Cash down

If you're looking to book flight tickets or make hotel bookings on the Net, but are worried about disclosing your credit card details, well, worry you not as some travel portals are now willing to accept cash.

How does it work?
In case of Yatra.com, SMS "cash" to 2622 and you'll be called by their customer care centre within 30 minutes to help you with your bookings. After this, Yatra.com or its logistics partners "" companies like DTDC "" will send its staff to the address given by you at a given time (within 24 hours of the telephone call).

In case you are making hotel bookings or are purchasing a holiday package, the staff will hand you the voucher and collect the money.

But if you have booked flight tickets, you are given the flight itinerary and the money is collected. Later, either an e-ticket is sent to you or the PNR number is sent via SMS. However, your booking will be confirmed within 24 hours of the company receiving the cash.

If you are making your bookings through Makemytrip.com, you can either request for the cash to be collected from your home or make the payment at any of the portal's walk-in centres. The website has such centres in Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. In case you opt for the former, the process is similar to that adopted by Yatra.com.

Is this service available in all cities?
No. Makemytrip's reach is much larger. It provides this service in 28 cities which includes the four metros, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and others. Yatra's service is available in a total of 12 cities like Ahmedabad, Baroda, Goa and Ludhiana.

What's in it for me?
Well, for one you do not have to reveal your credit card details online or to a call centre employee. And two, no more worry lines about those mounting credit card bills.

Take it or leave it?
Like we told you, a service of this kind is best suited to those of you who do not like disclosing important credit/debit card details online or to call centre employees.

What are the damages?
Both travel websites are providing this service free of charge at present. But Yatra does plan to levy a charge in a few months time.

However, given that a facility like this will boost volumes for travel portals (Yatra says its business from this service will grow to 25-30 per cent of total transactions from the current 7-8per cent), it will be a while before it really does do so.

Meanwhile, be prepared to pay between Rs 2 to Rs 3 per SMS (this depends on your mobile service provider) in case you are booking through Yatra.

SNIPPETS

Work and play
Okay, so you want a break and your bosses won't let you take one. So how about convincing them to hold the next team-building exercise in one of the beautiful private natural reserves in South Africa, the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.

Why? Well, for one, you get to watch whales and white sharks from a place that is best known for just that. Secondly, the 1,700-hectare reserve houses some 650 species of indigenous plants and a variety of rare birds. And then there is the usual gamut of stuff needed for a conference "" VoIP phones, wireless Internet access, projectors, DVD players and video and television equipment.

The reserve provides help in arranging team building activities and has a dedicated team of eight to take delegates on a guided tour of the reserve and surrounding areas. Grootbos has 23 suites and each is equipped with a bedroom, lounge, tea/coffee vending machine and mini bar.

Their conference packages include accommodation in these suites, meals, and tea/coffee. The package price will of course have to be negotiated, but just to give you an idea, a twin sharing room will cost you about Rs 4,725 per night. For more information log on to www.grootbos.com.

Spaced out!
If you've always wanted to know what it feels like to be in space, a subsidiary of EADS, Airbus's parent company, is developing a new space jet that will take you 100 km into space and experience upto three minutes of zero gravity.

The vehicle will be the size of a regular corporate jet, will have jet engines, can seat four passengers and will take off and land from most standard airports around the world.

If you're wondering just how you will be propelled into space, well, once your space jet attains a height of 12 km, the jet engines will be ignited to give it enough acceleration to reach an altitude of 100 km.

And once you gain that altitude, the rocket propulsion system will be shut down and you will be able to enjoy zero gravity. Happy? The trip will last about an hour and a half.

If all goes as per plan, ie if Astrium, the company developing the craft, begins work next year, the first commercial flight will be made in 2012. Waiting to book your seat?

Loving it?
Hong Kong's turning 10 next month and Cathay Pacific is giving out 1,000 tickets to mark this landmark in the history of its home city. So how do you get a free ticket? Log on to the website, www.welovehongkong.hk and tell in words or in pictures or in both, why you love Hong Kong.

The shortlisted 300 entries will get round-trip economy class tickets to Hong Kong. And the final 100 entries from these will get two additional round-trip economy class air tickets each.