India - Budget & Basics (circa '17)

the skinny –

Woof - where to start here! Fist off, if you want to read in-depth about my experience in India, I wrote full, honest blog posts for every few days of the 21 days I traveled India. As you will be able to gather if you read my posts, northern India was a very difficult place for me to travel (single, young, white American). However, I encourage you to read and appreciate the candid writing of my experiences! To summarize in a few words, it would be exhausting, disappointing, and jaw-dropping.

• India Part I

  • Hold Yo’ Breath

  • Chai Time

  • Too Much Cow Shit

• India Part II

  • Flying Solo

  • My Friend, Where from

  • Go Local

• India Part III

  • Basic

route details -

I was only able to travel a small portion of India in my time there and for the pace of the country, it was probably too much moving actually. I started in New Dehli and branched out from there —> Rishikesh —> Agra —> Jaipur —> Jaisalmer —> back to New Dehli.

budget -

Spending is obvious very dependent on HOW you travel, but I was able to keep my spending around $30 / day which I felt was pretty comfortable to do.

India DAILY Spending Breakdown

transportation -

• Trains - as described in some of my blog posts while in India, the trains are highly recommended, but also a hassle and a half! They also book VERY fast and it is suggested you book months in advance to actually catch the train you want. There are a few different classes of trains - to all travelers, I would never suggest you take a second class ticket; that shit is scary. I mostly stuck to 2A or 3A ticket, which have AC and are sleeper beds, either stacked 2 high or 3 high. For night trains, these are great! For people that plan to stay in India for longer, I would recommend you figure out how to book train tickets on your own, so you are not up-charged by having the hostel book for you or having to go to the train stations to see if tickets are available. This is also the most expensive option, but probably the most comfortable and desired as well.

• Buses - I’m a fan, but I’m almost always a fan of the buses in SE Asia! Again, I would NOT suggest taking the local bus (been there, tried that) unless you are trying to save a few bucks and trying to punish yourself. Buses are definitely more affordable, but I had some interesting bus situations here. Many of times, I was not really sure if my tickets were real and the places the “bus stations” are at are also pretty strange. Sometimes they would be a small shop, but other times, I would just get dropped off on the side of a road or at a “stand” which was a man on a chair. If you are solo traveling, I would refrain from taking extremely early or late at night buses. (see post here about my 5AM bus….)

• Rikshaws/tuk tuks - the simplest and most convenient way to travel short distances in India without a doubt! Be on the watch out for getting ripped off though. Scammers are EVERYWHERE in India, starting with the tuk tuk and taxi drivers.

  TIP: make sure you agree on a price BEFORE getting into the vehicle. Do NOT let your driver swindle you into paying more than you first negotiated. They WILL try. You heard it here.

food & drink -

If you never get tired of naan and curry, you will LOVE Indian food. I quite like coconut creamy dishes, masalas, and dip foods, but definitely got tired of it after not that long. I became extremely grateful for the opportunities I had to grab a gyro or some dumplings! It’s best to go to dinner with multiple people to share dipping dishes. Fruit smoothies are also a life saver! I only found a dynamically delicious cup of coffee once on my trip - chai tea is just the culture, so lean in to it & you’ll find yourself much more pleasant :)

TIP: watch out for the quality of meat. I took the road of just going veg for my time in India to be safe!

TIP: sometimes when they say “breakfast included”, don’t be surprised when it it purely white bread with some jelly packets - NUMMMM.

communication -

Honestly, majority of people I came into contact with on my trip (mainstay tourist cities) could speak some degree of English. They knew the sales slogans in order to do their job, but a fair amount could converse it seemed in English as well. Typically, they are swindlers and are just trying to sell you something or pretend you are their girlfriend though. Don’t fall into the “Can I practice my English with you” trap!!!

monies -

Indian money is rupees. One rupee is about 1 cent USD, so get yourself used to moving the decimal over a few spots to get a rough estimate. (1100 rupees —> ~$11.00 USD) It’s actually about $14, but it’s a somewhat close quick & dirty. ATM are available as well; I would be sure to not carry more cash than you are comfortable carrying - especially if you are going to be taking local routes.

entertainment -

There are some obvious entertainment choices that are amazing and some that I could have passed up on.

