As the summer vacations approach, most people are busy planning to go out with their families to exotic locations in India and abroad. Knowing this, all the tour operators are advertising heavily. On display are beautiful locales from all over the world at affordable prices or packages.
Many families, who have not been able to travel abroad, now have the opportunity to do so. For instance, Harshad and Reeti Pandharipande, a couple from Nagpur, who were planning to visit abroad for the last four years, are finally going to visit Europe this year.
"We thought of packaged tours. But we finally decided to go for a "do-it-yourself" trip, as we have relatives and friends in the UK. And it has worked out cheaper as well," says Reeti.
The couple, who work in the hospitality industry, managed a 14-day trip within a budget of Rs 1.5 lakh. If you are one of those who are planning to go abroad, here are few things to do.
WHERE TO GO?
Firstly, you have to decide on the region or place that you wish to explore. The choices will have to be based on the time you have, budget and your interests.
For more help, you can visit travel websites such as loneyplanet.com, wikitravel.org, Bootsnall.com. You can also go to the tourism ministry's website of each country and download or request for brochures.
After finalising the location, it is time you start preparing the itinerary by referring to books such as Lonely Planets, Let's Go or Frommer's book. These books, though slightly expensive, cover almost all the places in a country.
Another method of selecting the country is looking at places where Indian rupee can earn you a better deal on exchanging currency. For instance, in countries like Thailand and Egypt, the strengthening rupee can get you good deals.
FLIGHT FARES
You can get a good idea about the comparative fares by visiting the websites of different airlines. Log on to international ticketing websites such as orbitz.com, travelocity.com, cheaptickets.com to see the price. Remember to check whether airport charges are included in the ticket price or not.
Check with your travel agent for the fares and compare what is cheaper. Sai Jaiswal, proprietor of Nomads travel agency says, "National airlines of the countries work out to be cheaper for visiting popular destinations."
ACCOMMODATION
The current new rage across the travel world is travel networking. You can just log on to the internet, make a list of either family or couples or singles, who will let you stay at their place during the travel period.
The most popular website for travel networking is couchsurfing.com. You can also try bootsnall.com, travelersfortravelers.com, travelcompanions.com and travellersconnected.com.
If you are not comfortable with this idea, the cheapest way to manage accommodation is staying in international hostels. To be a member of these hostels, just join any international hostel in India such as Young Men's Christian Association or Youth Hostels Association of India. The membership fee of these hostels for each year is within Rs 200.
Another option is to be a part of time-share accommodations such as Mahindra holidays or Country Club. These have worldwide affiliations.
LOCAL TRAVEL
Most of the major cities in the world have decent public transportation, if you are confident about your driving skills, you can hire a car through the Automobile Association (AA) of that country. There are also car rental companies like Hertz and Avis, which have a big presence in most countries.
For the license to drive abroad, international driving license has to be issued by, either the Regional Transport Office or the AA in your city.
INSURANCE
Remember to take international travel insurance. This too can be done online by visiting the website of a domestic insurance company. They come quite cheap. A couple in their mid-thirties can get individual cover of $250,000 per head for Rs 1,849 for a 15-day visit to the US or Canada.
