The goal of our previous generation’s life was to work, get married, have children. Then build a beautiful house and go to the grave after having grandchildren. Our current generation is a bit different. We don’t have money easily. From what I understand by talking to my friends, most of them are not interested in buying land-house-apartment. But, there is one thing the millennial generation is incredibly passionate about; That is traveling.
One of the greatest blessings of travel is the expansion of the mind. A man who travels abroad is less racist, fun to talk to and doesn’t look down on others. This is my personal experience. So, I preach a message to everyone — “Please go for a walk. The time is now without the borders of the country.”
Tips-01: Think about passport and visa in country selection
It’s some difficult to get around at 1st. Because, not everyone understands the visa application process. Therefore, it is very wise to travel to countries that do not require a visa in the beginning. It takes 1 to 20 thousand taka depending on the country for visa. If you go to a visa-free country, that cost will be saved. I would request new travelers to start with neighboring Nepal, Bhutan. A few stamps in the passport may be useful in applying for a visa to go to Thailand, Singapore in the future. Getting the first visa on a blank passport may require a bit of speed. It is relatively easy for Bangladeshis to travel to India, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali.
Tips-02: Air tickets should be booked in off season
The ticket price is very high when visiting during the hot season. In the Western world, buying tickets during Christmas-Easter will cost you. In any country summer costs a lot. Off-season is a good time to visit. Air ticket prices drop a lot during the month of Ramadan. From my personal experience the lowest rate ticket is available.
A few things to keep in mind:
- 1. Direct flights cost more. Connecting flights with larger gaps are relatively cheaper. Although it often involves sitting at the airport. I really enjoy it though!
- 2. What day, when you are flying is also important. Friday night and Monday morning flights are more expensive. Badly timed flights are cheaper. Suppose the 3pm flight costs the least. So while searching, search back one/two days. Learn how to book your own tickets online. A travel agent will look after his own profit, your convenience is his second priority.
- 3. Collecting airline miles points is a smart thing to do. My friends would give their lives to get British Airlines miles points. Discounts are available on flight bookings with miles points. Sometimes upgrades to business class are available. Air lines around the world are divided into three big groups – one world, star alliance, sky team. It is wise to travel on the same group of airlines. Then the points of one can be used for the other. With these points you can enjoy free buffet dining at major airports around the world. With an American Express credit card, you can also earn Air Miles points by shopping at grocery stores. So, do some searching and read them.
- 4. Traveling with bulky luggage is expensive. Many airlines charge separately for bags. Backpacking in the traveler’s spirit is a joy. Just learn to carry a shoulder bag. For four days you will not take seven pairs of shoes. My friend Ifti and I often go out in one pair of pants. It makes luggage light; Travel is comfortable.
Tips-03: AirBnB or Booking.com
The answer is – both! Hotel rental is a major expense of travel. Depending on the location, 30% of a trip’s money goes into this sector alone. Personally I am against pouring money into hotels. Because, when I go to a new place, I go to the hotel room only to sleep and sleep; Sometimes I stay outside. So, travelers hostel is my first choice for stay. If you travel alone, you can chat with many strangers in the hostel. The pleasure of traveling will increase manifold. AirBnB and Booking.com are must-sees. Many times the offer runs. Good hotels are also available at low cost. A wise traveler goes through all the options and then selects the best option. A few things to keep in mind:
- 1. Don’t stay if the hostel has bad reviews. Goods may also be stolen. The review issue is very important.
- 2. AirBnB/Booking.com offers cheaper accommodation further away from the city centre. If you travel in groups, you can manage 6-7 people with a house of 4 people. Some will sleep on sofas, sleeping bags. It is also possible to reduce costs in this way.
- 3. I don’t leave my house empty every time I travel. Instead let’s rent it out on AirBnB. Many a time I have raised a huge amount of money for my travels in this way. It is not a problem to get guests if you can present your room/house a little nicely. However, if your house is in the Chipa Ghinji area, then the situation is the opposite!
- 4. Breakfast is included with many hostel/hotel/AirBnB stays. Being in such a place reduces the cost of eating in the morning.
- 5. AirBnB homes have cooking facilities. If you buy food from the grocery store and cook it, it is possible to save the cost of eating out. Especially when traveling in Europe, it is very useful to do this!
