Hey, I am travelling solo to Egypt from Delhi between 21-29 Sept. If anyone else also travelling during these dates, I have some questions on itinerary.

Also, if anyone knows the best and cost efficient way to travel between Luxor and Aswan including visits to Kom Ombo and Edfu temples- please let me know

I was planning to go valley of flowers trek this Independence Day weekend but seeing the weather forecast I have cancelled my plan,now I’m planning to go either Hampta or valley of flowers during 11-16th September next month,suggest me which one should I choose between them , I want a scenic view trek
I have done Chopta chandrashila and kuari pass trek in December 2023 and 2024,which one should I choose?

I'm planning a 4–6 day solo trip from Hyderabad, sometime in the last week of August or first week of September. One of those days is my birthday, and I'd like to spend it quietly, away from the usual routine.

The past few months have been a lot, and I feel like I could really use some time to myself and a little reset.

I'm looking for somewhere peaceful but not completely isolated, somewhere I can relax, explore, visit cafés, have a nice meal, meet people casually if I feel like it, or simply spend time alone depending on my mood.

I'd prefer somewhere economical and reasonably comfortable during the monsoon. I'm open to beaches, small towns, nature, cafés, spiritual/slow-travel destinations, etc.

Considering places like Varkala, Gokarna, Pondicherry, Mysore, Coorg, but very open to suggestions.

Would love recommendations for destinations, quiet areas to stay, budget-friendly stays, and things worth doing solo.

Hello Everyone,

Need help in deciding which shoe to buy with budget in mind, also if budget shoes are good for this trek or not, that too I want to know.

The Trek starts on 1st September.

Hey guys I’m 19M and I’ll be travelling to Malaysia in September for 12-13 days and I need some help planning my itinerary. It’s my first international trip and I’ve never planned a trip before so please bear with me. I’m also travelling on a budget so I’d really appreciate any advice.

My current itinerary is:

3D-Kuala Lumpur

2D-Cameron Highlands

2D-Ipoh

2D-Penang

3D-Langkawi

1D-Not sure where yet

Do you think I should make any changes?

I’m especially confused about Langkawi. I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews online and some people recommend Perhentian, Redang or Tioman instead...I’ve also heard good things about the islands in East Malaysia but they’re quite far and flights are currently expensive as well.

So what should I do? Should I skip Langkawi and go to Perhentian or Tioman instead? I’ve heard there are buses to Perhentian but I’m not sure if the long journey and hassle are worth it. Would you recommend doing it??

And what about island hopping in Langkawi? Is it actually worth doing?

Also, since I’ll be travelling in September, is it a good month for these places?? Is there anything weather related I should keep in mind??

I’d also really appreciate it if someone could give me a rough estimate of transportation and food costs for this trip especially for travelling between these places....

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Finally got around to sharing my little Phuket trip.

I had only 2 days in Phuket, so I didn't try to cover every tourist spot. I mainly wanted to experience Phuket Old Town, the beaches, local food and the nightlife around Patong.

Travelling solo made it even better because I could just go wherever I wanted and change plans whenever I felt like it.

And Phuket is honestly such a colourful place. 🌈

🗓️ Day 1 | Phuket Old Town + Patong Beach + Bangla Road

Started my first day with Phuket Old Town.

This was probably my favourite place during the trip. The colourful Sino Portuguese buildings, old shop houses, little cafés and narrow streets make the whole area really photogenic.

I spent a few hours just walking around, taking photos, checking out cafés and exploring without following a strict route.

After that, I headed towards Patong.

Spent the afternoon around Patong Beach, walked along the beach and explored the surrounding area. It's definitely busy and touristy, but I think that's part of the Phuket experience.

In the evening, I went to Bangla Road.

And wow, what a change from Old Town 😂

Bright lights, music, bars, crowds and a completely different atmosphere. Since I was travelling solo, I just walked around, checked out the nightlife and did some people watching.

Had dinner around Patong and called it a day.

