Maldives is a destination that is perfect for honeymoon trips and family holidays. This pristine island nation could rightly be called a second home of Indian celebrities as they often fly to Maldives to spent some time. From private beaches, luxury resorts and water villas to facilities that suit your budget, Maldives is the perfect holiday destination. Even though a trip to Maldives could be expensive, you could make it budget-friendly if you plan it well. There are many resorts that offer quality accommodation on a moderate budget. Here are some points to note in case you want to visit Maldives without breaking the bank.

Book tickets in advance
Booking flight tickets in advance could save you significant amount of money. It is wise to book them at least 4 – 6 months in advance. The off-season is from April to June, which is the best time to visit Maldives. The ticket fare from Kochi to Maldives would be Rs 8000 – 12,000 per head. However, this could go down in the off season. Besides, most airline companies offer amazing offers when tickets are booked in advance.

Accommodation
Accommodation is indeed an expensive affair in Maldives. However, lots of budget friendly options too are available. In Maldives, most of the luxury resorts are situated in private islands. The luxury resorts here charge up to Rs 30,000 – 5 lakh for a single night.

If you want to choose pocket-friendly accommodation, then you could check into resorts on public islands. There are lots of guesthouses that charge between Rs 3000 – 4000 for a night. Besides, they provide complimentary breakfast too. Water Breeze Guest House and Salsa Retreat are some of the best options here. Meanwhile, Maafushi, Dharavandoo, and Ghuraidhoo are some of the best public islands. Those who do not want to stay in resorts can try budget-friendly guesthouses and water villas.

Transportation
Tourists often rely on speed boats to travel from one island to another. However, these are very expensive. Meanwhile, the ticket fares in public ferries vary between Rs 50 – 200. These ferry boats operate services to most islands. Depending on local ferries is another way to enjoy Maldives on a budget. However, if are staying in a private island, you could travel in speed boats or in seaplanes.

Food
You could choose packages that offer complimentary breakfast along with accommodation. There aren’t many hotels or eateries in small islands like Fulidu. So, all the hotels here charge almost the same rates for food. Meanwhile, there are lots of multi cuisines restaurants in bigger islands like Mafishu. You could choose eateries that suit your budget. The traditional Maldivian cuisine mostly consists of rice and fish delicacies that is almost similar to ours.

Water sports
Water sports activities like snorkeling and diving are expensive. It is better to enquire about the various packages for water sports activities in various beaches before choosing the one that suits your budget. Maldives is a beautiful island destination where you could enjoy the pristine beaches and indulge in some thrilling adventure activities.

Festivals are our way of celebrating the strangest things in a group of like-minded individuals. However, when we say ‘strange’, some festivals certainly go some way towards tipping the crazy-scale towards ‘insanity’. Festivals such as…

5. New Years Party, Thailand

It goes without saying that across the world, no matter where you go, New Years is a pretty crazy time by all accounts. However, we’re willing to bet to bet that no matter how wild and badass your attempt to recreate The Hangover is every year, it can never ever compare to the insanity that takes place in Thailand. So what do they do? They whip out the Super Soakers and have an epic water fight. Seriously. And everybody plays. The cities shut down for the day, super-hot babes in bikinis roam the streets, and some villains even decide to cheat by bringing out Mother Nature’s own watergun: the Elephant.

Well, that settles where we’re heading this year at least.

4. El Colacho, Castrillo de Murcia (Spain)

If we said ‘El Colacho’ to you, what would suspect this festival was about? Food? Because that Colacho stuff sure does sound tasty. What would you then say if we told you that this festival, held in the Spanish town of Castrillo de Murcia, involved grown men dressed as the Devil…jumping over rows and rows of babies? Nope, don’t bother calling child services. We already have, and they’re completely cool with this shit.

However, we should probably fulfil our legal obligations by this point, and say that you probably shouldn’t do this with yours or any of your neighbour’s babies. Although we guess that if you needed to be told that by a comedy website, you’re probably not reading this and are already staging an assault on the local kindergarten as we speak. Good luck crazy man!

