Ever since the Bollywood movie Dil Chahta Hai glorified the idea of a spontaneous trip to Goa, every other group of college friends has been tempted by the same. Ask any college student if they have ever had a plan of heading to Goa for a long weekend and most often than not, the answer is yes.
During college, my friends and I were stung by the same desire. Luckily though, we made it come true. My friends and I were a group of four girls, who drew a detailed plan of how to go on a trip to Goa with a super-tight budget. This was possible with a plan that we made one month's time in advance. Timing is easily the key for budget travel.
PC: Ojoswi
The trip was for three nights and four days, full of absolute lazing around and relaxing. One good thing about travelling with a bunch of friends is to truly enjoy the meaning of unwinding, without having to do any touristy task of trying to cover every point of interest in the place.
In a span of four days, all we did was beach-hopping. We stayed about 350 m from the Candolim Beach, which proved to be a neat, safe and less-crowded beach amongst the many in Goa. The first thing we did as we got closer to our stay was to throw all our bags in the room and rush to the warm sand of the beach!
PC: FaizanAhmad21
I guess just the feel and smell of the salty water of a clear beach is enough to eliminate any fatigue. We refused to leave the beach for a good 3 hours. It was October when we went to Goa and although it is supposed to be monsoon, it stayed pleasantly sunny for all the four days of our stay.
For the next few days, all we did was beach-hopping. We visited the infamous Calangute and Baga beaches next, which were just at a distance of 3 km and 7 km from Candolim.
Calangute Beach looked like a friendly place that was lined with many cute restaurants, but due to heavy commercialisation, Baga Beach was too crowded and slightly disappointing. Through this trip, I realised the magnitude of less-explored beaches that could be spread throughout the state.
Also Read: Travel to the 10 Lesser Known Beaches of Goa
PC: David Weekly
However, Britto's, the popular restaurant located in Baga Beach, lived up to the expectations we had from the place. Perched at the shore, with a beautiful view of the beach and fine food, we spent a wonderful evening at Britto's.
We also visited Anjuna Beach, which was my personal favourite. Flea markets of Anjuna attracted us into buying many cute beach clothes for very reasonable prices (bargaining is the key). We tried out seafood and the typical Goan cuisine in many restaurants that we went to and left as very happy customers. Vegetarians can try Sorak, a simple yet delicious vegetable curry along with fluffy Goan idlis.
PC: Shubhojoy Mitra
In order to not leave any place for complains, on our final day we did some touristy things. First I got a few fridge magnets and other such small souvenirs for my family. Then we headed to Panaji, from where we were supposed to leave in the evening. In Panjim, we visited the beautiful church of Our Lady Immaculate Conception, the infamous Basilica of Bom Jesus and the Goa State Museum.
After a hearty final late lunch, we left the beautiful state of Goa with a heavy, happy heart and a bagful of memories.