Bangkok On A Budget

[spacer height=”20px”]Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. The place is on the list of every traveler. Throughout crowded with tourists & travelers, the buzz of this place is amazing. When traveling to this wonderful place; it is very easy to lose an account of money. I went for 4 days & spent around 15K INR inclusive of everything. The place is dirt cheap according to western traveler & I too feel the same. Here is my guide to cover Bangkok On A Budget.
I have covered 3 countries till now (out of India) under INR 1 Lac cumulatively. When I circulate this fact, their eyes pops out.

So the big question

How I managed to keep my expenses low?

This post is the guide for Bangkok on a budget. However, the main principles to save money while traveling remains the same for each & every place.

Let’s Start

Expenses are generally bifurcated into broad headings like flight tickets, Accommodations, Activities, Food & site seeing. Out of all these expenses, the major chunk of money goes into Flight tickets. If this factor is catered, then it is easy to manage other heads.
Flights: Here is the tip, a TO & FRO Flights cost less compared to two individual flights. The prices of tickets from India to Thailand has dropped dramatically. During offer, it is easy to find flight tickets at a price of INR 3.5 K one way. Yeah!!!! Just INR 7 K from India to Thailand. But usually, the offer is from one or two airports only. In my case, I chose Chennai for my departure. I got an offer of 5K INR from Chennai. Whereas, the same flight costs me approx. 11K INR from Mumbai. Thus, I traveled to Chennai via train & boarded a flight from Chennai. This way, I was able to cut down on my flight charges. The best place to find cheap tickets is SKYSCANNER.[spacer height=”20px”]

[spacer height=”20px”]Accommodation: Staying is another factor which can pull a major chunk of money. However, as Thailand is much cheaper than western countries &hence it is easy to find good accommodation at a cheap rate. Hostels price starts from as low as INR 150 & goes up to INR 1500 for a night. I booked a hostel through BOOKING.COM & stayed in one of the best hostels at the premium location of Khan Sao Road; at a cost of INR 250 per night. I prefer hostels for two reasons; one it costs very low & second it provides an opportunity to meet new people. I made several friends while staying at hostels.[spacer height=”20px”]

[spacer height=”20px”]Food: Being vegetarian it is difficult to survive outside India. One of the best ways to eat cheap & veg food is to have food on streets. I was able to eat noodles, rice, bread & butter, juices all on the street that to at the cheapest of prices. A price of noodle plate costs INR 40; whereas the same plate cost approx. INR 120 in some restaurants. There is not a major difference in the taste but there is surely a difference in prices. There is one departmental store in Bangkok which is 7 11. It is the best departmental store I came across ever. The place is open 24 * 7 & it offers everything on an MRP. Thus, no matter where you are, you can always find a good offer in this shop. This shop is located at every corner of Bangkok. So, the best way to have anything is from this shop only.[spacer height=”20px”]

[spacer height=”20px”]Public Transport: Bangkok has a very efficient public transport system, buses, metro & waterway all have a decent connectivity. The buses run from each corner & connect major points in Bangkok. I traveled mostly through Buses & ferries. I liked ferries more as it was a nice change for me as it also gave a feeling of some movie. The prices of bus tickets are as low as INR 2.[spacer height=”20px”]

[spacer height=”20px”]Also, I have not done activities which do not excite me, I am a person who believes in experiences, so rather than doing everything; I just did the things which were interesting enough for me. This is a nice way to keep cost on a check.
All these techniques helped me to reduce price subsequently. If on a single trip one can save upto 40% of the trip cost (which is a huge cost); it is always a blessing. There will be many people who will be against such thinking, but it is ok. I am here to share my stories ;).
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How China Became My First Abroad Trip

It is Sept 15 & birthday is around the corner. Need to do something different this time around

Tip:

Traveling for me is the big thing. So, I was itching to travel abroad for my birthday. I started browsing different places which can offer me an adventurous trip under my budget outside India. After surfing many websites I came across a list. A list of a most dangerous trek around the world; a particular trek in China attracted my attention. It was Mount Huashan. Mount Huashan is located in a small village Huashan near Xi’an.  The USP of this trek is that you get to cross a small patch of a mountain on a 0.5 Mt of plank which is 1000’s feets above ground.

YEAH !!! you heard it right if you fall, you are dead before reaching the bottom of it.

Budget:

So, after deciding on the destination it’s was time to cater to more important issue MONEY. I am a working professional in Mumbai & saving money & traveling is not usual. But, my enthusiasm towards traveling led me to cut down unwanted expenses to fund my travel. I looked for the cheapest flight from India to China. “During my this searching stint I found out that TO & FRO flights cost cheaper than booking tickets for two separate cities.” The tickets cost me around Rs 27 K INR TO & FRO. “Deciding a budget before traveling is essential. It helps you to plan things more efficiently“. I decided for a budget of Rs 50K INR including everything. Some will consider this as a very small amount, as many will say you are going for the first time spend more leisurely. But, I have a different mindset. “I want to travel more within a budget. Also, I am against of spending too much on unwanted things“.

Ticket Booking:

I booked tickets from Yatra.com as it offered me an EMI option at that time. Thus, booked the ticket without giving it a second thought. Booking ticket became my first step towards my first solo trip outside India.

Traveling alone is often considered as Taboo in India. People see you with raised eyebrows if you say you are traveling solo. But, this didn’t stop me from doing it. Traveling solo is fun which I will cover in another post“.

Getting Visa:

Getting visa was the tricky part, China visa required me to show INR 1,60,000 in my account & with a meager salary, it is tough to show all those cash in the bank account. So, I asked everyone to transfer cash into my account so that I can reach that magical number & after all the permutation combination in my bank account I applied for a visa.

Thankfully, after a week of time, I got my visa which was a big relief & after all, pre-requisite done it was time to pack bags & explore the place.

China Visa Mark My Adventure

This is how I planned for my first trip solo outside India. Eagerness to climb plank route I decided to choose for an untraveled place. Mostly people travel to Shanghai, Beijing,  Hong kong but I choose Xian for a single adventure. “Very off the road indeed but the road less traveled made all the difference 😉

Experience:

It took me around 3.5  hours from the base of the mountain to reach the south peak of Mount Hua. The moment I was about to cross plank route my pain of walking continuously on stairs for 3.5 Hours vanished. The site was a beauty, unending peaks of mountains can be seen through that point, the sun was about to set. With one long breath, I walked step by step & crossed the plank. The moment I reached at the end of the plank I  wished HAPPY BIRTHDAY to myself. I stayed for about 20 mint’s to recall the journey. It was a worthy experience. It is worthy to stop & look what all you have achieved. Enjoy it for some time & then leave for another journey

China Mount Hua My Adventure

 

It seems to be like a dream now. But, traveling alone to a place where English is not understood by 95%  of peoples that too without any guide or any group or without any prior experience is one kind of experience.

Little risk towards unknown territories makes you feel alive in this life. I am glad I took that decision to travel to China. This was just the start I hope to travel more & more.