Around The World In A Pocket-Friendly Way

High airfares this holiday season may disrupt your travel plans and make your vacation stressful. Here are a few ways to reduce your travel costs without compromising on comfort and experience

- Teena Jain Kaushal

BEAUTIFUL BEACHES, COLOURFUL markets, dream destinations-you've worked hard through the year, looking forward to your well-deserved vacation. But surging airfares and a depreciating rupee could be giving you sleepless nights. How, then, do you plan for leisure travel that won't break the bank? "Travellers are always on the lookout for ways that can truly elevate their travel experience. But the real 'aha' moment for any traveller is when she finds an option that can help sweeten the deal. There are some definite ways that can help travellers save some extra money," says Vipul Prakash, COO of online travel firm MakeMyTrip.

Let's start with air tickets. The golden rule is, the sooner, the better. Experts say that you should plan your travel in advance and ideally book your tickets 40-45 days before your journey. And by choosing the right booking days, you can bring costs down further.

"The common notion associated with air tickets is that weekends, especially Sundays, are the right days to make bookings. On the contrary, we would suggest people book their tickets on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is advisable to book afternoon flights as they are comparatively cheaper than early morning or late-night ones," says Rikant Pittie, Co-founder of online travel company EaseMyTrip.

There are a few more innovative ways that not only promise savings but come with added flexibility. For example, the Price Lock feature (by paying a token amount) on MakeMyTrip and Goibibo allows flyers to lock airfares for about seven days. Features such as 'Book with No Payment' allow travellers to book a hotel in India or overseas with no upfront payment.