3. The Festival of Colors

No, that’s not the national holiday in whatever freaky universe My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is set in. It’s an annual celebration held in India to celebrate…erm…colors, we guess. And how do they do this? In the insanest way you can imagine: by buying colored powders and throwing them in people’s faces! And eyes!

However, one massive problem the celebrants have is that tradition states that they’re supposed to use colored powders made predominantly from herbs and spices. But, needless to say if you’ve ever had the misfortune to walk around Walmart nearer a big public holiday, local vendors of these powders massively inflate their prices, leading people to buy much cheaper powders made from much more dangerous stuff such as aluminium bromide, lead oxide, and copper sulphate. Hey, did we mention that this stuff goes in your eyes? Don’t celebrate this. Please.

2. Cheese Rolling, Gloucestershire (England)

We always knew secretly that the English had something wrong with them. We mean, what sort of twisted country thinks coffee is disgusting and Monty Python’s Flying Circus makes sense? Well, funny you should ask that, because it’s the exact same country which made an annual festival out of some people rolling cheese down a hill. And that’s not all. The objective of the competition is for people to race the cheese downhill, which is about as hilarious and painful as it sounds.

We’re not the only ones to think this either. The local government recently tried to ban the festivities citing, strangely enough, the high-probability of injury and the very low-probability that someone will break their goddamn neck just for the purposes of racing a ball of congealed cow effluent down a hillside. No doubt if that ever happened though, these nutcases would think it was a worthwhile injury.

1. La Tominata, Bunol (Spain)

OK, so it’s a festival held in Spain with a delicious-sounding name. You’re probably a bit more hesitant to guess at what it is now thanks to that whole ‘Crazy-Devil-jumping-over-babies’ thing we talked about above. But, don’t worry, because this does involve food, more specifically tomatoes. La Tomatina is the name given to a massive annual food fight fought between over fifty thousand people in the city of Bunol, where the only weapons are tomatoes and the only prayers made are those about not finding out you have a sudden allergy to a certain type of vegetable (or fruit depending on how anally retentive you are).

Despite looking like an excuse to writhe around half-naked in piles of rotting juice, or to put it another way, re-enact 300, the festival does actually have some meaning. It is rumoured to have originally started when a group of local townspeople did what many of us do: get pissed off with the government. But, unlike us, they didn’t sign an online petition or change their profile picture on whatever the oldy-timey equivalent of Facebook was. No, they simply hunted the government men down and pelted them with tons of over-ripe tomatoes. If only democracy was that simple today, we’d all be so much more happier.

While traveling, it is advised to eat light. Any food item that can be prepared easily and is easy on the stomach should be preferred during journey.

Travelling is all about food, fun, and good company. People like to plan their whole travel itinerary before heading out. In which one of the most important things is what food to have on what time so that you can enjoy travel without falling ill. A variety of food items are available in the market but one has to be wise while making a choice, especially while traveling. Many people prefer having food that is light on the stomach as it is easily digested and also requires less time in preparation. If you have a tendency to fall ill more frequently and you do not want to upset your stomach while traveling, then you can avoid these food items to maintain good health.

1. Hot drinks that have been served like tea, coffee, or soup are fine to drink until they become warm or cool down. It is suggested not to have them once they are cool.

2. Avoid having raw food items like fruits, vegetables, raw meat, or uncooked seafood. Even if you are having them make sure that they are washed properly. These food items are more likely to carry germs that can make you fall sick on your traveling journey.

3. Try to avoid having street food as it may lack proper hygiene in preparation and cooking. Try eating at clean restaurants where they serve you hot food prepared with full hygiene.

4. Avoid eating food that is served in a buffet. The food gets prepared and is allowed to sit at room temperature for hours which gets contaminated after a while.

5. Try and avoid drinking tap water, especially in places that do not have proper hygiene. Try to get a bottle of clean water for drinking. Boil tap water to kill the germs.

6. Try and avoid fountain drinks. Whenever you place an order for a fountain drink, remember that it is made with carbonated water and artificial flavours may also be mixed.

