How to Budget for the Trip | For the Love of Food

Planning for oota(food in kannada) is essential, it's your fuel after all. We had a two level planning for food(please ignore my corporate yap):

1. Food we carry
2. Food we didn't carry

Food you carry
You might remember I told you in " To Airbnb or not to AirBnb" about the bags we were carrying, We had a bag dedicated to food(you will crave for your food after the first three days) and remember, no one is judging you there. It's in the privacy of your accommodation that you will consume this.

Bhumi brought with her some rice & we loved eating it one night. It's really an experience eating dal & rice looking at the Eiffel tower from your window.

I've always believed that food does magic to your mood & tummy. Then why take a risk with it.

Food you don't carry : TRY the Local stuff

Don't forget to try the following

The PIZZA Uncle- a happy poser !

Italy
a. Pizza
It's everywhere, you can't miss it. Whenever we felt hungry, we looked for the next pizza joint. They are in abundance and their average quality is very high.
It's like eating Chaat in Delhi, even the average one will be way better tasting than you find in Bangalore/Pune/Rest of India/Rest of the world(including Bhopal & Indore).

b. Tiramisu(thank you Sonal tai for this suggestion)
It's at a whole different level. You'll realize that life without Tiramisu is just meaningless.

c. Gelato
Ask the locals about the best gelato joint, and go to that area just to eat the Gelato

Paris(France)
a. The Baguettes
It's not for the faint-hearted(read: sneha).
Like most of us have experienced bread in our lives, it's supposed to be soft and melt in the mouth. This myth will shatter when you try the Baguette in Paris.
I loved it, and you should try it.
Note: Baguettes are usually dry and hence require a drink with it. Whenever you are having a baguette sandwich , get something to drink with it.

b. Coffee
This one applies to every city we visited ,especially Italian cities and Paris. Their love for coffee has taken it to a whole new level. Do try the local coffees the way people drink it, espresso!
My love for coffee quadrupled after my trip.

Amsterdam(Netherlands)

While there are a lot of infused foods you can try in Amsterdam, there is more to the city than Cannabis.

a. Bakeries
I had the best tasting pastry of my life in Amsterdam near Zaanze Schans. I do not remember what it was called but here is a photo of it,

I had the chocolate one ,and sneha had the strawberry one.

It's the tastiest combination of whipped cream, bread and chocolate I've ever had !

This Bakery is called Banketbakkerij De Wijn.

b. Cheese

You can try free samples for it in every cheese shop . It's yummy.

Veg/NonVeg Mystery 

Q:Will I be able to survive there since I'm a hardcore* vegetarian ?
A: I am a vegetarian, and I survived. Europe has one thing in abundance - Bread- So MANY types of BREAD ! Do not be paranoid there is enough for you as well.

How to budget for Food

If you plan to eat out a lot, which you would have to take the following estimation:

1. Per meal per person(Roadside Cafe) : 6 to 8 Euros ( Sandwich + Drink)

2. Per meal per person(Restaurant): 15 to 20  Euros (Food only)

It would be safe to take an average of 30-40 Euros(Per couple) for each day of travel you are planning. Considering you will have one meal @ home.

Which means if you are on a 10 day trip, approximately 400 Euros or Rs. 28,000(at Rs.70/1 Euro) for Food only.

Also in case you are wondering about the quality of food- it's pretty good. So don't worry about it.

There is another merit in eating @ roadside Cafes - it saves you time,which can be used for exploring the city.

* hardcore? really ? 

How to Budget for the Trip |‎ Flight bookings & Airfare

To Roam, to Shop, to Discover !

We didn't really start of thinking of doing such a trip unless we could build an appetite for destruction, destruction of the faith our bankers have in us, that we'll never decrease our savings account balance.

When I look back now at the trip that was, our budgeting was SPOT-ON ! In fact this has almost never happened before, but it did. The maths was arbitrary, but somehow it worked.

It was a combination of many things, and I could only really arrive at an estimate once our tickets (to & fro airfare), Airbnb & Intercity travel were booked.

The above three made all the difference. Now if you remember "The Decision", it stated that we planned to visit 5 cities & 3 countries. We did not know how much a good Airbnb should cost; neither did we know if the travel intercity would be better if we did by Air? Or Train? We did however have an idea about the flight tickets, all thanks to endless portals online.

How to book your Air Travel? How much is a good price?

We are talking about a trip which is self-planned and self-executed. All the variables out there are radical, so you aren't dependent on a travel agent to do this for you. Keep the following indicators in mind!

1. Look through Skyscanner, but don't book through it

There are better deals on Indian websites; we booked our flight from Yatra. Check out current offers on different websites. Remember, flight options you see on one website may not be available on others.

2. Prefer an International carrier

Even when Jet Airways and Air India will bombard you mailers, prefer the International Carriers, Our onward flight was Turkish airlines (to Rome), and their service was far superior that our return flight (Air India). Both are budget airlines, but there is a clear difference.

