In This Age Of Budget Traveling, Im Happy To Be A Comfort Traveller

I'm sure you remember your childhood days when going for a family vacation was an annual affair and was awaited dearly. Years went by, you passed school, college and are now reeling in the sphere of corporate singsong. But do you remember when exactly did that annual tradition of going on a trip turned into almost a monthly affair?

Yeah, neither do I!

The face of travel is changing faster than ever. Young travellers today are encompassed by an unquenchable thirst of traversing as many cities, mountains and oceans, as possible. And with this growing trend of frequent and regular travel, has emerged a powerful concept of 'Budget Travel', or 'backpacking' as they say.

Try looking for a destination and you will see that tips, tricks and nuances of budget travel are the talk of the town. Saving a dime seems to have trumped the temporal realms of splurging in order to achieve that dream vacation. Staying in shared dormitories, commuting by public buses, cooking one's own food, etc. are only a few bullets in the armour of a budget traveller.

And amidst all of this, I find myself standing at one corner, unable to associate with the concept of budget travel. I realize that I am more of a 'comfort traveller', who is willing to pay those extra bucks in exchange of a few worldly comforts.

And before you judge me for being too materialistic, please hear me out, as I present my case through the following arguments.

When leaves per year are numbered, time is the real money my friend!

I'm sure a lot of you will empathize with me when I say that being in a regular 10-6 job entails a meagre number of casual leaves per year. And even if one manages to not fall sick for an entire year, the actual number of days to 'vacay' are limited. In such a scenario, spending twice or thrice the number of commute hours, as compared to hiring a private vehicle, makes limited sense. It is naturally more practical to hire an minimize hours commuting from one place to another, so that one can maximize the hours of sightseeing and stay at their destination.

Figuring out one way while hitch-hiking across a town certainly seems thrilling, but with having a premeditated and curated plan comes in handy when you have only a limited number of days to spare.

"Peace out": That's my mantra of travelling!

Present jobs comprise of a constant acrobatics of pressing deadlines, long working hours, grilling team meetings and the likes. As a corollary, when you take some time off for vacation it can not be restricted to mere sightseeing and exploring a new place. Vacationing has also assumed an important role of unwinding and destressing from the modern 'hamster on a wheel' approach towards life.

Because of this, staying in shared accommodations/hostels which are constantly abuzz with travel enthusiasts, isn't preferred choice for someone looking for a peaceful abode. As for me, I would certainly pay more, in order to have some peaceful nights which are not bridled with an approaching deadline or even an alarm clock the next morning!

Spoil me good!

A large chunk of the working class stays in Metro cities, where along with managing office work, managing one's own household is a daunting task. Right from grocery shopping to laundry to other household chores, life for a city dwellers is kind of a one man army.

And that's why luxurious hotels which spoil you with their crisp and clean bedsheets, and their pleasantly aromatic rooms, and their enticing pools, stand out amongst homestays and humble hostels.

It goes without saying that for someone who has breakfast almost everyday on the go, gourmet breakfasts at resorts are akin to panacea.

Because of these predominant reasons when it comes to booking a stay for a trip, I bet my money on resorts/hotels rather than lodges/homestays.

Being an introvert living in this extrovert world!

I am an introvert. Being constantly surrounded by myriad of people and having to engage in conversations/meetings almost throughout the day, is draining to say the least. For me, one way of recouping with this exhaustion from being vocal and social all the time is to go to a far flung place, where I can be one with myself. That is why in my trips, I strive to connect more with myself than with fellow travelers.

And here's where staying in hostels/dormitories where one gets to meet a lot of fellow travelers, doesn't entice me. Staying in a private room, does comes at an increased cost, but it helps an introvert like me, achieve the goal of reconnecting with self. And so paying that extra buck, doesn't hurt as much!

These are the major reasons why amidst the present times of budding budget travel, I am still silently, but firmly holding the court of comfort travel. And as with every changing season and passing year, my love of travel keeps growing, I will wait to see whether at all I get swayed to the other side!

Are you a budget traveler or do you also like to splurge a bit for your own comfort? Let me know in the comments below, or write about it here on Tripoto and earn Tripoto Credits!