Why did an American couple spend ₹ 10 lakh on a 13-city trip to India – is this normal or a shocking travel trend? Can luxury hotels, flights and premium experiences make India so expensive, or is travel style the real reason for the expense? Debate on social media: Has India really become expensive or is there a big difference between backpacking vs luxury travel?
New Delhi: “Can it cost a whopping Rs 10 lakh to spend a month in India?” At present this is the question floating on everyone’s lips on social media. Generally, India is considered a very budget-friendly and affordable travel destination among the tourists from western countries. But when an American couple shared the financial account of their one-month trip to India on Instagram, the viewers were left in tears. These American travelers named Alex and Amelia explored 13 cities of India within 30 days and when they returned and calculated, the total expenditure had crossed $10,605 i.e. Rs 10 lakh in Indian currency.
Insider’s confession: “When the final bill came, we were shocked too”
After the end of this luxurious trip, Alex and Amelia made their complete expense report public on social media. He admitted very honestly that this total amount was far beyond his own expectations and budget.
The couple wrote in their post, “If we say that we were not surprised when we calculated the expenses and saw how much we spent during a month in India, then we would be lying.” He told that on an average his daily expenditure was $354 i.e. about Rs 33,627. But what was the real suspense and reason behind this reckless expenditure?
Maze of routes: 13 cities in 30 days and huge network of transport
Upon investigation, it was found that the biggest reason for this huge budget was the speed of their journey and the planning of the route. Covering 13 different cities in just four weeks meant that he had to spend half his time just traveling from one place to another.
To maintain mobility, the couple did not opt for budget travel at any stage. In this 30 day timeline he:
- Booked 6 domestic flights.
- Rented 6 long distance private car rides.
- Took 2 premium train journeys.
This VIP arrangement of frequent flights and private vehicles skyrocketed his travel budget and transportation emerged as his biggest expense.
Five-Star Hypnosis: “India is not cheap, if you want to live like kings”
Through her post, Amelia also challenged the claims of those travel bloggers who describe India as very cheap. The couple completely avoided backpacking or budget homestays and preferred luxurious hotels and premium experiences.
They had to pay an average of $127 (about Rs 12,064) per night to stay in India’s expensive and heritage hotels. “If you’re not just looking for the cheapest options, the cost of living is not as low as other travelers claim on the Internet,” he said clearly. Apart from this, due to eating three meals a day in expensive and premium restaurants, his bill kept increasing continuously.
Internet war: ‘Backpacker’ vs ‘Maharaja Lifestyle’
As soon as this post went viral on Instagram, social media users were divided into two factions. Some people were shocked to see this figure, while others found it absolutely reasonable. One user commented, “Wow! 10 lakhs in a month? You guys must have been like some king-maharaja.” At the same time, another conscious user exposed the truth and wrote that the couple had already saved a solid amount of $100k (about Rs 83 lakh) before starting their journey, so they were not backpackers saving every penny. Experts also believe that after the pandemic (Post-Pandemic Inflation), there has been a huge increase in the prices of premium tourism, luxury hotels and good quality food in India, due to which the budget of those traveling in royal style is no longer the same as before.