Rs 6,300 for Uber, Rs 5,300 for three Dosas: Indian influencer reveals how US trip gave her financial anxiety
A foreign trip isn’t just about travelling to all the places recommended by influencers online and splurging on food and shopping. It also involves adult-life decisions like managing expenditure and logistics along with ensuring that you come back with memories.
However, with the rising inflation, not many are even able to afford a foreign trip a year, much less worry about its affordability and execution. And after watching one viral video on the internet, it seems that those who have been around the world would also not recommend it.
An Indian woman named Akriti Pandey recently took to Instagram to share her experience of travelling in the US while earning in Indian rupees. The content creator with 35.7K followers said that the world had become an expensive place for Indians. She previously made a video comparing Malaysian ringgit and Thai baht to INR and said that after calculating the expenses for her US trip, that comparison felt “funny.”
“$1 is Rs93-Rs95 as of today and this trip is making me question my life,” began Pandey, explaining the numerous aspects of it.
Is a US trip worth it?
She firstly spoke about public transport and how it felt almost “non-existent” in some situations. “If you land at midnight, your Uber will cost you almost close to your one-night stay. Like, I paid $67 yesterday night just to reach my hotel, or motel I would like to call it,” she said. $67 when converted to Indian rupees is Rs6,300, meaning she paid the equivalent amount in INR for a one-way cab.
Then, she compared the coffee prices and quality in both countries. “Coffee, I think it’s the best time to take a caffeine break for me, or maybe a three-to-four-dollar coffee at 7-Eleven which is yuck. India me fancy coffee beans with almond milk dete hain itne me,” she said.
A day on the trip, she felt like eating dosa for breakfast and ordering three dosas in the Bay Area cost her $57, meaning “Rs5,300 for three dosas!”
Addressing those who advised her not to convert every expense into INR, she said she couldn’t help but do so as she earned in Indian rupees. “People tell me all the time, ‘Stop converting to INR, forget about it,’ but excuse me, how can you if you earn in INR and spend in dollars?”
What’s the future of travel for Indians?
Well, as per Pandey, it is better to visit the states if it is funded by a company or sponsorship. “It’s just so much better to visit here in company expense or sponsorship; otherwise, it is going to give you too much anxiety, dude,” she said.
Referring to Indian middle-class millennials, she said if one does not have two sources of income, a side hustle or is not exceptionally good at their job, then everything “is soon going to be a luxury.” “Be it a vacation, renting a home, or starting a family and let’s just forget about reaching financial independence. What does that number even mean?” she added.
“Earning in INR, spending in dollars, and converting every meal and cab ride. Does this happen with you guys too? The big American dream? It’s almost time for me to start looking for jobs. Is it just me, or does everyone have general money anxiety these days? But who am I to complain? My friends with jobs in the US would probably have a good laugh at this,” she wrote in the caption.
Social media reactions to the clip
Many viewers in the comments agreed with Pandey’s views on US trips being extremely expensive for those earning in rupees.
“I totally agree. I was in the US last week and a banana cost about a dollar. I kept thinking, how do I even compare that with rupees? It just makes no sense,” wrote one user.
“So true yaar! Completely agree with it. It's getting expensive for us to travel anywhere as the rupee is falling like crazyyy!” added another.
“100%. Every single time I paid online, a calculator started working in my head,” one confessed.
“That dosa bill hurt me more than it should have,” one quipped.
However, with the rising inflation, not many are even able to afford a foreign trip a year, much less worry about its affordability and execution. And after watching one viral video on the internet, it seems that those who have been around the world would also not recommend it.
An Indian woman named Akriti Pandey recently took to Instagram to share her experience of travelling in the US while earning in Indian rupees. The content creator with 35.7K followers said that the world had become an expensive place for Indians. She previously made a video comparing Malaysian ringgit and Thai baht to INR and said that after calculating the expenses for her US trip, that comparison felt “funny.”
“$1 is Rs93-Rs95 as of today and this trip is making me question my life,” began Pandey, explaining the numerous aspects of it.
Is a US trip worth it?
She firstly spoke about public transport and how it felt almost “non-existent” in some situations. “If you land at midnight, your Uber will cost you almost close to your one-night stay. Like, I paid $67 yesterday night just to reach my hotel, or motel I would like to call it,” she said. $67 when converted to Indian rupees is Rs6,300, meaning she paid the equivalent amount in INR for a one-way cab.
Then, she compared the coffee prices and quality in both countries. “Coffee, I think it’s the best time to take a caffeine break for me, or maybe a three-to-four-dollar coffee at 7-Eleven which is yuck. India me fancy coffee beans with almond milk dete hain itne me,” she said.
A day on the trip, she felt like eating dosa for breakfast and ordering three dosas in the Bay Area cost her $57, meaning “Rs5,300 for three dosas!”
Addressing those who advised her not to convert every expense into INR, she said she couldn’t help but do so as she earned in Indian rupees. “People tell me all the time, ‘Stop converting to INR, forget about it,’ but excuse me, how can you if you earn in INR and spend in dollars?”
What’s the future of travel for Indians?
Well, as per Pandey, it is better to visit the states if it is funded by a company or sponsorship. “It’s just so much better to visit here in company expense or sponsorship; otherwise, it is going to give you too much anxiety, dude,” she said.
Referring to Indian middle-class millennials, she said if one does not have two sources of income, a side hustle or is not exceptionally good at their job, then everything “is soon going to be a luxury.” “Be it a vacation, renting a home, or starting a family and let’s just forget about reaching financial independence. What does that number even mean?” she added.
“Earning in INR, spending in dollars, and converting every meal and cab ride. Does this happen with you guys too? The big American dream? It’s almost time for me to start looking for jobs. Is it just me, or does everyone have general money anxiety these days? But who am I to complain? My friends with jobs in the US would probably have a good laugh at this,” she wrote in the caption.
Social media reactions to the clip
Many viewers in the comments agreed with Pandey’s views on US trips being extremely expensive for those earning in rupees.
“I totally agree. I was in the US last week and a banana cost about a dollar. I kept thinking, how do I even compare that with rupees? It just makes no sense,” wrote one user.
“So true yaar! Completely agree with it. It's getting expensive for us to travel anywhere as the rupee is falling like crazyyy!” added another.
“100%. Every single time I paid online, a calculator started working in my head,” one confessed.
“That dosa bill hurt me more than it should have,” one quipped.
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