Our Journey to India

Budget trip to India, we meticulously planned our itinerary, starting with the visa application process and concluding with flight bookings. This article outlines our journey, detailing the steps we took to make our travel dreams a reality. We group of 6 people planned a unplanned trip to India…

Visa Application Process:

On April 24th, we visited the IVS (129 Philip Gunawardena Mawatha in Colombo) to apply for our Indian visas. The required documents included a copy of our National Identity Card (NIC), the last three months’ active bank statements, and our passports. We submitted these documents, eagerly anticipating a positive outcome. Cost of a visa is around 8500–9000. I could not remember the exact amount.

Visa Approval:

To our delight, within two days of our application submission, we received a message notifying us that our visas were ready for collection. On April 26th, we collected our visas, and the long-awaited journey to India became a reality.

Flight Bookings:

With our visas in hand, we wasted no time in making flight bookings, considering our desired travel route and budget constraints. Our plan was to explore North India first before heading south for some shopping. Here’s a breakdown of our flight bookings:

1. Colombo to Delhi — Sri Lanka Airlines: For our initial flight from Colombo to Delhi, we sought out affordable airline options to stay within our budget. After comparing prices, we found that both Air India and SriLankan Airlines offered similar rates. In the end, we chose SriLankan Airlines for our journey to Delhi.
2. Chandigarh to Ahmedabad — IndiGo: Continuing our adventure in North India, we planned to travel from Chandigarh to Ahmedabad. Considering convenience and cost-effectiveness, we booked our flight with IndiGo, a popular budget airline in India.
3. Ahmedabad to Chennai — IndiGo: From Ahmedabad, we needed to reach Chennai, a city located in South India. Once again, we opted for IndiGo to secure our flight, ensuring a seamless transition between regions.
4. Chennai to Colombo — Sri Lanka Airlines: Finally, for our return journey from Chennai to Colombo, we selected SriLankan Airlines. This decision allowed us to conclude our trip with the same airline we used for our initial flight, ensuring consistency and ease.

Sri Lankan Air Line Food

About Indigo

While planning our trip to India, we decided to book a flight with IndiGo, a popular budget airline. However, our experience with IndiGo left us feeling disappointed and frustrated. We paid 36,000 LKR for our tickets but were unaware that food was not included in this fare. To our surprise, we had to purchase food from the air hostess during the flight. I ended up buying a tin of Sprite for 100 INR, which resulted in a somewhat comedic scene of handing over money to the air hostess in exchange for a beverage.

Additionally, our journey from North India to South India was not a direct flight. Instead, we had a transit flight from Chandigarh to Ahmedabad and then another flight from Ahmedabad to Chennai. This meant enduring a layover of around 8 hours, which took up a significant portion of our day.

In total, we spent 116,000 LKR on flights, including both the IndiGo flights and the other flights for our journey from North to South India.

Despite thge inconveniences we faced with IndiGo and the transit flights, we remained focused on the overall goal of our trip: to explore different regions of India and experience its diverse culture and attractions.

North India Package Details:

To ensure a hassle-free and cost-effective journey through North India, we opted for a travel package provided by Sai Baba Travels. The package, priced at 21,000 INR (approximately 82,000 LKR), covered a six-night, seven-day itinerary, including accommodations with breakfast and dinner, as well as all transportation services. It proved to be a remarkable value, allowing us to focus on immersing ourselves in the region’s cultural and historical wonders.

Communication Challenges in North India:

While navigating North India, we encountered communication challenges due to the prevalent use of Hindi as the primary language. Even when attempting to converse in English, locals often responded in Hindi, making it necessary for us to quickly learn and adapt to basic Hindi phrases. Over time, we developed a better understanding of the local language, enabling smoother interactions during our journey.

Cost

In addition to the flights, our expenses during the trip to India included various components such as accommodation, meals, and additional costs. Here’s a breakdown of our expenditure:

1. Flights: We spent a total of 116,000 LKR on flights, which covered our journey from Sri Lanka to various destinations in India, including the transit flights within the country.
2. North India Package: Our travel package for exploring North India, organized by Sai Baba Travels, cost us 82,000 LKR. This package included accommodation, breakfast, and dinner for six nights and seven days.
3. Hotels in Chennai: For our stay in Chennai, we booked accommodation separately. Two night cost us around 12,000 LKR.
4. Food Expenses: Throughout our eight-day trip, we allocated around 2,000 LKR per day for food. This amounted to approximately 16,000 LKR in total.

Adding up these expenses, our approximate total expenditure for the trip came to below 300,000 LKR.

It’s important to note that these figures are rough estimates based on the information provided. The actual expenses may vary depending on individual preferences, choices, and fluctuations in prices.

Nantrii!