Rajasthan Family Trip on a Budget is a practical guide for making Rajasthan a budget-friendly experience for the whole family.
It is easy to do on a limited budget and it can easily become an expensive trip, depending on when, where and how you travel to and from Rajasthan. Below is a realistic and practical list of where families can save without compromising on the experience. Go with the flow of the season, don’t go against it: Shoulder Season, Not Just Peak Season.
It’s a fact that the months of December and January are the most popular ones due to the favorable weather conditions, but in the same period, hotel rates in Jaipur and Udaipur tend to increase by 30 – 50%. Try traveling late September/early October or February/early March instead — it is still pretty nice for families to travel, but hotel rates and even airline rates are significantly reduced since its not quite peak travel time.
Select Heritage Homestays Over 5-star Hotels
Rajasthan’s network of family-run heritage homestays and guesthouses are very good, providing comfortably furnished rooms, local cuisine and more personal experience (and often at one third the price of brand 5 star hotels) — particularly in Udaipur and Jodhpur. This is also often the case in regards to the attention that is given to the family; a large hotel may have a rigid schedule, but the flexible time of family members is something that these small hotels can offer.
Hire Private Cars for the entire journey instead of city-by-city.
Staying in one private car with driver for the whole trip is sometimes cheaper and much less stressful than renting more cars, trains or bus for the various city-to-city legs. It also helps prevent wasted time and potential missed connections with fatigued children. Cook where the locals do, not the hotel restaurants!
Tourist dhaba and family restaurant thalis will be one-third to one-fourth the price of hotel restaurant thalis in the touristy areas. Request your driver/host of a homestay to recommend a local eatery, as this is typically a better bet for food at a lower price, and may be more relaxed and less formal for the kids.
Focus on Free & Low Cost Family Activities
You don’t have to pay for all good things in Rajasthan. Photographing from the street, visiting around the ghats at Lake Pichola, watching the evening musical fountain at Central Park in Jaipur or just walking around in the bazaar is free or almost free and kids love it just as much as the monuments they have to pay for.
If you don’t have enough money, don’t go to Jaisalmer.
The additional travel days and desert safari packages are extra costs incurred at Jaisalmer. However, if budget is the main consideration, then a 5 day Jaipur – Udaipur circuit (minus Jaisalmer and Jodhpur) still includes all the iconic experiences of Rajasthan – forts, lakes and culture – albeit at a slightly reduced overall price.
Avoid booking individual travel tickets, instead go for a Fixed-Price Package.
Purchase of hotel, transport and sightseeing individually will generally be more expensive than booking a package from a local operator that includes the three services, as the package is negotiated with hotel and drivers that the individual traveller cannot negotiate. It also shields you from drastic price fluctuations when it’s in high demand on certain dates.
A realistic range of budgets.
If you are travelling with a family of 4, making a 5-6 day Jaipur-Udaipur tour with a few mid-range hotels (as opposed to luxury or backpacker), hiring your own car and standard sightseeing, you will find that the budget that you will incur is a little lower than it would be during the peak month of December with a 5-star hotel. The difference is usually enough to plan around.
Make a budget plan for your vacation.
Our team at Aryan Services can provide you with a clear, detailed quote to help you avoid any hidden costs, as long as you want one that is specific to your dates, your city choices and the size of your family!