Tips-04: More people, less cost
If you travel with a group of 5-6 people, the travel, hotel expenses are shared among many. The cost for one comes down a lot. But I don’t recommend traveling in a group of 20 people either. Then a lot of time is wasted in making decisions. Form a cult by finding 4-5 like-minded believers. Travel abroad with them to death. If you love to eat, go with a group of other eaters. If you want to stay in a five star hotel, manage some wealthy friends. If you want to play fantasy sports, find an adrenaline junkie type of person.
If you love coffee, get some other coffee lovers. If you love to walk the streets in the dark of night, find some boundoles (I belong to this group myself). The greatest travel companion is a hassle-free partner. If your friend sleeps till 11 pm then put him to bed in Dhaka and go for a walk alone. What is the meaning of going to another country and sleeping with difficulty?
Tips-05: Avoid tourist sports
Activities like bungee jump, paragliding, sky diving, scuba diving can cost around 5-30 thousand rupees. So, avoid these if you want to travel cheaply. You will see that life will be very beautiful if you sit in a beautiful place with people of your heart and drink coffee at the breakfast table. It may not be necessary to jump from a mountain with 10 thousand taka for this.
Tips-06: No shopping
At this point my blog’s female readership is halved. Yes! If you don’t shop, you can save money at least 25%! Everyone goes around and buys things for everyone in Gusti. I don’t see the need for student travelers to do this. Think about it, your shopping money for one trip could fund 50% of another trip. Once you start traveling you will start thinking like this.
Tips-07: Become an importer
You may be going to America. Someone wants to buy a laptop from there. By becoming a backpackbang member you can do this for others. You will earn a commission yourself. That might cover the cost of two days of your trip. Many people have opened groups on Facebook and are regularly buying goods from India. A younger brother of mine has visited India at least 10 times this way. You can too.
Tips-08: Reduce coffee consumption outside
Speaking from a small experience of traveling, “Coffee is an incredibly expensive drink.” A cup of coffee costs roughly 200-500 rupees. Many eat out up to 3 cups of coffee a day. If you can’t live without coffee, make your own coffee at an AirBnB/hotel. Addiction will work. But, if you don’t sit outside and drink coffee every day, you will see that your money will save 1000 per day. For many, coffee is a fad again. A trip isn’t a success without a coffee photo on Instagram. You can put me in that queue too. But, as a sinner, save a lot of money by not going out for coffee.
Tips-09: Learn to use public transport
Landed at the airport. From there, go to the hotel by taxi or Uber! A lot of money. Check if there are buses/trains. Traveling by train/tram is a must in Europe. There is a thing called “Day-Ticket”. You can go anywhere in the city unlimited for a fixed amount of money. Traveling by bus/train in India is very cheap. Getting around on a bike in Thailand with the Grab app is a smart thing to do. Before traveling to any city, visit TripAdvisor.com to check the cost of various vehicles. Taxis and Uber are usually the most expensive means of transportation. If you can avoid them, the cost will be saved a lot. Walking is quite cheap; The cost is close to zero. Those who walk on foot have less heart disease, more common sense.
Tips-10: Be responsible
Many trips have a few people who cause trouble. Some lose their mobile, some have an accident while riding a bike, some fall ill. All these cost unnecessary money. These can be avoided if you behave a little responsibly while traveling. You don’t want to scuba dive. He gave his friends a pressure dive. The rest of the trip was spent vomiting and running a fever. Both you and your friends will have fun. Traveling with a sick person is one of the most difficult experiences in life. So, carry your necessary medicines, useful items, mobile charger, cosmetics etc. Then you don’t have to spend money to buy it abroad.
One cannot fulfill all these ten points. I myself do not follow tips-05 and 08. Humans are strange creatures. Everyone’s test is different. Some want to spend money on air travel, some on hotels, some on coffee shops. You sit down together with your friends before the trip and decide which logic is best for you to follow. My words are not the words of the Koran-Hadith. You can ignore it if you want. No one will burn in hell fire. Empty pocket money will burn!
I will conclude by summarizing my philosophy on travel. After food and research, traveling is the most important thing in my life. Maybe I will find another traveler during the selection of life partner. This life is too short; The world is very big.
Conclusion
Finally, I draw attention to the picture at the top of this blog. The most beautiful picture of my life. Taken at Chelela-pass in Paro, Bhutan. I am sitting on a huge mountain and looking at the water of vastness. I will watch this picture again and again before I die. I will never regret this life.
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