7. Avoid eating fruits like apples, berries, grapes, and others that do not require peeling. Fruits like bananas and oranges are safer to eat as their skin is required to be peeled before eating them and it also keeps the bacteria away, unlike other fruits.

8. Refined and processed food items like bread, biscuits, and cakes can make you feel bloated after a while of consumption. Avoid having them as much as possible and try to replace them by having fresh hot food.

9. Try to avoid having bushmeat. The meat is generally found in bats, rodents, and monkeys which carry the animal to human diseases, like ebola.

10. Avoid having fresh salsas and sauces made from fresh raw fruits and vegetables. It becomes contaminated after some time.

Going for a road trip can be the equivalent of a system reboot — experiencing all the nature and adventure that the world has to offer, while out on the road.

Before you set out on your journey, there may be some travel essentials you’d want to keep in mind. Here’s a list:

1. Neck pillow and eye mask

Getting good sleep whenever and wherever possible is one of the most important things. Using a good pillow can position the neck well in a way that minimises the chances of aches. Meanwhile, an eye mask works well in sleep initiation and to avoid light from entering your eye. Both items are made of soft materials for comfortable usage. The pillow can be hooked to the baggage and needs no additional space.

2. First aid kit

Always carry a kit with basic medical aids to manage any immediate accidents. What you put inside this kit is a personal choice. Some must-haves are plaster, band-aids, antiseptic cream, cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings, thermometer and painkillers. Take frequent looks at expiry dates and replace/refill accordingly. The pouch has enough room for all such essentials.

3. Toilet Seat Cover

It’s always scary to use public toilets in India, especially for women. The issue of hygiene can be partially solved by carrying disposable toilet seat covers. This ensures zero contact with germs and is ideal for those who are prone to infections. The pack contains 30 single-use disposable covers. Made of biodegradable material, the covers are eco-friendly too.

4. Mobile holder

For hassle-free driving, mobile holders are important. They can help you avoid frequent stops to check the map for finding a route. This product’s system locks and releases the device with just a push of a finger. A two-step locking lever provides additional mounting support for multiple surfaces. Any device can be placed on it. It also rotates 360 degrees which is an advantage in capturing photos/videos.

5. Coolbox

This icebox, which can be placed inside a car or any other vehicle is another essential. It can keep things like drinks and medicines cool for up to 48 hours. Additionally, it can be used to carry tiffin boxes, lunch boxes, or bento boxes. The product is made of high-quality material, and food and drinks can be safely kept inside.

6. Tyre puncture repair kit

Repairing a punctured tyre is a basic life skill, especially for frequent travellers. Make the process easier by always keeping a repair kit inside the vehicle. The kit is ideal to repair any vehicles like bikes, cars and vans. It contains a reamer, probe, puncture repair strips, cutter, nose plier, chalk, tyre valve, valve cap and gloves. These come in a nylon bag which can be easily carried.

7. Sunglasses

Sunglasses are not a luxury, but an essential to protect eyes from UV rays, dust and other harmful matters. Go for an eco-friendly option by picking wooden framed sunglasses available online. It gives a rustic and classy look too. The product comes with UV400 protection and polarised glasses.

8. Water bottle

Rather than buying mineral water bottles everywhere, carry your own bottle that you can refill. It can help in reducing the usage of single-use plastic and maintain good health. Choose a stainless steel, bamboo or copper water bottle which can be used for a long period of time. The given product is a black stainless steel 1-litre bottle. It is safe to use even if the water heats up during the journey.

9. Steel straws

The perfect partner for your juices and aerated drinks, this steel straw can be washed and reused for a long time to avoid contributing more waste. It requires tiny space in your pouch but benefits the planet a lot.

10. Journal

A really fun part of a road trip is also what comes after — going through photos and videos you took during the vacation In the same breath, why not jot down memories, details, and things you learnt along the way? This classy handcrafted leather journal is a perfect item to keep those memories alive. It is hand-stitched with 240 pages and can be easily carried. The pages are made of recycled paper.