How to Plan a Trip to the Maldives on a Budget

That’s right, it’s totally possible to plan a trip to the Maldives on a budget. I didn’t think it was possible either, which is why I took one for the team, and volunteered myself to go test out the tropical atoll paradise on a broke girl’s budget.

By the way, yes, I paid for my flights to get to the Maldives and all of my budget accommodations, and I probably make less or equal money to most of you who are reading this. I did get to use my blogger-power to stay two nights at one of the fancy over-water villa resorts, which I’d still recommend doing if you’re going to the Maldives for a special occasion, but I won’t include that in this budget planning tutorial since one night equals close to my entire budget trip.

Moving right along! There are a few important things you need to know about the Maldives and why budget travel used to not be an option, so I’ll start there and move on to the info you actually came here to read about.

1. Important Things to Know About the Maldives

Raise your hand if you knew that the Maldives is a predominantly Muslim country? Or that drinking alcohol or wearing swimsuits is strictly prohibited in most areas? Anyone? I sure as hell didn’t. But little facts like that helped me understand why the availability of budget travel options is still relatively new. Here’s what I found out:

• The Maldives is predominantly Muslim, so you must adhere to their customs, rules, and laws, such as; no wearing swimsuits (guys or gals) unless in designated “bikini beaches” or private beaches. …or resorts.
• No alcohol is allowed to be bought, sold, or consumed. ….besides at resorts.
• You are expected to dress appropriately, and cover up …besides at resorts.
• There is prayer several times a day, so expect to hear it at 5am, and also expect everything (shops, ferries, toilets) to shut down on Friday afternoons.
• The above are all mostly only noticeably in affect on “local inhabited islands”
• The above are all relevant things to know, because the “local inhabited islands” are the only places where you can find budget accommodation.
• The government just granted local islands approval to operate “Guest Houses” for travelers in 2012, which means most of them are new and in nice shape…but can tend to lack a few things…like good wifi.
• Transportation between islands in the Maldives can be a b*tch, but there are budget options.

• FUN FACT: The Maldives are made up of “atolls” which are basically extinct ocean volcanoes whose rims got crusted over with coral. The coral broke off and kept forming at the tops of the rims for so long that they started poking out of the water, and eventually formed land masses, AKA islands. This is why if you look at a map of the Maldives, or see it from a plane, you’ll notice many of the islands look like they form a ring. This is also why the Maldives is known as one of the best Scuba Diving locations in the world; because it’s essentially one big massive coral reef!

2. Getting to Maldives on a Budget

If you start to plan a holiday to Maldives by searching for a flight directly there, you’re going to cry and give up as soon as you see the prices. Don’t even try it. Just follow my directions and trust me, I do this for a “living”. It’s still not going to be ideal, but getting to Maldives on a budget is at least better than getting there without an arm and a leg. If it works, feel free to click around on my website or share this so I get magic Google points. 😉

1. Go to Skyscanner.com (or whatever site you like using to search, this is just the one I’m used to using)
2. Type in your home airport in the “departure” field
3. In the “destination” field, leave it blank, or hover your mouse over it then click the “Everywhere” option
4. For the dates, pick the “Entire Month” option instead of guessing your exact dates (unless you HAVE to travel on certain dates)
5. Click “Search”
6. From the results, write down the first (AKA cheapest) THREE countries in Asia that come up. Usually Thailand, Japan, Singapore, or Hong Kong come up for me.
7. Open a new window and do another Skyscanner search, except this time put one of the countries you just wrote down in the “departure” field, and put “Maldives” in the “destination” field, and again search the whole month.
8. Add the two flight costs together and see which combination is cheapest.
9. Decide whether saving hundreds of dollars on flights is worth flying two roundtrip flights or not (for me, YES).

If you’re a visual learner or if you appreciate my little technique, please check out the Video Tutorial I made called: How to Save Hundreds of Dollars on Flights Using Skyscanner’s Flexible Option

Or watch my video 😀

3. How to Find Budget Maldives Accommodation

Next on your planning list is finding budget Maldives accommodation. As I mentioned before, the options are pretty much limited to guest houses unless you stay in Malé, which, most people don’t do. But! As I mentioned before, the guest houses are all quite new and extremely cute, so it’s really just a matter of which island you want to go to…

By the way…there are over 1000 islands in the Maldives. The way I chose which ones to go to, were by figuring out which ones the local ferry went to, and browsing the map for budget Maldives accommodations along the ferry line.

This is also a very easy process to do, and again if it works, and you are amazed by my mad travel skillz, please feel free to book your accommodation through the links on my site…I may get a dollar or two from it if you do. #thestruggleisreal

NOTE: I went during “rainy season” in August so the prices were all around $40-50. In “high season” expect them to be between $50-100!

1. Go to Booking.com (in a separate tab)
2. Search Maldives, and adjust your tentative dates, and the price range to under $100
3. Before you start looking at all the pretty places and even prettier prices, scroll down and look for the little map on the left side of the screen, then click on it.
4. Find Malé, zoom in, then start your search, using the map, to the islands to the left (West) – I chose this route because if you look closely, there is a faint white line between the islands…that is the local ferry line, which also is part of the budget planning!
5. When you get to the small islands, zoom in more to see all of the accommodation options – little price bubbles should pop up, and you can click them then open the guest house in a new tab to compare.
6. You can book these in advance, but FYI the prices tend to drop if you book them the day before
7. Also FYI, pay VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the fine print on the guest house listings!!! They will ALL tell you to first of all, adhere to the dressing appropriately rules, and second of all, give you your transportation options. Which I will also do next.

