And So It Begins - Solo Travel!

JUNE 29, 2017 

And so it begins! My group has gotten up at 4:30am to take an early morning train back to Delhi, and so I woke up on my own, about to begin my solo travel adventures.

Over the past few days I have been a little nervous about heading off on my own. Maybe it was because I had spent 3 weeks where other people were organizing logistics and being responsible for my own travel was a little daunting. Maybe it was because I was on a guided tour where the guide, wary of being sued, was overly cautious about where we could eat, where we could walk, and whether we could venture out on our own (we were always told to stay in a group). But the minute I got in a tuk tuk to go to my first hostel, all the nerves melted away. I was solo venturing, once again, and adventure awaits!

JUNE 30, 2017   

Traveling on my own is, obviously, distinct from traveling with an organized group. But I am becoming more aware of the way in which traveling the hostel circuit is radically different from the kind of travel I’ve been doing with my guided tour.

1. It is not necessary to eat at restaurants where every meal is 500-600 rupees ($7.75-$9.30). The other backpackers were appalled that I’d been eating in such establishments. I can get equally filling meals without getting sick for a third the price.
2. Shopping (and being in India, generally) is approximately a billion times cheapers when you’re not being taken to the places where rich folks shop. On my tour, we were taken only to high-end silk, jewelry, and clothing store. In the jewelery store in Jaipur, I could buy a silver ring with semi-precious stones for $35-50. In Pushkar (a touristy town), I could buy the same rings for about $5.00.
3. Access to food is so much easier when you’re being shuttled around in tuk tuks. When you’re on your own in hostels, you might have to venture quite a bit before finding an acceptable place to eat. (Though I am quickly learning that I need to readjust my standards for where I can safely eat).
4. When you are not staying at a nicer hotel, access to chai is much more difficult. Fear not, I am still having in my requisite overindulgence of chai.