India on a budget? Certainly not for the faint-hearted. It shall be the most exhilarating and exhausting experience; an adventure you shall never forget and for reasons you cannot distinguish between positive and negative. Firstly, don’t plan a long trip because, even for the most hardened traveler, India on low funds can be testing after two to three weeks. A shorter trip shall ensure your memories don’t get bogged down with one too many nasty toilet experiences and daily encounters with cockroaches. All that aside, India is very easy to do on the cheap. If you avoid the pestering salesmen from the travel agents and follow a “do it yourself” attitude the exchange rate puts the pound to the rupee in a very good position and you can find relatively nice accommodation for around £4 a night usually including en-suite, roof garden and internet. A word of warning on dropping below £3 a night in the Youth Hostels … don’t do it.
Unless you’re life-long dream has been to fully appreciate how Annie felt living in an orphanage, the YHA’s are just not worth it, so it is definitely advised to resist the £1 a night rate. The extra couple of pounds will be money well spent. The same can be said for travelling on the trains. Sleeper class is the low budget, basic, in with the locals’ carriages which cost around £3.50 to go vast distances, the 2000km from Jaisalmer to Delhi for example. They are bearable if you are safe (chain up your bigger bags, all valuables in body pockets, don’t accept food or drink from anyone) and the top bunk will help to improve the experience. The next class up, 3 tier A.C, is around double the price but free from beggars at each station and considerably quieter, so for longer journeys the extra cash maybe well spent again. As for the buses, use these for shorter trips and be open minded, some may be half full, some maybe cattle stocked with people, some may be clean, some maybe dirty, but they are cheap and usually drop you right in the towns. In some incidences the bus driver may be paid to drop you off just outside the town (particularly Jaipur) so the auto-rickshaws can charge you a fortune to get to your hotel. Stand your ground here, if everyone else isn’t getting off, it isn’t the final stop and the lack of other buses is usually a give away. Attractions in the towns usually charge entry but you can get around extra payments by requesting two head sets for one audio tour or by buying leaflets as opposed to getting a guide. Lastly, if you want to try and shun Delhi belly then avoid all street food, no ice, salad or water (close your mouth in the shower) and stick to vegetarian options.
The paneer and dal are fantastic particularly paired with a garlic naan and in most circumstances are usually the cheapest. The low-priced alcoholic drinks are beer and rum so its bad news for all wine lovers as wine comes in at about £7 a bottle—and that’s the cheap plonk closely related to rocket fuel so not worth it. All in all, India as a destination is cheap even for the five stars so you can tailor your idea of budget accordingly. One thing is for sure, things certainly won’t feel inexpensive on your return to the Western living so enjoy it whilst it lasts.
