GOA: One of the nightlife city in budget
Goa is one of in the top 10 nightlife cities list, and with the same, has helped put the travel-destinations-spotlight back on this much-loved place. Our closer-home goa has made it to the spot by virtue of its beaches, as per national geographic.
Goa, for both first-timers and frequenters has its own charm. Despite the occasional overcrowded-ness of the place, there's always some quiet beach or the other that the state gifts a solitude-seeker with. And for people whose bank balances scream broke all round the year, there's not really a need to feel left out. Goa unlike what the picture postcards and desktop wallpapers might have you believe, is not the holiday destination for only the rich and the elite. In fact, the place receives the most footfall from people like us, the not-so-rich ones. For goa is a state that can be visited with any kind of budget in place. All it needs is the basic few thousands, and the rest, the destination will take care of.
We give you a few tips on how to navigate around the numerous beaches and local markets and eateries without maxing out your credit card. Or, well, for certain people like us, who are yet to step into that trap called the credit card, without having to mortgage your being to even out the expenses. Here's all that you can do to have that much-craved-for trip to the pristine beaches of Goa, and enjoy the stay sans worry, too.
Plan in advance
If you do not belong to the desi version of the Millionaires' Club, which, we're kinda sure you don't (else you wouldn't have been reading ways to travel Goa on a shoestring budget), make sure you plan the trip to Goa a few months in advance. It's not really the best of feelings when you wake up one morning, dying to visit Goa, and realise that your account balance can just not match up to the dictates of the world. So, when you plan a trip beforehand, you're already ruling out the shock factor. Once that crucial first step is taken care of, all you need to do is just - yes, it sounds way easier than the kind of self-control the task entails - save money for the trip.
No travel agents
Travel agents are an absolute no-no when you don't have much money to label as your trip budget. While the numerous promises that travel agents make might gull you into believing that you're settling for the best costs possible, chances are that you're being duped. Speaking from personal experience here, when you're travelling completely on your own - without tagging along with any travel agency, that is - you're likely to be done with the trip for a much lower amount than what going with a travel agency might have you shell out.
Book tickets much before the trip
Take a reality check. If you feel that you can afford flight tickets to Goa and still be left with a few thousands to take care of the holiday, you're welcome to get them. If not, get yourself train tickets. There are all kinds of trains and all kinds of tickets available, and one doesn't really need to worry about a lot of factors if you have a confirmed ticket in your hands. Um, well, that can be the trickiest of things, given the patience test that the IRCTC website more often than not turns out to be.
The nightlife is quite bustling in the place, and you'll always find a party or another to be a part of
Off-season's the keyword
If you want to visit Goa during the end of the year, on a budget that even you yourself are somewhat unsure and too hopeful about, let's face it - you're living in a Fool's Paradise of sorts. When the entire country flocks to Goa (read: during the New Years'), it's best to avoid the place, unless you'd want to spend your nights under the open sky, without a place to even stash your belongings. Ergo, choose a time of the year when the place is comparatively empty, and you wouldn't need to sell your soul (and whatever you own) to get back home.
Chat up locals
Once you manage to set foot in Goa, speak to the locals. Most people are friendly, and will help you get across the place without much trouble. If you're not travelling solo, chances are, you might even be able to talk your way to living with a local family. It's much cheaper, and a way more authentic Goanese trip than a high-end hotel can ever treat you to.
Shop in the street markets. You'll find something for everyone here, and at dirt-cheap rates
Skip the fancy eateries
For most people travelling on chicken feed of sorts, fret not. The best way to understand how to travel on a ridiculously low budget is to go ahead and do it. So, once you're in the midst of it all, you'll realise for yourself, for example, that spending five hundred bucks on a cup of coffee will cut your budget down by exactly that much - five hundred bucks. Which, given the fact that you are not really equipped with a self-replenishing bank account, might mean that you'll part with a considerable chunk of your budget, without doing much. Gorge on the local delicacies, but stick to the local eateries, the street-side stalls and the non-fancy restaurants.
Side-step the entry-fee-ed places
When in a tourist spot, more often than not, you are robbed without you realising the same at places which charge some kind of entry fee. When in Goa, the best way to enjoy the vacation is to spend some good amount of time walking around the beaches. After all, isn't that what people mostly go to Goa for?