Guest House/Island I stayed on: Rasdhoo Atoll Residence on Rasdhoo Island

Booking.com

NOTE: Also pay attention to the ferry schedule in the next section! Since the ferries only run on certain days and at certain times, there’s a chance you’ll either have to stay in Malé a night or two, or take a more expensive speedboat.

4. How to Get Budget Transportation in the Maldives

Bad news: The local ferry schedule is absolutely horrid, speedboats are relatively expensive, and for budget travelers like myself, flights are out of the question.

Good news: If you’re patient, the local ferry is only $5, if you’re stuck in a storm or on a day when the ferries don’t operate, speedboats are around $40, and if you absolutely must take a flight…the view is insanely awesome.

Below is the local ferry schedule from what I remember, and again you can also see what the guest houses recommend on their Booking.com listings. Speedboats run rather often so you don’t really need to worry about a schedule for those…just think of them mostly as a back up plan…

OK SO! To get ANYWHERE by ferry OR speedboat, you must:

1. Take the “airport ferry” (right at the airport, you can’t miss it) to Malé City (your only option) for about $1 (get cash out at the ATM)
2. Figure out if you’ll make the local ferry (see below) or if you’ll need to stay the night in Malé City (if so, I recommend Hotel Jen).
3. From Malé City, walk yourself (30 mins) or take a cab to the “Villingili Ferry Terminal” on the other side of the island.

LOCAL FERRY SCHEDULE FROM MALÉ (Villingili Ferry Terminal) TO ANY OTHER LOCAL ISLAND:

LEAVES: 9am on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday ONLY

RETURNS: Depends on what island your on, on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday ONLY

Cost: About $5 paid in Maldivian rupees.

For all other ferry or speedboat information, feel free to scour the only website with some info called Atoll Transfer. But BEWARE!! You may end up paying more! I arranged all of my transportation in the Maldives on my own once I got there, either by walking up to a ferry terminal, or asking at my guest house!

5. What to do in Maldives on a Budget

So I’m sure the main reason why you’re thinking of planning this trip is because you have sand and sun on your mind. But, once you start planning, you may wonder what there is to do in Maldives on a budget. Don’t worry, you can plan an epic trip to the Maldives that will feel like you were at a fancy resort, and for a fraction of the price. Here’s some options:

• Go to a Local Beach: just make sure you look on the map for the ones designated as “bikini” beaches
• Take a Boat Ride to a Sandbar or “Picnic Island”: these are “uninhabited islands” that your guest house can arrange a boat to for you for around $30 (steep, but since the islands are small, there’s no getting around it).
• Go Snorkeling: One of the best cheap things to do in the Maldives is go snorkeling. Not only is there a ton of fish and reefs, but most guest houses include free use of snorkels and masks!
• Go Scuba Diving in the Maldives: A bit on the pricier side, but definitely a MUST if you are Scuba certified. I went out twice with Rasdhoo Dive Centre for $75 per dive, or $120 for a double tank dive. I actually purposely got certified to scuba before I went on my trip to the Maldives because I had heard it was one of the top places to dive in the world! So yeah…definitely do that.
• Do a Resort Island Day Trip: Here’s a fun little trick for feeling fancy on your trip to the Maldives on a budget! Pay about $130-$160 to do an All-Inclusive day trip from your little budget local island to a nearby resort island. It’s like a mini-vacation within your vacation, plus probably your only chance to booze it up while you’re there!

6. What to Pack for a Trip to Maldives

You’re probably going to be freaking out with excitement when it comes time to start packing for your Maldives vacation, but don’t forget that the less you pack, the easier/cheaper it will be! Like any normal girl, I packed multiple bikinis and sunglasses, but there’s also a few items I brought and used that came in EXTREMELY handy:

Scrubba Washbag

…that doubled as a dry bag and was massively convenient to protect my laptop!!!

Stowaway Travel Backpack

This magical little thing folds up to the size of your palm, and proved to be insanely useful on the beaches and boats! I’m actually shocked at how sturdy (and I think waterproof but don’t hold me to that) it is, considering I put my entire purse, laptop, and GoPros in it!

Weekender Bag

Since I knew I’d be hopping on and off boats, I put my roller luggage in storage at the airport for $5 a day, and just used a weekender bag like this one (but for 2 weeks).

Want tips on how to perfectly pack a weekender bag? Check out my blog about it: How to Pack the Perfect Weekend Bag

GoPro Hero 4 with Waterproof Housing

Self explanatory.

But for tips on how I get all of my awesome GoPro shots, check out this tutorial: How to Use A GoPro to Get Awesome Travel Photos

Skyroam Portable Wifi Hotspot

A bit spotty on some of the random remote islands, but still works, as you can see in the pic. I actually use this thing regularly when I travel for those times when I don’t feel like sitting in a Starbucks to get free wifi…check out my review on Skyroam here.

“Appropriately Dressed” Jumper

So ignore the sexy waist and heels, and just go for the long-sleeved, long-pant jumper idea. Like I said, the Maldives is a predominantly Muslim country, so you need to cover up until you get to a beach! Although I was sweating my ass off, I wore a jumper like this one on all of the ferries, and to and from the airport!

Scarf/Wrap

Another thing I wore a lot, whether it was to cover up my shoulders or wear on my head, was a scarf! I got most of mine in India before I went to the Maldives…just in case…ya know…you wanna stop there first.

Natural Sunscreen

I PREACH using natural sunscreen because I know how bad regular sunscreen is for your skin AND coral reefs! Since the Maldives is made up of mostly coral reefs…DON’T RUIN THEM! They don’t sell natural sunscreen there so be sure to bring it before you leave! This brand called Sunology is by far my favorite!

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