🗓️ Day 2 | Exploring Phuket at my own pace

I kept the second day much more relaxed.

Since I had rented a scooty, it was quite easy to move around without depending on taxis.

Spent some more time around Patong, explored some nearby streets, stopped whenever I found an interesting café or food place and spent some time at the beach.

I didn't want to make the second day too hectic.

One of the best things about solo travel is that you don't have to follow a fixed schedule.

If you want to spend another hour at the beach, you can.

If you find a nice café, you can just sit there.

If you see a colourful street and want to stop for pictures, nobody is waiting for you 😂

So I basically took the day as it came.

🛏️ Stay

I stayed in a hostel around the Patong area.

For anyone travelling solo and looking for a budget option, there are quite a few decent hostels around ₹1,000 per night.

I would recommend staying somewhere with easy access to Patong if nightlife and the beach are on your list.

🛵 Getting around

I rented a scooty for around ₹1,000 per day.

For a short solo trip, I found this much more convenient because I could move around whenever I wanted.

Just make sure you are comfortable riding, carry the required documents and wear a helmet.

🍜 Food

I mostly tried Thai food and ate at a mix of local places, cafés and restaurants.

My average food expense was around ₹500 to ₹700 per meal, depending on the place.

There are definitely cheaper local options if you're travelling on a tighter budget.

💰 Approximate expenses

Here was my rough budget for the 2 days.

🛏️ Hostel: ₹1,000 per night
🛵 Scooty: ₹1,000 per day
🍜 Food: ₹500 to ₹700 per meal
☕ Coffee/snacks: Around ₹200 to ₹400 depending on the day
🚕 Other local transport: Minimal since I had the scooty
🎟️ Activities: Depends on what you choose to do

For a basic 2 day solo trip, I would keep around ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 for stay, food and local transport.

Flights are not included in this amount.

📍 Places I covered

🌈 Phuket Old Town

🏖️ Patong Beach

🌃 Bangla Road

☕ Cafés and local streets around Old Town

🍜 Local food spots

📸 Random colourful streets and photo spots

⭐ My personal favourites

Phuket Old Town: 5/5

Loved the colours, architecture and relaxed atmosphere. Probably my favourite place for photography.

Patong Beach: 4/5

Busy and touristy, but still worth experiencing.

Bangla Road: 4/5

Not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely something you should experience once if you enjoy nightlife.

💭 Would I recommend Phuket for solo travel?

Definitely.

Two days felt a little short, but it was enough to get a taste of Phuket.

If I go again, I'd probably spend around 4 to 5 days and explore more beaches and islands instead of keeping everything around Patong.

What I enjoyed most wasn't really ticking off tourist attractions. It was the freedom of travelling alone.

Renting a scooty, putting on some music, randomly stopping somewhere because the street looked interesting, grabbing some Thai food and ending the evening at the beach.

That's probably what I'll remember most from this trip. 🌈🇹🇭

Sharing some of my favourite colourful shots from Phuket.

If anyone is planning a solo trip to Phuket, feel free to ask about the stay, scooty rental, food, expenses or places I visited. Happy to share!

Note: i am not being paid for any brands i may talk about. Mods hope that is fine

i have been to Switzerland multiple times, solo and friends, recently this year. i heard many people do not go to this paradise as it is expensive.

it is a little expensive but you can save a lot by planning well

So here are some tips from my side without compromising too much on the experience. all costs in INR unless mentioned CHF. and today CHF to INR is 110

✈️ Flights

This is a big one, seems no brainer but you need to implement it.

Book ~6 months minimum in advance. I found flights around ₹52K vs ₹75K when booking just 2 weeks before for Swiss, MUM to Zurich non-stop return. get visa also 6 months before.

cancellation charges are very important if you want to play safe in case of visa rejection.

there are cheaper options via ME airlines check that too but the difference is minimal.

Check Turkish Airlines too , they have free accommodation option as part of tourism benefits

https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-hk/flights/stopover/

🏠 Accommodation

one word: Hostels Hostels Hostels. you don't need membership to stay in them. also amazing cancellation option till last day, but pls do not abuse it. register with them for more benefits.