1) Himalayan trek (Rishikesh) - one of my main reasons for going to northern India was to see and go into the Himalayas. Unfortunately, it was an unsuccessful mission :( When I was there, it was not peak season and I could not find a travel agency that was bringing a group out which is hard to believe. I spent probably 3 days going around and trying to find a place to join a tour. I could have paid for a solo tour, but (1) I was not comfortable doing this and (2) it was insanely more expensive. One worker at the hostel offered to take me out, but every morning I would get up to go, he would say “no, not today, maybe tomorrow”. So after I was in Rishikesh waiting to trek for 5+ days, I gave up hope. This is when it’s good to have a power in numbers! You will never be told no because MONEY. I will be back, Himalayas.

2) The Great Taj (Agra) - ‘nuff said. If you are a basic white chick, be ready for people to be handing you their babies and flashing pics, even when your arms are not out to take them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they shoved it in your backpack because that baby is now a celebrity because it is in a pic with a white girl (wait….wut?) Go as early in the morning as possible to avoid the worst of it, but I doubt the Taj is ever not busy…except during COVID, maybe then. TIP: always remember your proper attire, so you can walk in the buildings, explore, and respect their culture.

TIP: it’s not the worst thing in the world to give in to one of the hundreds of photographers taking your pictures - they’re fun mems. :)

3) Rafting (Rishikesh) - I went on a raft mission with a tour group out of Rishi. This is a very touristy city, but has a cool vibe. I was a bit skeptical to particpate in this, rightly so, as I’m not an experienced white water rafter. It was more intense than I would have guessed and pretty terrifying. I went with some hostel friends and it was a really fun, adrenaline boosting excursion! I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures of the rapids we went over because I was too busy holding on for my life.

4) Camel safari (Jaisalmer) - I know many people will say these camels are 100% exploited and probably not treated exceptionally well, and me climbing my 130lb-self on its back isn’t helping the situation, but YOU GUYS - this was probably the best thing I did in India. If you are TIRED of the city life and being harassed to “miss - come shop and spend money”, then this is a #1 recommendation. I really loved Jaisalmer; it was a really nice relaxing escape outside of chaos. And the camel safari was even more so because I slept on a blanket in the middle of a desert - how many people can say that?!? Sure, there were giant ass beetles crawling on the blanket and a random dude from Europe sleeping next to me, but hey, it turned out extraordinary. The stars, the sunset, the camel roaming free (this was crazy - the tour guides went to find them in the AM…)

5) Boat tours / night tours / walking tours (everywhere) - all meh. It’s not a huge cost nor is it a huge hit for me personally. Again, if you are looking for something to spice up the evening or want a way to meet people, then go for it! The tours that I have heard good things about would be the food tours. Check Air BnB and other online sites as I’ve heard those are typically better (& slightly more expensive) than the ones through your hostel led by the hostel owner’s daughters boyfriends uncles 3rd son.

6) Fresh markets - also everywhere. The spice markets are also so incredibly neat! Look at all of these colors - I mean, COME ONE!

accommodation -

I used Hostelworld for pretty much all of my bookings. I would book the next night 1-2 nights in advance. Average hostel prices are $5-10 / night depending on the city. I also love the option of taking overnight buses or trains because you don’t have to pay for the night of accommodation and get a good sleep in AND wake up where you want to be.

misc -

The only thing really in this category would be my Indian visa which was not too bad of an investment to spend 3 weeks traveling this obscure place. I did not do much shopping in India either, aside from purchasing a fake wedding ring for a whole $0.15. Also, recommended. :)

Peace, love, and travel on,

Yo’ girl Jenna