10 Best Trips to Take With Your Friends in Your 20s – All Under ₹15,000
By Shivani Raghuvanshi, Co-Founder, Tour to Dreams
If there is one thing I have learned since starting Tour to Dreams, it is that your 20s are the perfect time to travel with your friends, Not because you have unlimited money, you probably don’t. Not because you have unlimited time you definitely don’t but because this is the age when you can take an overnight train, sleep in a hostel, eat Maggi on a mountain, share one room with four friends and somehow turn a ₹10,000 trip into a memory you’ll talk about for the next ten years.
I’ve always believed that travel shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for people with big budgets.
India gives us so many incredible destinations where you can have an unforgettable trip without spending ₹30,000–₹40,000. So, if you’re in your 20s and your friend group has been saying “Trip kab kar rahe hain?” for the last six months, here are 10 trips I would genuinely recommend. And yes all of them can be planned around a ₹15,000 per-person budget with smart planning, shared accommodation and economical transport.
- Rishikesh – For the Friends Who Want Everything
Approx. budget: ₹7,000–₹10,000
Ideal duration: 3–4 days
If your group can’t decide between adventure, mountains, spirituality, cafés and just relaxing together, Rishikesh is probably your answer. This is one of those destinations where every person in the group can find something they enjoy.
Want adventure? Go river rafting.
Want peace? Sit beside the Ganga.
Want cafés? Tapovan has plenty.
Want spirituality? Attend the Ganga Aarti.
Want Instagram-worthy pictures? Rishikesh won’t disappoint.
And because there are plenty of hostels, budget stays and local food options, it is one of the easiest destinations to keep under ₹15,000.
- Kasol – For the Friends Who Want the Mountains
Approx. budget: ₹9,000–₹14,000
Ideal duration: 4–5 days
There is something about going to the mountains with your best friends. Maybe it’s the overnight bus. Maybe it’s the first glimpse of the Himalayas through the window. Maybe it’s sitting in a café for three hours because nobody wants to leave. Kasol is perfect for that kind of trip.
Spend your days exploring the Parvati Valley, walk to Chalal, visit Manikaran and add a trek depending on your group’s fitness and the season.
Stay in hostels or budget homestays, travel by bus and eat local, and you can realistically keep the trip around ₹15,000.
- Bir Billing – For the Adventurous Friend Group
Approx. budget: ₹7,000–₹12,000
Ideal duration: 3–4 days
If your group is always looking for the next adventure, put Bir Billing on your list. Bir is famous for paragliding and is one of the best places in India to experience the thrill of flying over the Himalayan landscape but Bir isn’t only about paragliding. The cafés, monasteries, mountain views and relaxed backpacker atmosphere make it a fantastic destination for a group trip.
And unlike some Himalayan destinations, you don’t need to spend your entire budget on sightseeing.
Just make sure you choose a licensed operator and follow local safety requirements for paragliding.
- Hampta Pass – For the Friends Who Want a Real Adventure
Approx. budget: ₹8,000–₹15,000
Ideal duration: 4–5 days
Okay, this one is different. If you’ve already done the easy weekend trips and your group is ready to challenge yourselves, Hampta Pass should be on your list. This isn’t a café-and-sightseeing holiday.
It’s a trek. You’ll walk through forests, cross streams, see dramatic mountain landscapes and experience how quickly the scenery can change in the Himalayas. And that’s exactly why I love the idea of doing a trek with friends.
You’re tired together. You struggle together. You motivate each other and when you finally reach the pass, you have a memory that belongs only to the people who were there.
- Kedarnath – For the Journey That Feels Different
Approx. budget: ₹8,000–₹15,000
Ideal duration: 4–5 days
Kedarnath isn’t just another destination on a travel list. For many people, the journey itself is the experience.
The mountains. The cold. The long walk. The sound of the river. And finally seeing the temple surrounded by the Himalayas. Going with friends makes the journey even more memorable because everyone experiences the difficult parts together.
You can keep the trip budget-friendly by using public/shared transport, budget accommodation and planning your travel carefully.
Always check the official registration, route status, weather and travel advisories before travelling, as Kedarnath is a high-altitude seasonal pilgrimage.
- Varanasi — For the Friends Who Want a Trip With a Soul
Approx. budget: ₹6,000–₹10,000
Ideal duration: 2–3 days
There are destinations you visit. And then there are destinations you experience.
For me, Varanasi is the second kind but if there is one time when I would tell you to experience Varanasi with your friends, it’s Dev Deepawali. Imagine thousands of diyas lighting up the ghats of the Ganga, the river reflecting the glow of countless lamps, temples illuminated and the entire city coming alive with music, rituals and celebrations.