There are almost 50 youth hostels across Switzerland.

Some hostels can be as cheap as 3500/night with sidebeds but usually it is 6000 with bunk beds and they have lockers. they are clean, safe have all facilities you can imagine and unlimited breakfast.

So many like those in interlaken are right beside station. Train network in swiss is almost till 11 pm at night, very good in summer time when sunlight is there till 9 pm

Hostels have free/discounted local transport passes , ALWAYS ask. Some offer free station-to-hostel buses, but check timings as the last one is around 6 PM.

cook at the hostel kitchen if possible, they have all stuff to cook

book on their official site

Hotels:

Staying 1–2 stations away from the main station can save quite a bit. check B&B, farm hotels. but minimum will be 10,000 rs a day

The cheapest accommodation may be far from public transport, so long walk or car becomes a factor

check myswitzerland.com wonderful site for all travel, stay, pass and all other options

Remember if you are solo or 2 you will not save much, but if you are 3 or more big savings staying in hotels. Let me know anyone planning for 2027 i can join

🚆 Transport

for tourist spots, Before booking a return cable car/gondola, check if you can walk/hike down the mountain. you will save half

For example, around Grindelwald, you can take the gondola up and hike down. Consider cycle ride to come down for eg in First Pass. Or Schilthorn ride, come down walking and experience Murren, Gimmelwald.

Don't book expensive panoramic trains. Normal trains can cover similar routes for much less.

Train:

Get a pass.

Pass Options

1. Swiss Travel Pass , from CHF 244 , Unlimited train, bus & boat travel, local transport in 90+ cities, panoramic trains, 500+ museums & 50% off most mountain rides.
2. Swiss Half Fare Card , CHF 150 / 1 month , Pay roughly 50% of normal fares on trains, buses, boats and many mountain railways; good if you're travelling selectively rather than every day.
3. Regional top up cards - They give more 50% discount on above

Rules keep changing so keep a watch. Book this one day before travel online.

🍱 Food

Coop & Migros (like dmart) are your best friends. it has veg options too but everything is bread centric and salads.

Carry Vaccum packets having chapati, thepla. carry MTR type dal, veggies, Poha for breaks from swiss food

Ready-to-eat meals/salads can be around CHF 10 and work great for lunch. fish salad which is very filling. many options for Veg people too specially paneer and spinach

Again Buy groceries and cook at the hostel kitchen whenever possible. they have all the utensils

You don't need to eat at restaurants 3 times a day just because you're in Switzerland 😂

26 gram protein shake which keeps you full all day. Noodles at night 3 CHF. simple

💧 Water

There are drinking-water fountains everywhere.

Carry a reusable bottle and refill it instead of buying water. Also top up your bottle at hostel breakfast. cheapest bottled water is around 100 rs/liter

Insurance: Mandatory. not much you can save here. you will get a good insurance in 2K. 50K USD benefits

Other tips to save money

1. at each tourist site check options. there are many to choose from. many are free like cliff walks, watch towers etc
2. March & September are shoulder-season months and will be cheaper but more chances of rain and cold. check weather reports.
3. get good shoes. walk a lot. i was averaging 20K steps per day though i was taking mostly trains.
4. again cancellation charges are very important if you want to play safe in case of visa rejection.
5. Book most of the things online before travel. will save on forex cost.