3. Pre-book your Seats

This is a No-Brainer, but please don't forget to do this, or be prepared to take the worst seats on the plane (Travel agents do this for us hence we usually forget to do this when we fly on our own, no need to web check-in; just pre-book your seats).

4. Look for an option where a website can guide you through the process

Yatra had an International Flight booking helpdesk which is like a free travel agent! The person on the other end of the call will do the exact things which a travel agent would do, but without an added charge.

Our man(from Yatra) suggested us flight options which would be better, looked up the luggage allowances, checked if connecting terminals were convenient, and had the capacity to block seats without booking them(just like an agent does).

5. Plan your booking

We booked our tickets in December for our trip in April. Check the timings of the flight; it’s convenient if your entire trip is around 12-13 hours (one with a connecting flight). We had Stopover at Istanbul airport after a 7 odd hour flight from Delhi, and 2 odd hours for the stop over (read duty free shopping). The return flight had a similar schedule.

6. You May Keep your entry and Exit points different

It really didn't matter much on the budget, we flew in to Rome, and we exited from Amsterdam.

Check different combinations but remember your flight bookings are the first step in planning the trip, Don't go wrong on this step else you might regret it. We got our tickets for an astounding Rs.35, 000 per person (return).

7. Check the terminals- then double check

We had a slight confusion at the Paris Airport while returning. We were supposed to take an in-airport transfer for our flight to Delhi, and the staff was confused. They asked us to exit the airport to change the terminal, we however found our way through.

Our return flight was Amsterdam-(KLM)-Paris-(Air India)-Delhi

Note: Never plan to shop on Paris duty free. It's not what Duty free's are famous* for.

* = The Price

To Airbnb or Not to Airbnb

The most amazing yet simple question,

Will I get a visa basis my Airbnb Booking?
What if the house we book turns out to be a dampener?
Is it worth the risk?

This and many more such stupid questions plagued our planning process! After all the stay is important, more so from the safety point of view in a new country and continent.

First of all let me tell you who all was travelling on this trip:

1. Lambu(the Spot coverer)- given a choice he would travel all day and conquer all the destinations' spots to make his trips' story spotless! loves the first word in point no.3.

2. Your truly( the traveller)- Loves to yap, can do this all day long given a choice! Intended to observe the destinations' locals and their lives, needs a combination of peace and adventure !

3. Bhuumiiii(We got used to this pronunciation)-She's the wikipedia of better shopping, a very happy shopper. Also her love of eating kept us full during the 15000 steps daily. Also she loves Lambu a lot, no wonder we heard his hapless cries for freedom(from shopping) going down in vain and yet smile @ the end of the day.

4. Biwi (Ms.Selfie queen)- believe me, I didn't discover my wife's love of self photography until now! My phone's front camera has now gotten so used to her that it now sometimes refuses to work without her in the frame.


Now all four of us (read Lambu & Your's truly) happened to plan this journey together, and as traditional wisdom goes when travelling with wives, you have to be cautious ! Cautious of the criticism that will come your way when your wife discovers that this(airbnb, to say the least) was YOUR plan !

There are PROs and CONs of everything, including Airbnb ! Some of the one's I've Listed below.

There's nothing more to say, the above two things made all the difference in our trip!
Now needless to say that you won't get a washer(laundry) & kitchen unless you opt for an airbnb with one(most have this basic feature).

It's a No brainer that you should travel light, and if you have hardly traveled light if you take 2 weeks worth of clothes(including jackets, mufflers, warmers , Woolen caps etc.) to your trip. That's why I recommend you only take 5 days worth of clothes to your trip!
The washer helped us get clean clothes every third/fourth day! we only did it thrice on our trip!


<-- this a photo of before we left. We only had 2 medium sized trolleys ( one which would go with food and come back with shopping) and a Rucksack(with woolens) & a small bagpack(for the daily essentials while travel). Ignore the other bags(they were to be left @home i.e. delhi- where we were flying from)







And like every Indian, We love the kitchen- it's the place gossip happens and stories are discussed. We had a bag dedicated to food we took with us, mostly ready-to-eat stuff(worth 7 meals), maggi & chakhna. This is a personal choice to carry food, but a kitchen not only helps you with you morning coffee(all of my hosts were more than happy letting me use their coffee maker); It also helps you to cook your morning breakfast and leave home full!
It's an experience going to the supermarket and buying bread, eggs, croissants & milk for your  breakfast!

There are various things you need to keep in mind when choosing your AirBNB(this means that I've concluded- my vote goes to AirBNB)

PS: you will notice how I skipped the questions in the start and the CONs. Well, Yes you will get your visa, it may still turn out to be a dampener and It's worth the risk. For the CONs- I trust  you'll get bad news easier than good news, hence you'll find your way around it.