That’s Dev Deepawali in Varanasi. And experiencing it with your friends makes it even more special. Wake up before sunrise. Take a boat on the Ganga. Walk through the old lanes. Try the local food. Sit at the ghats. Watch the evening Ganga Aarti. And somewhere between all of this, you’ll probably find yourself having conversations with your friends that you wouldn’t have had anywhere else.
- Udaipur – For the Aesthetic Friend Group
Approx. budget: ₹6,000–₹10,000
Ideal duration: 2–3 days
Every friend group has that one person who stops every five minutes and says: “Wait, let me take a picture.” If that’s your group, Udaipur is for you. The lakes, palaces, old streets, colourful markets and rooftop cafés make it incredibly easy to spend two or three days exploring without needing an expensive itinerary.
And because you’re travelling as a group, you can split your accommodation and local transport costs.
- Manali – Your Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Moment
Approx. budget: ₹10,000–₹15,000 per person
Ideal duration: 4–5 days
I genuinely think every friend group deserves one trip that feels straight out of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.
Not because Manali is exactly where the movie was set, but because it captures that same feeling, the excitement of leaving everything behind, boarding an overnight bus with your favourite people, laughing over the smallest things, chasing mountain views and returning home with memories that somehow become part of your personality.
For most people in their 20s, Manali isn’t just a destination.
It’s the trip.
The one that begins with endless messages in the group chat, someone forgetting their charger, someone sleeping through the journey and everyone suddenly becoming a photographer the moment the mountains appear outside the window. There is something incredibly special about sitting with your friends in the cold after an entire day of exploring. No fancy plans. No luxury hotel.
Just mountains outside your window, steaming cups of chai, tired legs and conversations that somehow become deeper at 10 PM.
That’s the feeling I associate with Manali.
- Ujjain + Omkareshwar – For a Spiritual Friends’ Trip
Approx. budget: ₹5,000–₹9,000
Ideal duration: 2–3 days
As someone from Ujjain and as a co-founder of a travel company based here, this one is obviously very close to me. And honestly, I think Ujjain and Omkareshwar are underrated when it comes to group travel. People often think a spiritual trip has to be serious and boring.
It doesn’t. You can explore temples, try local food, walk around the city, experience the atmosphere of Mahakal and then head towards Omkareshwar for another beautiful spiritual experience. Explore Chappan Dukan and if you have 2 more days don’t forget to add Mandav in your trip.
And if you’re travelling with friends from Madhya Pradesh, this is one of the easiest trips to do on a smaller budget.
- Goa — Because Every Friend Group Needs a Goa Story
Approx. budget: ₹10,000–₹15,000
Ideal duration: 3–4 days
Of course Goa had to be here but I don’t mean the expensive version of Goa.
I’m talking about the Goa where you take a train, share a stay, rent scooters, eat local food, explore beaches and spend an evening watching the sunset. The trick to keeping Goa under ₹15,000 is planning your transport and accommodation well and avoiding peak-season prices where possible.
As someone who works in travel, I’ve seen people spend a lot of money trying to make a trip “perfect.” But your 20s aren’t really about perfect trips. They’re about shared rooms, missed trains, scooter rides, beach sunsets, cheap food and laughing with your friends until your stomach hurts. Goa is perfect for that. You can wake up without an alarm. Ride around with the wind in your face. Stop somewhere because the place looks interesting. Sit on a beach for two hours doing absolutely nothing. And have those conversations that only happen when nobody is checking the time.
That’s the Goa I’d choose.
Not the expensive one. The one where ₹15,000 is enough to give you a story you’ll remember for years.
One Thing I Want You to Remember
Since starting Tour to Dreams, I’ve realised that people often wait for the “right time” to travel. After graduation. After getting a better job. After saving more money. After things become less busy. But life rarely becomes less busy.
And your friends won’t always live in the same city, have the same schedules or have the same responsibilities.
So take the trip, take the overnight train, stay in the budget hotel, share the cab. Eat the ₹50 meal. Wake up early for the sunrise. Get lost. Laugh about it. Take terrible pictures. Take too many pictures. nAnd come home with a story.
Because your 20s are not about having everything figured out.
They’re about collecting experiences while you still have the chance to say, “Chalo, nikalte hain.”
That’s the kind of travel we believe in at Tour to Dreams
Not necessarily luxury. Not unnecessary expenses. Not just ticking destinations off a list. Real trips. Real people. Real memories. So if your friends have been asking “Trip kab karein?”
Here’s your answer.
Pick a destination. Keep the budget under ₹15,000. Get your people together. And go.
✈️ Plan your next trip with Tour to Dreams
At Tour to Dreams, we curate budget-friendly group trips across India, from Himalayan adventures and treks to spiritual journeys, beach escapes and backpacking experiences.
You bring your people.
We’ll take care of the journey.
Shivani Raghuvanshi
Co-Founder, Tour to Dreams
