Hitchhiking in India

Tips for Shoe-Stringing Through India

The following is a guest post by Gina Williams. Gina Williams is a guest post and article writer bringing to us information on traveling through India on a shoestring budget.

Gina also writes about motorcycle accidents.

Plan, plan, plan!

This is perhaps the most important step of all when traveling on a budget.  To buy a plane ticket to India and wing it from there is a mistake.  Planning allows you to get as much as possible out of your trip, and to know where you’re going and what to expect when you get there.  This is especially imperative if you are traveling to multiple cities within India, which most people do when they travel there from long distances.  Ill-planning can lead to your having to search for sleeping and travel accommodations instead of enjoying the very trip you’re on. 

You should:

• Book all lodging and travel accommodations ahead of time; this ensures that you get quality lodging in safe areas for reasonable prices. 
• Be aware that India’s bigger cities, like Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumba, will be more expensive for lodging and food; plan accordingly.
•  Do research so that you can set a daily budget for food, lodging, and overall budget for your trip. 
•  Read other travelers’ experiences; forums and travel blogs are a great way to gain inside information about cultural practices, safety, and so on. For instance, you’re doing the right thing reading this blog.  The below chart of expenses by city was found on another blog about traveling through India:

Save Money on Expenses

The typical trip to India will involve 3 expenses that make up the brunt of your budget: travel, lodging, and food.  One way to save on all three is to go to India during its off-season, which is from the end of January to the middle of May and the beginning of September to the end of October. 

Here are other ways to save money on them.

 Save Money – Travel

To save money on traveling from city to city, you should travel by train rather than plane.  Opt for 3-tier reservations or, if you are on a really tight budget, Sleeper Bunk reservations.  The 3-tier class has air conditioning and is more comfortable than Sleeper Class, which does not feature air conditioning and is much more crowded.   Choosing bus travel over taxi travel is also a great way to save money.

Save Money – Lodging

When many people consider lodging while traveling, their first thought goes to a hotel.  But not us shoe-stringers; when we travel, our first thought, is, “how can I not spend too much for a room I might at most spend 8 hours a day in, sleeping?”  When I traveled through India, I used Hostels.com to find and book my hostels.  There are, however, many different websites that offer hostel booking; here are a few more:

• Youth Hostel India
• Hostel Bookers
• Hostel World 

Save Money – Food Expenses

Saving money on food in India is not difficult as long as you are conscious when you choose your restaurants; eating at local restaurants is usually cheap, at least until you get into some of the bigger, more expensive cities.  An interesting option is thalis, which are reasonably priced all-you-can-eat meals at local restaurants. 

Tips:

• When looking for a place to eat, ask other travelers you see where they’ve eaten and if the prices are reasonable. 
•  Eat at local street food stands.  These are usually inexpensive and will give you a taste of the local cuisine.  Be sure, however, to eat at places that won’t make you sick; only eat food from these stands if it looks fresh and clean.
• Avoid tourist restaurants; they’re overpriced and usually not that good.
• Dine at sit-down restaurants once per day, preferably at lunch, when food prices are cheaper.
•  To avoid getting sick (and incurring medical costs):  Eat meat only at restaurants that are nice and  Do not eat in empty restaurants.