This 20-year-old travelled to three countries for under ₹90,000. Here’s how.
Arhum Daga wanted to go on a foreign trip for his first summer break in college. He had planned to go to South Korea with his friend, but his visa application was rejected. They needed to find an alternative quickly.
“After the visa rejection, I wanted to make sure I didn’t face any more visa issues. Both Laos and Vietnam offered e-visas, and Thailand offered visa-on-arrival. Also, these countries are well connected with each other and considered safe for backpackers who are just starting out," says Daga.
So that’s where they went—a 15-day trip covering Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. On a budget.
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Daga, now 20 and doing a bachelor’s course in business administration, says he managed to keep the living costs in check by staying in hostels instead of hotels. “These were dormitories with 6-8 beds. So the costs were cheap. We also stayed in a capsule-pod hotel in Pattaya, Thailand," he says.
His overall living cost across the three countries added up to ₹8,000.
“I looked for hostels in areas where there were a bunch of hostels to get competitive pricing and wider options. For example, in Vietnam, we found good hostel deals in Hanoi-Old quarters. In Thailand, I found good options on Khaosan road in Bangkok, and in Pattaya, near the Pattaya beach," he says. “These hostels are also usually in areas where there are good pubs and street food options."
Also Read: A complete guide to digital visas: Streamline your international travel
Using public transport helped save a lot of money. “We used buses, tuk-tuks. These were a lot more cost-efficient than
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