Why do we travel?
- Reeta Dhar
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The trials, tribulations and payoff from self-guided budget travel
Why do we travel? What possesses us to leave behind a comfortable home and head off into the unknown? I am not referring to luxury travel or the sort of travel one does with organised tours ... Rather, I am talking about the self-directed, budget-conscious journeys that intrepid souls embark upon through distant lands. As adventurous as such a form of travel may sound, it is not without its trials …
Trials and tribulations of the modern self-guided budget traveller
The perils of flying economy class
It all begins the moment one boards the airline's less-than-decadent economy class, with seats that are designed to maximise discomfort. No amount of pillows will help to alleviate the suffering, and that is before the gentleman in front decides to recline back in his seat. If one is lucky that will be the extent of their grievances, but more often than not other inconveniences common to airline travel are bound to crop up, with airline food completing the torture.
When finally released from the confines of the aircraft, we find ourselves facing the next trial: Customs.
Terse customs officials
With the sole exception of the Fiji Islands, every 'customs agent' in every other port seems to think it their solemn duty to be unnecessarily terse, if not rude, to visitors who are voluntarily arriving on their doorsteps to empty their savings accounts.
The icy reception from customs agents, however, pales in comparison to what lies waiting at the airport doors: Taxi drivers.
Airport taxis – the endemic scam
Avoiding scams by airport taxis is the first hurdle every self-directed traveller needs to pass. Knowing most people to be exhausted and sleep deprived, taxi drivers and their touts try every trick in the book to get them into their cars for an inflated or uncertain price, whilst deliberately misdirecting them away from rideshare, airport trains and buses.
The delights of three star accommodation
Then there are the budget hotels and rustic guest houses that many romantics are drawn to, where the combination of location, price and local charm makes us conveniently forget the stiff mattresses, skinny pillows, tepid showers, non-existent sound proofing and varying standards of hygiene waiting for us at the other end. (It feels gratifying to know your money is going to locals rather than international conglomerates though …)
The lurking lurgies
The inevitability of catching one lurgy or another is the next challenge, as is navigating the chemist to track the specific medication one needs. A queasy stomach is the worst I find, especially if it turns into gastro as, unless one is travelling in Japan, clean toilets are hard to come by, which brings us to the next trial.
Sinful sanitation
The toilets one encounters on budget travels can make for a great travel tale or be a cause for lifelong trauma. Some toilets can also be a source of mystery ...
I mean, if you have not crouched down in some shabby shed in the middle of nowhere, over a dark hole buzzing with flies and reeking of sin, while desperately trying not to slip —only to then catch sight of some dubious smear on the wall and wonder how in the world someone managed to defecate at such an acute angle—have you even lived?
The biggest trial for many Westerners however, is the haggling.
Haggled to death
When travelling through developing countries, one also has to prepare oneself mentally and emotionally for navigating a world where nothing has a price tag ...
Everything from a felucca ride on the Nile to a bottle of water is a negotiation. Even if one approaches the task with good humour, it's hard to shake off the feeling of being overcharged at every turn. It helps to remind oneself that even after paying a premium, things are still substantially cheaper than what one would be paying back home. Even so, it still stings to feel cheated.
At this point, those amongst us who are averse to travelling may be asking the same question I started off with – so why travel?
So, why travel?
In all our years of travel, we have put up with these and many other discomforts but if anyone was to give us the option to cut our trip short and go back home – and even pay us good money to do so – our immediate response would be, 'No thank you'.
If they went so far as to upgrade us to a more comfortable travel class, say with private cars and drivers, tour guides, luxury hotels and restaurants, we'd still say no (although we remain open to upgrading our airline ticket to first class and dining out at a Michelin restaurant or two!)
Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have a bit of luxury and comfort along the way, and we do schedule some indulgences in, but I would not travel this way all the time …
Why? It’s the same reason why people sign up to endurance sports like marathons: Overcoming adversity has a payoff.
The payoff from self-guided budget travel
There is something quietly daunting about being in a country where you know absolutely no one and have to rely entirely on your own wits and the kindness and goodwill of strangers to get to your destination.
Nothing is certain; the hotel you booked may have closed down for the low season, the public bus may break down in the middle of the desert, the taxi driver may refuse to drive all the way to your destination, insisting instead that you get off in the middle of a freeway, climb over an embankment and cross 6 lanes of traffic … all true stories by the way.
But when you manage to work through the uncertainties, overcome the difficulties and reach your destination – which is the usual outcome (lest we would not be here) – it leaves you with a sense of accomplishment in yourself and an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards all others who played a part in your journey:
The taxi driver who did agree to a fair price when all around him wouldn't …
The host at your guest house who gave you that excellent restaurant recommendation …
The waiter who took the time to translate the menu and share his life story …
The folks in the microbus who made sure you were charged a fair price by the driver …
The sandwich shop owner who made the freshest falafel pockets for you at local price …
The van driver who gave you a ride into town when you were stranded in the desert …
The kids and their grandma who ushered you to your room at the guesthouse …
The man at the restaurant who taught you how to say "let's go" in Nubian ...
These everyday experiences and encounters enriches one's understanding of a country, its people and its culture – and it is these sorts of experiences that make self-directed budget travel worth every trouble. They are also what one remembers, long after the memories of hellish toilets have faded into the ether.
Written by Reeta Dhar. Cover Art by Darren Pryce.
Based on travel to Egypt in May 2026.
Written at the Nubian village of Nagaa Al Karur, Aswan Egypt. Illustrated at Schio, Italy.
First published by the Vitalis Magazine in September 2026
Comments