Splurging cash can't guarantee a perfect holiday. Here are five ways to ensure a happy and hassle-free vacation

Beaches at Bali, the Alps or just an African safari - what's your vacation wish? Take some time to think before answering the question. If you are taking your family for a vacation, the holiday must be worth it. But that doesn't mean you blow up all your hard-earned savings on just a few days of pleasure. A bit of careful planning, backed by timely execution, will definitely help you save some bucks. Also, there will be fewer headaches. Here are five things that you need to bear in mind to ensure a peaceful holiday:

Early Birds Get The Best Deals:

Planning should be done ideally a month in advance to facilitate smooth Visa processing, easy availability of tickets and accommodation. Booking hotels and airlines in advance can save you at least 13-15%, say experts. "The airfares follow a bucket system. Fewer seats fall in the category of lowest fares. As you approach closer to the travel date, the chances of getting these lowcost seats get very limited. For example, you can get a ticket from Mumbai to Singapore for 14,000. The low-cost airlines offer tickets for as low as 7,500. The same ticket will cost you 24,000 if you book just 10 days before your travel date," says Tarique Khatri, V-P, business development, Cleartrip. The same logic applies to accommodation too. "It largely depends on inventories and the availability of rooms. Most hotels forecast some projections on likely tourist traffic into the country/city and the hotel. Based on these projections, the hotel arrives at a certain tariff structure. This tariff structure is usually much lower when the hotel has not clocked in too many bookings. But if you rush for last-minute bookings/checkins, the tariff would be much higher," adds Khatri.

Carry Plastic Cash:

"I would advise travellers to carry a plastic travel card. These chip-based cards offer enhanced security features and there is no fear of loss of value. These cards can be used at any POS terminal and are widely accepted even by cab drivers in developed countries," says TC Guruprasad, executive director & business head, FCH CentrumDirect. These cards can be used to withdraw cash at any overseas ATM for a certain charge. Often travellers may land up with one or two counterfeit notes, which could again lead to other complications. "No forex dealer deliberately hands over a counterfeit note to a customer. But some novice dealers don't have the expertise to do this due diligence before handing it over to the customer," Guruprasad adds. If you are travelling from the US to Europe, then you could carry two travel cards accordingly or just carry some spare cash to avoid the cross-currency surcharge. "In case of debit/credit cards, banks bill on the basis of the exchange rate prevailing on the date of the transaction. However, in case of a pre-paid card, you would be spending at the rate as on the date you loaded your card. Banks further levy a cross-currency charge of 3.25-4.75%," says Guruprasad.

Insure Yourself:

Several countries insist on the traveller buying a travel insurance policy before granting a visa. These include the European countries that are part of the Schengen area. However, even if it is not mandatory, it is imperative to cover yourself when you are travelling to other countries as well. What's more, insurance companies also offer these covers online, which means that you can save on the time and effort involved in contacting the company or an agent. Typically, a 30-year-old individual travelling to countries other than the US or Canada for 15 days can buy a $100,000-cover by paying a premium of 902-1,275. You will have to pay a higher premium for trips to the US or Canada. Make sure that you do not treat this as a secondary activity or one that requires minimal research. Visit the websites of non-life companies to analyse the features and, more importantly, the exclusions (what is not covered) and deductibles (part of the expense that the individual is required to bear). You should also take a call on whether you wish to buy plain-vanilla covers or the premium variants, depending on your needs. "For instance, while all basic plans offer accident and mediclaim covers, only premium variants may cover baggage loss, flight delays and trip interruption, depending on the insurer," explains Karan Chopra, head, retail business group, HDFC ERGO. "Also, travel insurance will not cover pre-existing diseases or if the trip is undertaken against the advice of the doctor." You need to keep an eye on the deductibles as well. For example, the terms of the policy may require you to shell out $50 from your own pocket in the event of a medical emergency treatment, before making a claim.

Dial Cheap:

Options for cutting down on your communication costs include buying SIM cards once you reach your destination, world-calling cards or SIM cards that work as local SIMs in that country. Buying a SIM at the destination country will be the best option, provided you do not have multiple countries on your radar. You can buy these from the airport itself after producing your passport, Visa and any other document asked for. While all these avenues score over activating international roaming service, you need to study their features carefully before zeroing in on one. Companies that issue cards in India, which function as local SIMs abroad, present a bill as per the exchange rate prevailing as on the bill date. Therefore, while making calls on tour, the user may find it difficult to calculate the likely charges (in rupee terms). Those unwilling to stomach such uncertainty may not find such service attractive.

Travel On Cards:

In addition to travelling to the destination and back, you will also have to spend on commuting within that country/city too. For the benefit of tourists, several countries offer passes that allow unlimited commuting during the duration specified on the public transport network. For instance, London has its TravelCard and Paris provides the Paris Visite to its tourists. Apart from avoiding the hassle of buying a ticket each time you step out, these cards can also facilitate your visit to museums and other monuments at discounted rates. There are other areas in which you can trim travel costs. "You can cut down on costs by opting for a group/guided tour where you don't need to pay extra for a guide, transfers within the city and from the airport to hotel and vice-versa etc. Such tours also include a fee (if any) for various monuments/museums famous in the city you're visiting," Neelu Singh, COO.

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/