Confessions of an Obsessive Compulsive Traveller (OCT)

When boredom and monotony sets in, I set my eyes on the lonely planet website and 'eeny meeny miny moe' myself to a new destination to travel and explore. And I prefer to be an independent traveller rather than be a part of a herd called "tour travellers".

If like me, you too want to be an independent traveller and want to go on a budget holiday, all you need to do is be smart with all your travel expenses. So if you follow the 10 commandments given below, you are sure to have a memorable holiday without making your bank account look like it was hit by a tsunami.

1st Commandment - First thing to do is prepare an itinerary. This is the most crucial and important document to prepare. Research well on the destinations of your interest like places to see, must do things, places to avoid, weather etc. There may be many cities or countries that interest you, but be wise and don't get overexcited and select too many places to visit. The task of carrying your own luggage from one destination to another can be quite tiring and lead to fatigue by the end of the trip. If you want to do country hopping, then try to travel to countries that are geographically close to each other.

2nd Commandment - The next most important thing to do is book your air tickets. Pick dates when the airfare is the cheapest. As independent travellers, this is an advantage you have to utilize to the maximum as you can be flexible with your dates. If you're travelling to more than one country or multiple cities in the same country, then fly in and out from different destinations. Make sure to prepare your itinerary based on your entry and exit destinations.

3rd Commandment - The next most expensive expenditure is the stay. If you are someone like me who prefers spending most of the day outside the hotel room, then websites like hostelsworld.com or budgetplaces.com or expedia.com could be your bible for searching cheapest options to stay. You can book online and choose from a wide range of expensive to cheap places to stay. Try choosing a hotel or hostel which is closer to the city centre or places of sightseeing. This way you will save travel time and money for transportation.

4th Commandment - Costs for travelling to sightseeing places can be minimized by using public transport. Most countries have good and safe modes of public transport. Metros are very useful and cheap if you want to visit several places in a city. Also, they are less time consuming. But if you have time on your hands and want to see more of the city while travelling, then local buses are the way to go. They are cheaper than metros and you will get to see lot more of the local life than just a black tunnel. At most times avoid hiring taxis as they are very expensive or use them only if you have heavy suitcases or for airport transfers. In case of airport transfers too, avoid hiring a taxi from the hotel. The other cheap and best way to avoid transport costs and enjoy the city is walking and exploring.

5th Commandment - For all food lovers, this is a vital part of any travel expense. The key to saving money on this expense yet enjoying the local food is to decide in advance which meal you want to be extravagant with. For each day, pick either the lunch or dinner that you want to spend more money on and accordingly relish on some tasty local food. Also, try to select a hotel of stay that provides complimentary breakfast so that you can eat a kings breakfast. A great way to avoid the midday snack expense is by sneaking some apples or oranges into your bag that are given to you for free during breakfast. Do this and your craving for eating at 4 pm is ticked off. Also you don't need to go on a guilt trip of stealing fruits, as that cost is included in your stay.

6th Commandment - If on a holiday your favorite word that begins with S is Shopping, then make sure you improve your bargaining skills before you venture out to clean the market. Make peace with the fact that no matter which country you go, as a tourist you will be quoted a high price. The only way to avoid overpaying is by bargaining hard, whether at a flee market or shop. Begin bargaining at half the price being quoted. Eventually, you may have to higher your stakes, but at least you will be paying the original price of the product and not overpaying.

7th Commandment - Always make space in your budget for entry charges at sightseeing places. This is something you can't do much about except pay the bill! Many museums have a day in the week when the entry is free or half priced. Plan a visit to the museums according to these days.

8th Commandment - Always, Always, Always carry extra cash. If you don't end up spending it, great! But avoid being in a situation where you've run out of cash and still have days left on your holiday. The way to keep tab of your money is by carrying an expense book. Try to remember your daily expense and write them down in the book. This will give you a reality check of the money you have spent and money you still have to buy that beautiful bag/shoe/gadget.

9th Commandment - For money exchange, try to convert as much money as you require for the whole trip at one go from a bank rather than at the airport. There will be a higher rate of exchange at the airport and the service tax/charge will also be higher. If you need to exchange money while on your holiday in one of the countries, try to befriend someone from your nationality and exchange with him your local currency for the currency of the country. They will give you good deals and you won't have to pay any service charge/tax.

10th Commandment - While all the above rules are crucial for a successful low budget holiday, the most important rule to remember is to have Fun while holidaying. Let the planning be part of the "fun stress" and not ruin the mood of the holiday. And its OK to go off the schedule and indulge once in a while ;)

Always remember, every rupee saved on a holiday...can be added to the budget of a new holiday :)