11 nights, 11 places, on a Shoestring Budget

Bangalore Mumbai Delhi McLeodganj

984 KM 1161 KM 481km

A Prelude to bigger things to come

Places I slept:• Night 1: Bus (Delhi to Mumbai bus is comfortable. 15

hour ride ~INR 1300 for an AC ride)• Night 2: IIT Bombay Hostel/Train (Have friends/29

hour train non-ac ~INR 500)• Night 3: Booked a decent hotel in Delhi (Plenty of

options on MMT)• Night 4: An Entrepreneurs place (thanks to Siddharth

Roy of Cite.co, have a network)• Night 5: A friends place in New Delhi near

Vishwavidhyalaya (shady place but if you’re looking to stay for cheap in Delhi for a month or so, it’s a good option)

• Night 6: Bus ride from Delhi to McLeodgunj (12 hour ride at ~INR 1200 for an ac ride)

• Night 7: Booked Hotel Anand Palace (Has online presence but costly @INR 2000 for a room during peak times around June)

• Night 8: Shifted to a cheaper guest house (plenty of them in McLeod, just move around, they don’t have a net presence)

• Night 9: Shifted to even a cheaper one @INR 400 (INR 200 during Dec, Jan Feb)

• Night 10: Bus ride from McLeod to Delhi (12 hour bumpy ride if you take a non-ac bus ~INR 650)

• Night 11: Rajdhani from Delhi to Bangalore (Big indulgence @INR 2500)

• Hotel recommendation if you’re looking for a cheap stay in Delhi at INR 400 a night: Hotel Swagat Palace, Karol Bagh

Note: I was not on a vacation. I was working during the days/journeys and traveling alongside. My author stream here: http://yourstory.in/author/jubinmehta/

Highlights from the trip:

Nehru Vihar, Near Vishwavidhyalaya, Delhi

Friends room in Delhi

The holy city of McLeodgunj

Peach march in McLeodgunjRead more about it on this blog.

Beautiful guest house in McLeodgunj

Shady hotel in Delhi

Trek to Triund (this comes from my previous trip)

Read about solo treks: http://jubinmehta.blogspot.in/2012/11/how-to-make-easy-trek-into-life.html

I did this trip with a motive to learn backpacking lessons and manage time as well because I was doing this alongside work and devoting only nights to travel. Sleeping for 5 hours on an average, and a stingy budget of 12k (including travel), this was possible.

Some things that worked:• Has been said million times but travel light. Jeans, shorts, boxers, a few t-

shirts, a pull over, toilet kit and you’re good to go.• Have the worst case scenario in mind when you start the day. “I’ll sleep on the

railway station if I don’t find a place”• Have a network. This is not a checklist item but something you build over time.

Build relationships.• Ask for help. Don’t be ashamed. People are very giving.• If at all you have to book a costly place, do it only for a day. You’ll find an

alternative once there.• Travel is the biggest cost, try booking tickets in advance. Plan your trip

according to availability (and cheapness) of tickets if possible. • Soak in every moment, it’ll be amazing.• Have faith. Things work out.

Some tips specifically for McLeodgunj:

1) Travel during off seasons and preferably alone or less than 4 people. 2) Come for atleast 7 days with lots of books (you’ll find some amazing book shops here as well)3) Book for a day but come here and find a cheap guest house (starts at INR 300) where you can spend the rest of your days. There are 5 lanes that go in different directions from the main square. Explore. You’ll land on a lot of interesting things.4) Don’t miss out on the treks. Try a solo trek to Triund, take a guide for other daunting ones. 5) You’ll never forget the food you’ll have here. Coffee, pancakes, and everything breakfast is a must have every day.6) See more. There is a lot to take in over here. 7) Respect the place.

Traveling is awesome