11 practical tips for budget travel

Most teens love to travel, because sometimes we all need to get away from our mundane lives in the city, get some breathing space from the tuitions, people and parents. Yet, the problem is, we probably don't have too much in our savings account and our parents are probably not too excited to pay for our escapades when they're already saving for college. Here are a few tips on how to travel on a budget.

Always have a 'miles' card

When you're traveling, always try to travel with flights in affiliation with the flight your miles card is connected to. Add to your miles. This way, in the future, you'll be able to travel for free every time you're low on cash, which is really helpful.

Keep your mode of transport flexible

When travelling in India, a flight may be the most convenient, but it is also the most expensive. Instead of travelling—it might take longer, but they are so more fun (especially if you have a group of friends), and cheaper too! Just remember that for safety reasons, always have friends or family travelling with you on a train if it's an overnight journey.

Night travel is your best friend

Travelling in the night is the best way, because you will save on a night of accommodation and you won't really lose out on much day time, when you're doing all the real stuff. Also, overnight buses and trains are really comfortable, but from experience it's best if you carry a bedsheet along with you if you're a cleanliness freak.

Friends are important when travelling

By this, I don't mean you should always travel with friends, but they can definitely help along the way. When you have many friends who stay in different places, keep in touch with them, because it will help you save a lot of money on accommodation and food.

If you don't have a friend, try finding a guesthouse

Guesthouses are usually more travel friendly than hotels, because they are much cheaper but are still very good options. You can even try and stay in a bed and breakfast inn, but these places generally have some rules so you may not be able to come back home at 4 a.m., or bring friends over to stay with you.

Live, eat and dress like a local

When you act like a local in a new place, you don't only feel so much more at home but you're even treated like an equal. For example, if you eat in places that locals do, you'll probably end up saving a lot more than if you use apps or ask around to find a good restaurant that serves a specific cuisine. Remember—the local food of any place will always be the best you can have, and so don't try to go out of your way to find comfort food. The best way to do this is probably to talk to the locals, which bring us to the next point...

Knowing local languages can be very helpful

India has a million different languages, but knowing a little bit of the local language of the place you're traveling to (just enough to get around) can be really helpful. You will always get better rates if people think you are a local, because they think it's usually the tourists who can be fooled. Also, if you're going to South India especially, the locals probably won't know any languages except for the local one, and so it's always better to know a little so you can ask for directions, suggestions, etc.

Be flexible about when you want to travel

Since we're teenagers, we almost always have college or school most of the time, but try to miss a week that may not be important to fit in a trip. Going to a place when it's not peak season has many benefits- the weather may not be ideal, but it will be less crowded, more authentic and far cheaper.

Always travel as light as you can

Travelling light all boils down to one thing- only carrying the bare necessities. This is important because you might pick things up while traveling, and the whole burden of carrying heavy bags is really a hindrance when you're trying to have a perfect trip. Also, you never want to be in a situation where you have to pay for overweight baggage, and you'll get through airports a lot faster if you just have a few handbags and can skip baggage claim.

Always carry some basic medicines and a water bottle

Carrying medicines is most important because you never know when you might catch a cold or get a pretty bad headache, and especially motion sickness tablets if you're in the hills. A water bottle is great because during the day you'll definitely get thirsty, and you don't realize how much you spend on things like water, but it adds up to quite a lot.

Almost always, the bigger the group the better

When you're traveling in a big group, all costs get divided and this is actually quite helpful. Also, everyone in the group helps with different things- someone might know some locals, another might speak the local language, and some might just be handy in general. Also, groups are a lot more fun, and you're never bored because there's always something happening.

(With inputs from Ishika Shahi and Sara Makani)