On the very first day of 2018 – January the 1st, i was in the Maldives for a week long holiday that cost me less than ₹40,000 including flights! It all began because i found a new route on SriLankan Airlines to Addu instead of Male, the capital city. I had never heard of Addu before (apparently connectivity via Colombo started only since 2016) – so i was naturally more curious and excited about discovering this backpacker friendly part of Maldives on a budget! Addu is locally known as ‘The Heart Of The Maldives’, due to the heart shape of the atoll. Flying Business Class to Maldives! The Mumbai – Colombo flight was just over 2 hours, which was a huge relief since i had not slept at all, the night before! At Colombo airport, there was a fab surprise which made the onward journey even better for me – SriLankan staff asked my lady companions if any of them would be interested in a complimentary Business Class upgrade, and they unanimously pointed to me as a ‘thank you’ for helping them spot this deal! 🙂 Needless to say, yours gratefully enjoyed the privilege and soaked in some stunning sights...