The American couple who went viral on social media after revealing their 30-day trip across India for just shy of ₹10 lakh. Alex and Amelia, the couple, posted an itemized list of their expenditures on Instagram, and many social media users were shocked because their assumptions about India being a low-cost destination for foreign tourists.
The couple spent a total of $10,605 (about ₹10 lakh) in their one month-long trip, visiting 13 cities in India. The amount of about ₹33,600 per day is very high and has led to a huge amount of discussion about how much it costs to travel in India.
Travel Style Contributed
Alex and Amelia included that while many people travel to India on a moderate budget, they spent that amount of money because they were travelling in a style that required them to use comfort and convenience instead of backpacking or low-cost tourism.
The couple shared that they used upscale hotels, private transportation, guided tours, and upscale dining experiences on the entire trip. When they added up their total expenditures after the trip, they too were surprised because they thought that they had spent much less money on their trip than they actually did.
This pattern of travel is a growing trend in international tourists who are continuing to choose luxury and experiential travel instead of lower-cost sightseeing.
also read: Nakul Mehta’s wife wins hearts with breast milk donation
Transportation Became the Biggest Expense
Traveling at a rapid rate was one of the biggest contributors to their high cost. They traveled to 13 cities over the course of 30 days, which involved traveling frequently between destinations.
On their trip to India, the couple indicated that they traveled on six domestic flights, six private cars and by train two times. These transportation expenses ended up making up the largest portion of their total expenses.
also read: Traffic Diversions on Delhi-Dehradun Expressway Till June 8
Luxury India Trip Sparks Online Debate
They wrote, “We were in 13 cities for 30 days. Thus we had a lot of travelling to do between these cities.” A lot more money was spent by them than by other travelers who spent most of their time in only a couple of places because they were constantly moving from place to place throughout many different regions.
Hotel Expenses Were Another Point of Expenditure
Another significant point of expenditure for this trip was hotel costs. According to Alex and Amelia, most travelers, if not looking for budget rates, tend to seriously underestimate the price of hotel lodging in India.
They spent an average of approximately $127 (approximately ₹12,000) per night for the thirty nights spent in hotels; therefore, approximately ₹300,000 of the ₹1,000,000 budget would have gone to pay for hotels while they were in India. They explained that luxury / premium priced hotels in popular destinations generally are priced the same as their International counterparts.
“Hotels are not nearly as inexpensive as many travelers seem to make out to be, unless you want a budget priced hotel,” they declared.
A Reminder That India Offers Every Budget
This viral news story has shown us once again what a diverse range of tourism experiences you can find in India. From backpacking around India for a couple of hundred rupees/day to those travelling in true luxury spending several thousand rupees per day, there are many ways in which you can spend money when visiting India.
The trip for Alex and Amelia had comfort, ease of travel and meaningful experiences at its centre so they were not focused solely on saving money on their trip. Their journey highlights the reality of how India is one of the world’s most affordable tourist destinations as well as a place that can provide top-tier travel experiences if you choose to do so!
