Travel the world economically

With summer holidays beginning, travel agents in the area are offering tours to places across the world at attractive rates. With the onus of planning the tour being on the tour operator, families can now get to see the world with less worries, writes Manish.

The hunt for that exotic locale to spend a part of summer holidays is a serious business these days.

Gone are the days, when planning a summer vacation meant booking train tickets at least two months in advance.

Now, all you have to do is approach a tour operator or travel agent and get customised or group packages to take you to places as near as Thekkady in Kerala or the distant snow-capped mountains in Jammu and Kashmir.

Whenever, a family or an individual decides on travelling to a distant place, many factors such as making a route map, arranging a vehicle, booking rooms in advance or searching for one on arrival, arrangements for food, visiting places within a stipulated time (before they shutdown for the day), search for a guide and above all taking precautions to prevent being conned have to be taken into consideration.

For many, the vacation ends up disastrous due to poor planning and some times just because of ‘pure bad luck’.

Taking all these into consideration, tour operators are now providing customised or group packages at affordable costs. The cost ranges from as low as Rs 24,000 for a four night/ five day visit to Sri Lanka to as high as Rs 4 lakh for 23 days to USA and Canada.

Tour operators are now providing attractive offers for a visit to the golden triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur by air or if you prefer the south then you can take a road trip to Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey.

For those interested in flying abroad, visits to Europe includes cities of London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, Vienna, Milan and Frankfurt among others. A tour of  USA includes a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls, and even a tour of the Boeing factory in Seattle.

Even as tour agents are upbeat about people from middle-class increasingly becoming a part of this market, people availing these should keep several factors in mind to ensure they have a hassle-free trip around the world.

Speaking to City Herald, Manjunatha Bhat K M of Chariot World Tours Limited, which organises tours - both domestic and international frequently, outlined the factors that people should bear in mind before opting for a packaged tour. 

“When it comes to domestic packages, travellers should clarify what is included in the tour package,” he said.

Factors such as tax, vehicle permit, accommodation, food, entry fee to places, entry fee for camera, type of hotel and optional places. Elaborating, he said, “Majority fail to notice ‘optional places’ marked on the brochure of an agent.

Optional places indicates that the customer has to bear the charges, if he wants to go to a place. In such cases, it is better to find out what the additional charges would be or if they have to take their own conveyance.”

Weather

Also, customers have to keep in mind if the weather is ideal to visit the place. Many times, with weather playing spoilsport, people who were to go in a helicopter to Vaishnodevi temple had to ride on a pony as the weather forced the chopper to be grounded. In such cases, there is no choice, he added.

Also cancellation of tour, one day prior to departure means the traveller would rarely get a refund. “This happens because we would have booked everything earlier to ensure that they have the best experience. And one day before, we won’t get any refund. So, its impossible for us to refund the money,” he clarifies.

On international tour packages, cost to be paid would it be in USD or Indian Rupees should be considered. The day of travelling shouldn’t be included in the package. This is because flying to Europe or USA takes as much as one-and-half to two days. If this is included in the package, then travellers would be at the losing end.

An important aspect is if it would be a customised package to suit a family or a group package. A customised package, would mean a specialised tour for a family.

A group package would mean that you would have to share the tour with people from other countries as well. For accommodation, whether travel agents would give twin or triple sharing rooms has to be clarified.

More importantly, on a group tour, make sure you return within a stipulated time issued by the guide. Or, you might miss the bus!

For a happy vacation

A few questions to ask your travel agent

On domestic tours

* Will the travel agent pay the vehicle permit when crossing into another state?
* Entry fee, tips to guides at tourist spots to be borne by agent or customer?
* Entry fee for camera to be borne by agent or customer?
* What type (three star or better) of accommodation would be provided?
* List of optional places.
* Would it be twin sharing or triple sharing?

On international tours

* Is payment of the tour in INR or USD?
* Would it be customised or a group package?
* Would travel insurance be provided or have to be purchased separately?
* Are final departure and arrival places the same?
* Which language does the guide speak?