India isn’t known for being expensive. But we still made a few intentional choices to keep our budget in check.

For accommodation, we skipped hostels and expensive hotels, opting instead for mid-range hotels and Airbnbs. Our main priorities were safety and comfort. In places where we needed time to work on video edits, we looked for essentials like a desk, chair, and occasionally, a kitchen. In the Himalayas, we camped for a couple of nights, which brought accommodation costs to zero (though it did bump up our 'Attractions' spending). We also saved on transport by taking overnight journeys - an overnight bus from Manali to Delhi, and an overnight train from Jaipur to Mumbai.

Food-wise, we ate out at local eateries and had street food (as long as we deemed it was safe). Not only was it budget-friendly, it also gave us an authentic taste of regional cuisines. Eating out in India was such an experience.

We did splurge once though - a fine dining meal at Avatara Mumbai with friends (it was our first fine dining experience ever!) While it cost more than our usual meals, it felt well worth it - for the food, the experience, and as a thank-you to our friends for hosting us.

For daily transport, we used metros, buses, and tuk-tuks, just like the locals. It was a bit intimidating at first, but we quickly got the hang of it. We also tried to walk whenever possible, though I wouldn’t say India is the most walkable place.