No need to scrap your summer vacation due to the rising air fares and hotel tariffs. Find out how to shave big bucks off your travel costs and the holiday destinations that will fit into a tight budget.
With summer vacations fast approaching, if you are keen on anything but a staycation (stay at home holiday), it’s high time you started planning for it. The biggest reason to make haste is to not only make sure you get a room at the popular hotels, especially in the affordable category, but to also bag the early booking discount that hotels, airlines and cruises round the world are only too happy to roll out. However, this is just the beginning of your savings potential. If you do your research right, you can save anywhere from 20% to 40% on your total trip. We tell you how to do it. Time your travel YOU CAN SAVE
The surest way to big savings is to time your travel in such a way that you reach your holiday destination either just before its peak season or after it is over. This way you won’t have to worry about bagging discounts at the risk of the 10-30% since the room rates are this much higher in peak season than in the months immediately preceding it.
Weather playing party pooper nor will you have to deal with crowds. So let the hordes descend on the hill stations of India or foreign hotspots like Singapore, Switzerland and Spain, there are better rates and less hurried service to be had in places that are just a little warmer or wetter. Like Kerala, Cambodia, or if you can handle it, Egypt. According to industry insiders, shoulder season rates on hotels, tour packages as well as cruises are typically 10% to 30% lower than the peak season rates. The key to bagging a cheaper deal is to book early. Says Karan Anand, head of relationships, Cox & Kings: “You will save at least 10-15% if you book as early as two months in advance.” Fly smart YOU CAN SAVE 14-18% if you use the multi-city flight tool while booking tickets online for city-hopping tours.
Apart from when you book your flight, the day and the time of your flight also has a bearing on the fares. According to Cleartrip.com, the slowest days of the week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, always offer the cheapest airfare. For instance, the Jet Airways website shows a Delhi-Mumbai flight costing 4,911 on Monday, 4 June, but the fare for the next two days is 4,774. This price differential is usually more pronounced on international flights. Similarly, a late morning or an afternoon flight can sometimes be found marginally cheaper than an early morning or a late night one, which is when corporate slaves predominantly hog the flights.
Also, if you are planning a multiple city itinerary, make sure you avail of the multi-city flight booking option now offered by all the leading travel portals. This not only makes planning easier, but also saves money. Suppose you are flying to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Delhi and book individual flights on Cleartrip.com, your total cost works out to 58,477 per head this June if you add up the cheapest air fares for each leg of the journey. However, the lowest fare yielded by the multi-city tool is 49,762 per person. A random check of 10 other multi-city itineraries on Cleartrip.comand Kayak.com yielded discounts of 14-18% over separate bookings.
Don’t forget that booking too early is just as risky as booking too late. According to Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, airlines typically start actively ‘managing’ prices three or four months before any departure date, and booking a flight any earlier may mean that you end up paying more. For instance, the monthview tool on Cleartrip.comshows that a Delhi-Goa flight in November will cost around 5,400 while the fares for June and July are between 5,024 and 5,097.
Save on stays
YOU CAN SAVE 5-10% on room rent. For instance, Alleppey is pretty much the same backwaters as Kumarakom, yet average room rates there are lower by almost 5%, according to CheapTrav.com.
Let’s start with the obvious—B&Bs, serviced apartments and homestays will always score over hotels when it comes to the more-for-less stakes. That is, more amenities that you actually need, like a kitchenette and free laundry facilities, for fewer bucks. Portals such as TripAdvisor.com, MyGuestHouse.com, AirBnB.com,HomeAway.com, BedAndBreakfast.comand Roomwale.com are your best bets to fish out such accommodations. Here’s a good way to maximise your savings without entirely giving up on some luxurious pampering. Choose selfcatering options in the big cities and go for fancier hotels in smaller towns and offbeat destinations. So, while five-star hotels in Indore will be obviously cheaper than those in Mumbai, there is also a big price difference between places like Alleppey and Kumarakom. For instance, three star hotels in the latter start at 2,625 on MakeMyTrip, the same category hotels in Alleppey (or Alappuzha) can be booked for just 1,000 a night. The famed houseboat cruises from Alleppey are comparatively cheaper as well. Similarly, your money will fetch a far better room in Vincennes than in Paris, yet it is just a short metro ride away from all the must-see attractions.
Let’s start with the obvious—B&Bs, serviced apartments and homestays will always score over hotels when it comes to the more-for-less stakes. That is, more amenities that you actually need, like a kitchenette and free laundry facilities, for fewer bucks. Portals such as TripAdvisor.com, MyGuestHouse.com, AirBnB.com,HomeAway.com, BedAndBreakfast.comand Roomwale.com are your best bets to fish out such accommodations. Here’s a good way to maximise your savings without entirely giving up on some luxurious pampering. Choose selfcatering options in the big cities and go for fancier hotels in smaller towns and offbeat destinations. So, while five-star hotels in Indore will be obviously cheaper than those in Mumbai, there is also a big price difference between places like Alleppey and Kumarakom. For instance, three star hotels in the latter start at 2,625 on MakeMyTrip, the same category hotels in Alleppey (or Alappuzha) can be booked for just 1,000 a night. The famed houseboat cruises from Alleppey are comparatively cheaper as well. Similarly, your money will fetch a far better room in Vincennes than in Paris, yet it is just a short metro ride away from all the must-see attractions.
The travel-on-a-budget bible also tells us to always book directly with the hotel to land the best deals, be it straight discounts or some freebies (a spa treatment or airport transfers). But don’t blindly follow this cardinal rule. Sometimes, portals beat the rates listed on individual hotel reservation sites in an attempt to woo eyeballs. For instance, Excluzen.com, a luxury lifestyle and experiential travel website, is offering a straight discount of 5,000 on the per night quoted by the Oberoi Udaivilas reservation engine. So, always shop around before contacting the hotel. Deals on meals YOU CAN SAVE 40-50% for a family of four by relying on heat-and-eat meals instead of dining out. An average meal costs 200-250 while Minute Meals cost under 100 a pack.
Whether you are considering self-catering accommodation or hotels on MAP pricing, which includes breakfast and dinner, there will be times when you want to experience the local cuisine. The worst thing to do here is to grab a bite at one of the crowded eateries in and around the tourist attractions. Meals at a restaurant housed in a hotel, too, will be pricier than most standalone eateries. So before you head out for sightseeing, stop at your hotel’s reception desk or contact your rented accommodation’s owners and ask where they prefer to eat with their families and friends. More often than not, you will be directed to no-frills restaurants serving better fare at much lower prices.
Whether you are considering self-catering accommodation or hotels on MAP pricing, which includes breakfast and dinner, there will be times when you want to experience the local cuisine. The worst thing to do here is to grab a bite at one of the crowded eateries in and around the tourist attractions. Meals at a restaurant housed in a hotel, too, will be pricier than most standalone eateries. So before you head out for sightseeing, stop at your hotel’s reception desk or contact your rented accommodation’s owners and ask where they prefer to eat with their families and friends. More often than not, you will be directed to no-frills restaurants serving better fare at much lower prices.
Also, make sure you pick up a local newspaper and check for any listed ongoing promotions at nearby restaurants. Savvy travellers will tell you about bagging salad-soup-dessert lunch combos that are up to 50% off the regular buffet prices or extended happy hours facilitating a binge drinking fest at unbelievable prices. “Some restaurant chains charge almost 40% less during lunch,” says Prashant Chauhan, director, MyGuestHouse.com.
Source – ET Wealth – 16/04/2012
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