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If the first name of a beautiful country comes to the mind of every Indian tourist who dreams of foreign travel, then it is Switzerland, surrounded by snowy valleys and Alps mountains, which is called the paradise of the world. But the biggest fear that comes to people’s mind after hearing the name of this country is the huge expenditure there, because it is generally believed that visiting Switzerland is only for millionaires and rich people. Proving this common misconception completely wrong, recently a travel couple has revealed the entire details of their 21-day long trip to Switzerland to the world and has proved that with proper planning and smart deals, this expensive country can also be visited on a budget. This adventurous couple traveled to every corner of Switzerland for 21 days with a total budget of just Rs 7.5 lakh, which included all the expenses from their hotel stay to local transport, train passes and food. His budget breakdown and travel experiences on social media have given a new hope to all those youth and couples who were repeatedly postponing their dream of Europe trip due to lack of money. In this detailed article, we are going to tell you about all those secret methods, hotel booking tricks and cheap food tricks adopted by the same smart couple, by adopting which you too can make your next vacation very economical.
Why is Switzerland considered expensive and how this couple broke this myth
Switzerland, along with its beauty, is ranked among the most expensive countries in the world, where the price of a simple water bottle or a cup of coffee is many times more than that of India. Hotel rooms, premium trains and luxury restaurants weigh heavily on the pockets of tourists, due to which travel agencies also offer packages worth millions in the name of Europe tour. But instead of going through the hassle of a package tour, this smart couple designed the entire trip themselves, booked everything by doing online research months in advance, and avoided wasting money even after reaching there. He believed that if you plan your travel in off-season or shoulder season instead of peak season and choose homestays or apartments instead of luxury hotels, then expenses can be reduced drastically. During his 21-day long journey, instead of staying in any five-star hotel, he chose clean and comfortable places where kitchen facilities were also available, due to which his food budget came under control to a great extent. His unique approach showed that travel is not just about spending money, but it is an art in which one can enjoy the most beautiful sights of the world even on a low budget.
Special strategies adopted in case of hotel booking and stay
During any trip abroad, the largest part of the total budget i.e. about thirty to forty percent is spent on hotels and accommodation, and in Switzerland this problem becomes even more acute. To keep their hotel expenses to a minimum, the couple ditched traditional hotels and opted for Airbnb, hostels and local apartments, which were not only affordable but also provided a homely atmosphere. They chose places to live in expensive cities like Zurich, Interlaken, Zirmatt and Lucent which were a little away from the city center but where public transport was easily available. Apart from this, while booking the hotel, they took special care that there should be free breakfast with the room and if possible, there should be a small kitchen or microwave in the room so that they could prepare the dinner themselves. To book hotels, he made full use of the discount coupons and credit card offers available on various travel portals months in advance, which resulted in huge cashbacks and discounts. Thanks to these small but very important strategies, they were able to enjoy their trip for 21 days by staying in the best locations of Switzerland without letting their budget go bust.
This is how this couple saved themselves from huge food expenses, adopted homegrown and smart solutions
Eating in a restaurant in Switzerland can be out of a person’s budget because they start sweating just by looking at the menu card, and this couple realized this very quickly. Instead of eating out at expensive restaurants every day, they turned to supermarket chains like Migros and Coop, which are easily found throughout Switzerland and offer fresh groceries, sandwiches, pasta and ready-to-eat meals at very reasonable prices. Apart from this, he had also taken with him some dry mezha, thepla, upma packets and spices from India, which made it easier for him to prepare desi breakfast in the morning and there was no need to eat outside. Whenever he returned to his apartment in the evening after a long day’s travel, he would himself bring items from the supermarket and prepare light and nutritious food, thereby saving his daily expenses of thousands of rupees. Sometimes when he felt like eating out, instead of fancy restaurants, he would try pastries and local snacks from local street food outlets or bakeries, which tasted great and were not heavy on the pocket. This wise saving on food gave him complete freedom to visit the most beautiful areas of the country for 21 days without any financial stress.
Great use of the Swiss Travel Pass for transport and local travel
Switzerland’s trains, buses and cable cars are among the best systems in the world for getting from one city to another, but if you buy a separate ticket each time, your budget will quickly go bust. This couple found the best solution to this problem by purchasing ‘Swiss Travel Pass’, which may seem expensive at one time, but in 21 days, it proved to be the biggest masterstroke for them. With the help of this pass, he had unlimited travel on almost all the country’s trains, buses, boats and even on many mountain sightseeing boats, so that he did not have to worry about buying huge tickets separately for each journey. Apart from this, through this pass he got free entry into hundreds of museums of the country and also got huge discounts on many mountain excursions, which overall saved him thousands of rupees. He always preferred public transport for long distance travel and never made the mistake of renting a car there because the car rent and the toll and parking tax there are very expensive. By using public transport, not only was their journey comfortable but they were also able to see the culture and lifestyle of the local people very closely.
What is the big lesson for common travelers from this budget trip of Rs 7.5 lakh?
This inspirational travel story gives a huge message to all those Indian tourists who think that visiting Switzerland is just a dream and requires emptying the bank account. Booking flights at the right time, advance planning, proper use of Swiss Travel Pass, staying in apartments instead of expensive hotels and managing food from supermarkets instead of restaurants are the basic mantras that can make any international trip affordable. This couple proved that if you have a passion for traveling and know how to manage money smartly, then no place in the world can be out of your budget. The time spent in the beautiful valleys of Switzerland for 21 days became the best experience of his life, and that too when he completed his journey in a very disciplined manner without any extravagance. If you too are planning to go to Europe or Switzerland in the coming days, then note down these wonderful tips from this couple in your diary, so that your next vacation can also become pocket-friendly and memorable.