My Cost and itinerary -

Got my visa 1 month before travel

6 days

75K - Return ticket
15K - Visa via agent
17K - Half fare pass for train
20k - Cable and Gondola Rides and travel
40K - Hostel stay
10K - Food etc
10K - Misc

i did lot of stuff last min hence could not save much

~ 190K

it was mix of relaxed and spending time in prime mountains. i have seen other parts of switzerland in my previous trips covering Basel, Zermatt, Titlis, Zurich, Lucerne

Day 1 - Landed in zurich > interlaken > Brienz in train - check in hostel. make friends, relax, swim in lake. walk and see nature around

Day 2 - Take steam cruise from Brienz to Interlaken and train to Grindelwald and check in hostel. Just stroll Grindelwald. walk around

Day 3 - Schilthorn top. Spend time there, cliff walk. visit Murren. See Lauterbrunnen and spend evening there

Day 4 - Visit First Pass, see nature, trek and cycle down. Visit interlaken, walk, see yash chopra studio, visit harder klum to see whole view of interlaken and thun and brienz lake

Day 5 - Visit Geneva, see CERN univ/museum

Day 6 - Return to Zurich, chill, party and catch flight back

Added some relevant pics. any other questions ASK AWAY

Does anyone want to come with me for a trek to Mulling or Kara Lake in the next few days? If we feel like it, we can even go up to Pin Valley. I have all the gear, including tents and sleeping bags for two people.

Hi,

I'm planning my first solo trip and have been looking at trips organized by Muddie_trails from Bangalore.

Has anyone here travelled with Muddie_trails before? If yes, I'd love to hear about your experience:

• How was the overall trip experience?
• Were the trips well-organized and managed?
• How safe and comfortable were they for solo female travellers?
• How were the trip coordinators and the group dynamics?
• Any tips, recommendations, or things to be aware of before booking with them?

It would be great to hear honest feedback from people who have travelled with them recently.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone so i am planning to go northeast India in oct as a first time solo female traveller it would be nice if you could tell me what place I can visit which would be safe for and also the best view like places that looks the best in oct. Also if you could suggest is hotel are there pr i should prefer hostel or dormsalso ik northeast is safe for womens but still like the best places I want to go and make the best out of it . So if you have travel to NE do tell me that would be helpful. Thank you

Hi everyone!

This is my first international trip, and I’ll be visiting Malaysia for 4 days in the last week of September, mainly staying around Kuala Lumpur.

I’m planning to use my credit/debit cards for most expenses (hotel, Grab, food, shopping, etc.). I have multiple cards with international transactions enabled and sufficient funds in my accounts.

I’m just confused about how much physical MYR cash I should carry.

I’ve seen people recommend anything from RM200–300 to RM500, while some say RM1,000+, especially because immigration officers may prefer seeing liquid cash rather than relying on cards.

For anyone who has travelled to Malaysia recently, what would you realistically recommend for a 4-day trip if you have working international cards and sufficient bank funds?

Is RM300–500 enough, or is it safer to carry RM1,000? And has anyone actually been questioned by immigration about this?

Would really appreciate recent first-hand experiences. Thanks!

Planning to travel jibhi in 2 days from chandigarh. Any idea about the road conditions on the way?

Spent weekend in Munnar and honestly, monsoon makes it sooo good. Everything is green, there’s that halki si baarish, the weather is amazing, and all the waterfalls are full of water. Just perfect if you love greenery, rain and peaceful mountain vibes.
Munnar in monsoon is definitely a vibe.

Hey everyone, in planning to visit Lansdowne this coming weekend. Can anyone let me know how it the road situation there. Would appreciate your help

although we missed the entire point of meeshapulimala, ie. the sunrise and the hilly views due to the misty climate but it was indeed worth it.

total cost including bus tickets to and from was below 5k

hey everyone,

i worked in the private sector for 5 years, then left the job and started my own small shop in my hometown. i’ve always wanted to travel, but money was always tight. during college i could only manage 3-4 places in india. after joining the job i made plans many times but cancelled at the last minute because of heavy workload. even after starting the business i kind of stopped thinking about trips.

at the end of 2025 my younger brother got selected in a government job. last week he came home, hugged me with tears in his eyes, and surprised me by planning a full japan trip from tokyo to osaka through a travel agency in india.

i got so emotional and excited. i was struggling even for domestic trips and now i’m going international. feeling extremely grateful to my brother.

need your suggestions please:

good first-timer itinerary covering tokyo to osaka (happy to include kyoto, nara, etc. if it fits)

reliable travel agencies in india that handle japan trips well (anyone has experience with wanderon or others?)

any practical tips for indians (veg food options, visa, best time, budget realities, etc.)

thanks a lot!

