An English friend once told me, “Vishal, next month my wife and I are going on a cruise to the Caribbean”. Immediately, my mind pictured a big, luxurious cruise. Sun decks, fine dining halls, jazz band playing evening soirees, golden sand beaches, pina coladas, and of course, thousands of dollars ringing the travel agent’s cash register. For a fleeting second, it had me wishing to be that travel agent!
One of the aspects of travelling in the Himalayas is that your travel experience is not reciprocal to your budget. You can spend a premium price and still be disappointed, or you can backpack and still have a life altering, sanguine experience. However, traveling with a premium package always has its comforting moments, which backpacking does not have, in case of a flipside experience. In the travel world, it is better to cry inside a suite room of a Taj Hotel than in a hostel dormitory.
Well, unlike some travel destinations, like the Caribbean, the Himalayas are unpredictable, like the mountain weather. When travelling solo I prefer backpacking, when travelling with my family I opt for budget-friendly travel, and when it comes to recommending tours to my clients, it is almost always exclusive travel. I will explain why.
Backpacking in the mountains:
The Himalayas were once a backpackers’ paradise. Those were the days of minimal travel options, and travel-hungry tourists filled the globe. Where a travel experience meant more than the travel comfort. In 2025, it is safe to say that backpacking has upgraded itself. Gone are the days of arriving late in the evening, and searching for hotels using a Lonely Planet guidebook.
A smart phone is a backpackers’ best friend these days. With plethora of apps giving you the best deals, finding accommodation is the least of travel worries nowadays. On the hindsight, unlimited options also mean more time spent on phone screen, and reading inconsistent reviews. In the past, backpackers used to get the real deal. Check the hotel in person, approve, and pay the price. It was bang for the buck. However, with online booking, one has to make up the mind either looking at the photos, and, or reading customers reviews, which as I said earlier, are usually inconsistent.
What is the best solution for backpacking in 2025?
First, I recommend mapping out the destination. Check out the center points of every overnight place. Make sure to use satellite and terrain maps to understand the topography of the area. Remember, a 5-minute distance in Google Maps could turn out to be 30-minute exercise in the mountains. It is imperative to have topographical knowledge before booking a stay in the highlands.
Then, sort out multiple accommodation choices, preferably always at the center points of your activities. This will help you save your transport budget. I usually chart out a couple of places before I select the accommodation, while keeping choices, if required.
Finally, if you are staying for multiple nights, always book a stay for one night, with the possibility of extending the stay in the same property if you like the accommodation. If not, check out the pre-selected alternative choices. I wouldn’t really mind if the extension in the preferred accommodation is not available. As a backpacker I prefer to direct my travel experiences by being in control of the decisions I make for myself.
With regard to transport, finding one has become a breeze these days. For the tech-happy backpackers, it is helpful to stay informed that availing transports through apps like Uber may not always be possible. Finding local apps for each destination may be impractical. However, with so many shared taxis, and public transport available in the hills and mountains nowadays, this is an area I wouldn’t worry much about.
The budget-friendly travellers
This is the segment of travellers who have remained consistent through the decades. They are travellers seeking a bit of comfort while willing to compromise with the existing lack of infrastructure in the mountains gave much rise to this section. However, I have noticed that there is an increasing tendency of such travellers to swing to either side of the extremes. Some may want to relive the backpacking days and compromise on some travel arrangements midway, and some may want to upgrade to premium services.
For tour operators, this can get a bit tricky. Balancing the extremes can lead to uneven results. The Himalayas are no longer an inexpensive destination of the past. Sometimes it can get overwhelmingly expensive, vis-à-vis other similar destinations. Once, when I was quoting a price for a Sikkim-Darjeeling tour to a client, he said, “With less than this price, I can tour Phuket with a round-trip flight”. Now, I wasn’t a hard seller that I should have been, partially because I agreed with him.
What is the best solution for budget-friendly travellers in 2025?
First thing to remember is – these days the world is flat as far as price is concerned. What you pay for in your cities, or other getaways, attracts a similar price in the Himalayas. What I normally recommend is to take a package tour from your trusted travel agent. Study the itinerary and compare it with what you want to do. Select the hotels and share the details with your travel agent, and be specific about your needs. A good travel specialist should give you an expert opinion. Booking through a travel agent that you trust helps you to skip all the unnecessary hassles of organising multiple services.
Ultimately, it is your money that pays for your travel services. Why not make things simpler, and let your travel agent do the dirty work for you? Just make sure that it is your trusted travel agent and not some fraud with a nice looking website. If you want to try out a local travel agent with an online presence, make sure to prioritize your communication with the service provider.
If you have sightseeing programs, take a vehicle on a half-day or full-day basis, and not on a point-to-point basis. That works out better cost-wise, for you and also for the driver. In the mountains, sustainability applies to everything.
The premium travellers
If you belong to this category, and feel everything has a price, I am sorry to shatter that impression. The hills and mountains are sometimes unforgiving even to those who pay a premium price. The narrow roads, traffic congestions, inconsistent weather (apart from Autumn season), and so on, are some things that no amount of money can help make better.
What is the best solution for premium travellers in 2025?
Assuming you have money to burn, I will skip the price factor here. If you are on weekend trips, keep sightseeing at a minimum, and just enjoy your stay at your premium property. Pamper yourself.
If you are on a longer trip, ask your travel agent or your hotel to curate a holiday program as per your preference. Just one final piece of advice – please do not rush your holidays in the Himalayas!
