I have to be honest. I have been struggling to get any writing done
for over a month now. I’ll caveat it by saying that it is especially true for
my blog because I’ve been finding
Instagram to be a far more interesting and
engaging medium.
But that’s not what this post is about.
A little over three weeks ago, I concluded a 90-day journey around the
country. No biggie except that I did this 18 months after I stopped drawing a
salary.
Note how I do not prefer to say I-quit-my-job-to-travel.
How do I afford my travels then?
Through and through it was an out-of-my-own-pocket-experience for me;
with no travel gods waving wands in the guise of FAMs, sponsors or benevolent
parents. Not because of any lack thereof but because that is not my preference.
I understand I am not an exception. There are others like me. But it is for the uninitiated that
it helps to call such matters out. More so because in direct and indirect, hushed
and not-so-hushed tones I have been asked how I am able to afford my travels
given that I am technically unemployed!
Short answer: If you really want to do something, you'll find a way.
If you don't, you'll find an excuse. Courtesy: Jim Rohn
And no, that does not involve robbing a bank or scamming one’s way
through!
Long answer? Sit back and read
I was looking at my bank statements earlier today. My account balance
is precariously resting at a four digit amount. I have to admit that it is new,
very new for me. And in spite of it all, I have done more - both qualitatively
and quantitatively - since I let go of The Desk.
My first long-term travel stint of 7 months last year had been through
a project I was working on. And ever since that, I had managed three 2-week
long trips in the 8 months since. Not entirely because I could not
afford to travel but because I was busy doing things in the city – like getting
trained on being a counsellor.
That being said, I was certainly itching to lug my backpack and
head out of the city.
Through a few short term engagements and a couple of travel writing
assignments (both of which can be excruciatingly hard to come by), I had somehow
been
able to set aside enough money to be able to rub my palms together with
glee and formulate a plan. The catalyst appeared in the form of a friend making
a trip to
Amritsar and a separate itch to trek
Sandakphu on the other side of
the country. My then five-digit bank balance seemed strong enough to stomach
this plan. But I was also relying on an investment that was nearing maturity to
pull me through should the need ever arise. This was also going to be the first
time I set out without a return ticket in hand – well, at least I did not have
one until a month into my travels.
Now what started off by plotting Amritsar and Sandakphu on the map
gradually looked something like this!
And yet at the end of those 90 days, I spent less than 90,000 INR.
And that includes expenses from a trip to Decathalon prior to the
journey itself. So mathematically speaking, I spent less than 1000 INR per day –
which is a lot less than what I invariably find myself spending when I am in
the city I call home.
I am going to further preface The How by adding that travel is only as
expensive as one’s preferences are - which means that somebody else can
undertake the exact same journey I did for even lesser!
Transport
If you have been following my journeys through all the avenues that
social media permits anyone to stalk everyone with, you would know that my preferred
medium of transportation while traveling is by train. Not always the cheapest
mode with flash sales and what-not on airfares, train travel still gets a vote from
someone who does not (and currently cannot) plan too ahead into the future.
A little bit of common sense and flexibility go a long way for me in
securing tickets that are still cheaper than the cheapest airfare.
For
instance, I do not take the Rajdhani Express to Delhi when a Garib Rath will
do just fine. That alone saved me 1000 INR. In the same vein, not every journey I undertake is by the AC coach
– a sleeper coach will do just fine when it’s an overnight ride.
Those
decisions alone save me anywhere between 30% - 50% on the total fare.
Likewise with local commuting, over time I have gotten a lot more
comfortable hopping not just on to state or private run buses but also shared
taxis and rickshaws to get from point A to point B – instead of hiring a
private vehicle; which I reserve for extreme situations like when I was at
Yercaud and Valparai and where getting around to any of the local sights was not without hiring a private car.
With the fair share of adventures and misadventures public transport
comes guaranteed with, the money saved is still an added bonus for me.
That same journey from Yercaud to Valparai required that I take four different
buses. It is not the most convenient way to travel, I’ll agree. But that’s not
what this post is about any way!
Oh and sometimes I will also walk miles - just for the fun of it.
Stay
But what about stay? That gobbler of currencies can also be tamed when
you’re willing to let go of preferences. A nice boutique hotel or a BnB would
most certainly be an ideal must-have, but what it comes down to for me is – am I
going to stay cooped in indoors and curl with a book while filling reams with prose
flowing on to paper OR do I want to soak in the great outdoors?
Google has almost always had an answer for both those options and in maybe
two or three out of ten instances, I have leaned more towards staying indoors.
Yes, I do need a clean bathroom (sometimes even more than I care for a
comfortable bed or AC even though it's summer) but that is all I truly care for.
In turn, it's decisions such as these that allow me to spend that money hiring a private car when required. Plus, if you are travelling
during the off-season, you could get lucky with hosts upgrading you to a plusher
room as it was lying vacant anyway!
Long story short, being flexible as well as patient and crafty with your Google search
skills can lead to some real good returns. That and the off chance of having an
acquaintance or a distant relative or a friend’s family to couch-surf with do make it easier on the wallet.
I am still understanding and learning my way through cash-backs, reward
points and mileages earned in exchange for purchases made.
And yes, almost all
my travel till date has been within India. But the bottom line is the same – I’m
still saving enough to savour as much as I can while I’m on the road.
And did I mention I did not have to touch my savings at all?
P.S.: If you like the posts you see on my blog, you could also Subscribe to HaveFeetWillTravel by Email and receive newer ones directly to your inbox! This option is here because I know you don't like annoying pop-ups.
P.P.S.: I'm running workshops!!! You could be a school or college principal or you could be running either a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization of your own - for opportunities to work with me click here