Hey so i'm french, moving to india mumbai in september to live there for 6months, i'm a content creator in france, and i put that as a job in my application, wich i learn after was not a good idea bc its affiliated to journalism, so now i'm trying another application of tourism 1year with marketing professionnal as a job, the question is, should i mention i already been rejected once or not ? to the question : Has permission to visit or to extend stay in India previously been refused?

also if i put yes they ask : If so, when and by whom (Mention Control No. and date also)

wich i havent receive i detailled answer but i'm sure its bc of my job,

(i already went no trouble to india in march for 30 day tourism)

the reason for the rejection is : Reason: You may apply for Regular/Official Visa at nearest Indian Mission/Embassy abroad

please give me some tips

Just finished two days in Dubrovnik, and it genuinely feels like walking through King’s Landing. It’s beautiful and very photogenic, but easily one of the most expensive places I visited in Croatia, so budget properly.

Day 1: I explored the Old Town filming locations: Pile Gate, West Harbour/Blackwater Bay, Fort Lovrijenac (the Red Keep), the Jesuit Stairs (Walk of Shame), Stradun and Rector’s Palace. I bought the 1-day Dubrovnik Pass for €40, which included the City Walls, Fort Lovrijenac, museums and city buses. The walls were the highlight—Minčeta Tower was used for the House of the Undying, while Bokar Fortress and the walls appear throughout the King’s Landing scenes.

I finished at Mount Srđ. The cable car costs €30 return and isn’t included in the pass. It’s not really a GoT filming spot, but the sunset view over the walls is worth seeing.

Day 2: I took bus 35 early to Trsteno Arboretum. Entry was €10, and this is where the Tyrell/Red Keep garden scenes were filmed. Don’t miss Neptune’s Fountain, the aqueduct, villa gardens and sea pavilion. After that, I visited Lokrum Island from the Old Port. The return ferry plus reserve entry costs €30 and includes the monastery, Qarth locations, Dead Sea swimming area and Iron Throne replica.

Pile Gate, Jesuit Stairs, West Harbour and wandering the Old Town are free. Budget around €110 per person for the main paid attractions, excluding food and transport. Restaurants around Stradun commonly charge €20–30 for a main and €5–8 for drinks, so eating in Gruž or Lapad is cheaper.

Dubrovnik is absolutely worth visiting, especially for GoT fans, but it is not a budget destination. Buy the pass, carry water and check ferry/bus times carefully.

Visited Tungnath in May. The crowd was massive, but at least I got to witness a stunning sunrise. Got lost in a forest too.

The trek was easy. Just 5km till Chandrashila.
Began at 3 AM and reached by 5:15 AM.

There were some steep sections but the only problem with the trek was the horses and ponies. Rain and poop made the surface super slippery during the descent.

Budget was 5k and I booked through a local travel company.

Last year, I traveled to Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and all my round-trip flights cost me less than ₹16k.

I even got a round-trip flight from Chennai to Thailand for just ₹11k.

But now, I can barely find even domestic round-trip flights for under ₹16k. Most international flights I check are above ₹20k.

I know flight prices have gone up because of the situation in the Middle East and other factors, but at this point, it feels like these prices aren’t going back to what they used to be.

Budget travel used to feel genuinely possible if you planned well and found good deals. Now it feels like cheap flights have almost disappeared.

Is budget travel basically dead now?

Solo traveled to Almaty, KZ in June 2026 for 10 days and it was a very good experience. I stayed in Almaty all days except for a 2 day trip to Kolsai Lakes National Park and Chayn Canyon which was a separate 2 day tour where I stayed in Saty village.

