I thought it will be a good idea to set up right expectations for you when come to this website so that you are not disappointed. It is important to discuss my travel style upfront with you so you know whether this site will be of any use to you.

What is Expensive or Cheap

A lot of times in my blog you will see me referring to something or some place as cheap or expensive. Since these mean different things to different people, I would define what they mean for me. To give you some context about my background, I work as a Software Developer in San Francisco area. Yes, the salaries are high but so is the rent. Having travelled decent bit, I can easily tell when I am getting a good deal for the money or I am being ripped off. I believe currently I am at a phase in my life where I don’t think I need a luxurious vacation so I try not to let go completely of myself while traveling and indulge in every single thing. Depending on how much money you make and what kind of lifestyle you have, you can choose to be wise or indulge in your travel budget. 

Oh, the places I will go

I do have a bucket list of places I want to go. Currently, almost all of them are in Europe, Asia and Australia. Unfortunately, South America and Africa don’t excite me that much currently but I hope that things will change in the future and I will get to visit those continents too.

I have no shame in admitting that I am not a nature or a wildlife person. I am a sucker for concrete jungle. I love cities that have art, architecture, culture, history and performing arts scene. You would definitely see a lot of monuments and museums in all my itineraries. I would sometimes go to cities for specific festivals or seasons. I don’t even mind traveling to places for the local food.

Usually, I am not too keen on a specific destination every time I am planning a trip. I usually pick a place (only if it is in my bucket list) if I find a really great flight deal that works for my schedule. Since I have limited PTOs and I do have to make trips to visit India every year, I try to fit in most of my travels around long weekends or take a week or two off at most for these trips. In my experience, it is very hard to get a good deal if you are fixed on your dates and location. I would highly recommend to be fixed on just one of them whenever planning a trip.

Lastly, having an Indian passport makes things a bit less spontaneous as I would like them to be since a lot of places require you to have a visa stamped before your arrival. If I end up getting a multiple entry visa valid for longer duration, I do end up utilizing these opportunities to revisit those countries (if there are any cities to visit) to max out on my visa fees.

Up in the air

I don’t think I am rich enough yet to fly business or first class internationally all the time (I have flown just once and yes that was on a paid ticket because the deal was too good to be true). But I do feel like I can afford the luxury of a non-stop or the least stop flight. I can also choose whether the layover is optimal for me and if the timings work out fine. Having an Indian passport, I make a lot of my flight decisions based on the valid visas on my passport so that I don’t have to get any transit visas. Also, I am a big fan of airlines’ loyalty programs and would go an extra step (if the difference isn’t too much) to fly the airlines of my choice. I will write a separate blog post on how to find flights for cheap, maximizing frequent flyer programs and paying for the flights with the right credit card.

In case you are curios, my preferred airlines alliance is SkyTeam and I fly a lot of Delta-KLM-Air France- Virgin Atlantic – Jet Airways.

On the ground and in water

Often times, the best deal to go from a city to another is not always by flight. Since I use the travel time also as my nap time, I prefer not to drive. In the US, I have taken buses to go to some cities. I have heard the North east region has a really good train network to take you to different cities but I personally haven’t had the chance to use them. In Canada and Europe, I have used buses, trains and ferries to get from once city to another. A lot of times these modes of transportation provide a more scenic view and are comparable to the flight time between the two cities since all these transportations are from one city center to another unlike the airports that are always in the suburbs.

Navigating the city

Again, I am a big fan of public transportation and almost always rely on them for my travels. In fact, I always judge a city based on how good their public transportation is. In most of the cities, this is the fastest way to get around and is often the cheapest option too. A lot of places have a day or week pass which allows you to take unlimited rides within that duration.

Of course, there are times when you don’t want to wait for the train/bus or are short on time or just have no option. In these scenarios, I end up using Uber or Lyft (ride sharing services) or taxi/cabs.

Where to stay

Growing up whenever we took vacations, my parents always picked a 3 or a 4-star hotel for our stay. My dad’s reasoning was that hotel is not your destination and you didn’t travel so far to just enjoy a hotel. If all you wanted to do was to enjoy a 5-star luxury, you can do it in your own city. For some reason, this reasoning stuck with me and has been my travel ideology too.

I always use my place of stay to store my luggage, sleep and use the bathroom to get ready and shower. If I can do it in a place that is safe and secure and is within walking distance of public transportation and tourist attractions, I call it a success. Usually, I have managed to find amazing places that are cheap but provide great value using Airbnb. I have had really great hosts who helped me with luggage, provided a meal and almost accommodated all my needs. I have often managed to have great interactions with the locals since I live with them wherever I go through Airbnb. Very rarely do I now look for hotels.

Another alternate to finding a cheap accommodation is Hostels. A lot of countries have hostels that are targeted towards young travelers on a budget. These are great if you don’t mind sharing the room and bathroom with other people and are also looking to make new friends. A lot of hostels usually organize a pub crawl or a free walking tour. I have stayed in a hostel couple of times myself and totally enjoyed my experience. However, I have realized that hostels are not the best fit for me since I like my privacy and prefer to live all by myself.

Of course, there are places where hotels provide the best value. Sometimes the place is all about an all -inclusive resort or everything is so cheap that staying at a luxury hotel makes sense. In those scenarios, I do indulge and treat myself. Since I don’t stay that much in hotels, I am not a big fan of their loyalty programs.

To eat and drink

If you were to look at my personal Instagram account you can tell that I am a foodie. So much so that I have made couple of trips just for the food. I don’t mind indulging in fancy meals all the time when I travel. I try anything from street foods, local bakery or grocery stores to Michelin starred meals when I am traveling. Usually, I prefer to do a quick breakfast or lunch by grabbing food to go from vendors/bakeries/grocery stores so I can max out on the sightseeing and then do a nice sit down long dinner at night.

Almost for every trip, I do some research in figuring out what the local food and drinks of the region is and any must try restaurants that I should hit while I am there. This usually pays off since I don’t end up in tourist trap kind of places and pay ridiculously high prices for below average food. I would often make reservations a day or two in advance if I really want to eat at a certain place since it can be quite difficult to find an empty table during weekends or peak travel season. Sometimes, I would enjoy a quiet night in by ordering delivery using the Food Delivery apps and plan my next day of travel.

Money

I have couple of credit cards with no foreign transaction fee so I would use them for every purchase possible. There is no reason why you should miss out on all the points and miles while abroad. Just remember, always choose to pay in the local currency rather than your own since you will almost always end up with a better rate.

Very rarely would I withdraw cash in local currency. When one of those occasions happen, I highly recommend withdrawing cash at a local ATM using your debit card. Avoid withdrawing them at airport foreign exchange outlets since they offer the worst rates. Keep this cash for cash only places. Also, if you plan on converting the leftover foreign currency in the local currency when coming back, remember that coins will not be exchanged.

Retail Therapy

I am not a shopaholic or a souvenir collector. However, when I travel, I do like to buy things that certain cities are famous for. A lot of times they end up being food items but sometimes they are clothes, textiles and other handicrafts. I don’t see a point in buying things that you can easily get them in your home country.