An old,
old jungle saying – “When the Phantom sneezes, the Rupee falls!”
The
proverbial Phantom has sneezed! The Rupee is in free fall and most travel
budgets have shrunk to the size of molecules! The Rupee has devalued sharply
against the USD, EUR and GBP. And as luck would have it, these currencies cover
the most sought after travel destinations! Can we do something about it? For
the purpose of this blog post, however, we will rule out robbery, dacoity and
other forms of armed coercion!
Well,
as it turns out, there can be a few things that could help manage our travel
budget in these times of FOREX Fever! Here are some pointers:
1. Domestic
Vacations
Duh!
Instead of taking stay-cations (Stay-at-home vacations!) we could explore some
domestic destinations. There has never been a better time to explore Incredible
India. In fact even your own state might throw up a few surprises, if you look
hard enough. In recent times the State Tourism Departments have invested
heavily in tourism infrastructure and some of the domestic tourist spots have
truly improved. Check out the Dooars in West
Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, The North-East, Sikkim, Kashmir and
Kerala.
2. Choose
your Destination smartly!
If
travelling internationally is a must, then choose a destination that burns less
of a hole in the budget. With the USD and EUR scorching right now, most of
Europe and US are practically ruled out. Look at destinations where the
currency has not devalued sharply against the Rupee. Example: South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya,
New Zealand and Australia. South East Asia and the Middle East will still remain popular
destinations. In fact this link here gives a very reasonable package to South
Africa. Check it
out! You could also opt for destinations like Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Easy on the pocket, yet
exotic enough to get your American cousin to swoon!
3. Go
with a Small-wig!
You
could go with a
smaller travel operator, instead of the booking with the Bigwigs! They
usually have high markups and will not customize your itinerary. Choose a
travel operator, which promises better
value for money. In fact more often than not you will find a better
deal with the smaller operator. Also, you may be able to wrestle out a few
extra inclusions! Here
is a link which does just that!
4. Get
Involved, Get Dirty!
You
could plan the itinerary yourself. You will be surprised as to how much
information is available on the internet when it comes to booking holidays.
Here is a link to what is the Wikipedia of train travel! Another smart way to save money, take
a train instead of a flight. When it comes to booking Hotels, choose hotels
which are close to the city centers or airports or train stations. This helps
save valuable currency on Taxi fares! Check with Tripadvisor before confirming a booking
either directly or with your travel operator. If all this is too much for you,
then get your
travel advisor to do this
for you. Some operators like this would gladly do it for you for free! However
some amount of involvement always helps.
5. Deals!
6. Customise
your itinerary smartly!
Beware
of inclusions which are more of tourist traps. Opt out! Here your trusted
friend “Google” comes mostly to help. The other option is to get someone to do it for you,
preferably for free! Choose an itinerary that includes some meals. Sometimes
(if meals are not included) a breakfast could cost you an arm! Beware!
7. Book
early!
Plan
and book your travel early so that you are insured against cost escalations.
Also, the rates are much lower when the travel dates are a few months off!
This
last one is not much of a tip! Feel free to ignore this or the stupid jungle
saying about the Proverbial Phantom! Mostly Gibberish! We tend to do that
sometimes!
Travel Smart, Travel Happy!
Travel Smart, Travel Happy!