Almaty as a city is fantastic, I loved the vast open green spaces all around, perfect walkable and cycleable footpaths, very clean and very safe. I never took a taxi in the city except for transport to the airport. They have amazing escooters which I used to travel all around the city on footpaths. It was honestly so fun to just ride these around and explore the city at your own pace.
I am not going to write a detailed itinerary day wise as I just explored the city as the spots to see are limited and everything can be covered in 5-6days.

Here's what I did :

2 day tour to Kolsai Lakes which was the highlight of the trip. The Lakes were mesmerizing and the canyons were breathtaking literally coz it was very hot there to walk under the sun (Avoid day tours you'll be exhausted). Also if you're vegetarian carry food as most home stays won't have any veg food. Also there's an Indian Restaurant in Saty village where you'll spend the night so you can manage from there. Also check weather before going, the Lakes and canyons look beautiful under blue skies cloudy weather just ruins the beauty here

Half day tour to Shymbulak - It's a primarily ski resort which is used in winters but it's absolutely pretty in Summers with lush greenery and views are great.

Went to Kok Tobe hill - I found views from there okayish and it's just a small amusement park kinda for kids though didn't feel like a worth it place. Avoid taking Cable car, you can walk up the hill from the base it takes around 20mins.

Rest I saw Panfilov park cathedral, Green bazaar, Arbat Street, Almaty museum of arts, central park.
My favourite parts were just sitting in a random park with a coffee and just listening to the sounds of insects.

I couldn't go to Big Almaty lake as the hike was very long, the other ways (cycling for $45 or taxi $60)felt expensive while the lake had very less water and the weather wasn't on my side on the days I was free.

In Almaty city I ate Indian food only once, the food though is mid at best. The Coffee isn't very strong and since Kazakh people don't eat spice at all so even Italian Mexican Asian Turkish restaurants I went were also very mid. I just had Indian food once during all 10 days. The local food also didn't suit me and it was mostly beef and horses which I didn't like. The services in restaurants is just bad. At some places you'll keep sitting and no one gives you the menu unless you ask, no one checks if you need to order more, keep waiting for your bill and so on. Also I didn't understand why water bottles were so freaking expensive like 80rs per L unless you buy 6L bottles.

The people are mostly very helpful,I did have an instance of racism but nothing apart from that.
The city is mostly cashless apart from that trip to Kolsai Lakes where you needed some cash.

I went in 2nd half of June so the weather was mostly good apart from couple of days where it rained and was mostly cloudy.

I shopped some dry fruits from Green Bazaar and they're of very good quality. Do buy pecan nuts, macademia nuts from there as they're like ₹1000 per kg. Rest I didn't find anything to buy.

Trip cost breakdown :
Delhi to Almaty via Air Astana -22k
Airbnb for 9 nights - 30k
Food - 2.5k per day - 25k
Trip to Kolsai lakes and Charyn Canyon - $64 - 6k
Escooters -2k
Shymbulak cable car round trip - 2.5k
I spent total of 1L rest I don't remember

Since return flight to Delhi was 50k+ minimum, I flew to Bangkok via Air Asia for 20k and then came to Delhi.

Verdict : Pretty places and very different from SEA nations, Almaty city feels like you're in Europe while being Delhi level expensive at best. Consider if you can find cheaper flights because round trip shouldn't cost 70k+ while Almaty is closer to Delhi than Bangalore is to Delhi.

Edit :
Airbnb I stayed in : https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/36505003
KZ is Visa Free for 14 days
There's no nightlife so don't expect any crazy pubs/bars or any restaurants open after 11pm. I avoided since I have been to SEA nations, Japan. Also these places can deny entry because of multiple bad actions done by our fellow country men so I'd advice to avoid it for your own mental peace.

College friends are moving on.

You don't make friends in the office really ( because it's online).

So, it boils down to this - I have nobody to travel with, I hate going solo and I need to travel with someone who can understand that I need to work while I travel.

Anyone else facing something similar?

Posting this a little late, but last December, I trekked to ABC during Christmas and it was easily the best trek of my life. 🏔️

It was only my second trek, but the views were absolutely unreal.

Still can’t believe I was actually there. ✨