on track, but of course both of you will decide on how to spend your money. One major tip: We were much more spontaneous traveling in South East Asia where we didn’t pre-book places to stay, instead just finding somewhere when we arrived. We were able to do that in Goa, but if it’s high season it can really help to pre-book your accommodations in advance or at least have an idea on where to stay especially in Jaipur, Varanasi, Agra and Kolkata. It’s not like arriving in Khao San Road in Bangkok where everything is all in the same place.
Last notes:
India is a nice country that should be in your travel bucket list. As a woman, yes it is safe but you must also take precautions. I highly suggest you travel with at least a friend to save money in your budget, for safety and for more fun!
Next article, 3 different routes for backpacking round 3 to 4 cities in India for 1 week. Great if you only have limited time and don’t mind a jam-packed schedule! But ideally backpacking in India requires at least 1 month to see and feel Incredible India!
P S Our internet connection here in Darjeeling is really slow so will upload the pictures next time.. but you can LIKE us in Facebook to follow our adventure www.facebook.com/twomonkeytravel
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