http://www.myetrip.co.in/blog/ Latest Products Wed, 24 Apr 2024 02:36:28 +0530 en-us http://www.myetrip.co.in http://www.myetrip.co.in/blog/blog-1_12992.htm Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:35:39 +0530   What are the important things to remember before planning a Holiday Break?   We all would like to travel for a break from our routine daily life. It could be a domestic travel within India or an overseas tour. Some people would like to travel alone and explore more on each travel destination which if travelled together with a group or family members may not be conveniently possible. Some people always like to travel with friends, or family members that may give more joy to them. I am a person who would like to travel with family or friends. This gives me a comfort of feeling that there are people around who could help and support in case of any untoward circumstance.   When a desire blossoms in your mind for a travel, first of all you need to identify a suitable destination whether home or abroad. If you are traveling with others, you can check with them about the destination identified or planned and accordingly it can be firmed up. Then it comes to the planning and organizing the tour. There are two ways to do it – one to do it by yourself and the other to assign the job to a reliable travel partner. The latter gives you comfort of less stress and tension. There is a general feeling that if a tour package is procured from a travel agent or a tour operator, it could be costlier as compared to what you would be spending if arranged by ourselves. I would say this is not correct. A travel agent or tour operator can give you a tour package at lesser cost than what you would be spending by doing it yourself. There is a valid reason for it. A tour operator can get the best rates from hotels and transport operators as he is a regular in business with the services providers. If you approach a hotel or a transport guy, you may not be able to get a rate as low as what a tour operator can get and pass on to you. So in totality, when compared, in many cases you would find that the overall cost remains more or less the same or even it could be cheaper if purchased from a tour operator.   Then, the tour is not all about cost only. There are other factors like time and energy, stress and tension. Why are we going for a holiday? To relax, right? One should be free of mental stress and strain and should be able to enjoy his tour thoroughly with a peace of mind. Even after booking a tour program, there are many things coming on way in between while being on tour. The hotel you identified may have issues like room orientation, cleanliness, food, service etc. Similarly, the transport vehicle that you booked may also lack in terms of age of the vehicle, cleanliness, or even brand of the vehicle, driver’s behaviour etc. Since you are availing of services of these service providers for the first time, such issues may crop in. But in the case of a reliable travel agent / tour operator, he will provide you tried and tested services and there is little chance of such issues cropping in, thus giving you mental peace.   There are many things to remember and arrange before undertaking a travel. Here I would list out a few things that you must remember and do before proceeding on a domestic tour. I would, in my next blog, list out travel documents and other things that you need to carry while traveling abroad. For a domestic tour, you need to do the following:   1)      Make a check-list of things to do during your travel 2)      Ensure that you get your day-wise tour itinerary from the travel agent (if booked through an Agent) and take a print out. It will help you cover all the tourist attractions as offered by the Agent and not miss out on any. 3)      Keep your ID proof and a couple of photographs (these are essential when you travel to places like Sikkim. In Sikkim Aadhar Card is not valid and you need to carry either passport or election card). 4)      Carry Sanitizer and Masks (these have now become essential with the changed atmosphere) 5)      Take a power adaptor / charger / ear phone for your laptop / mobile phone (these are often forgotten by many) 6)      Carry Tooth Paste & Tooth Brush 7)      Carry basic common medicines for fever, common cold, headache, tummy disorder etc other than the essential medicines that you daily consume, if any. 8)      Keep Slippers & a towel (Your hotel may be providing bath towels, though) 9)      Take a good book to read as time permits 10)  Additional memory card for your mobile phone as you would be taking a lot of photos. 11)  Enough cash and one Credit Card at least. 12)  More importantly, keep your travel baggage as minimum as possible for easy and convenient movement.   I would suggest, wherever you go, please do not try to cover more places and make your travel hectic and restless. I know people who think on the line ‘value for money’ and they try to travel to as many places as possible within the limited tour duration, and as a result, they end up tired and stressed, instead of being relaxed and freshened up. In a domestic tour in India, road travel consumes a major part of your time – whether it is in Sikkim or Kerala. Most of the time you are on the road trying to catch up with as many tourist spots as possible. A relaxed holiday tour should be in preference that keeps you fresh and rejuvenated.   Wish You A Happy Travel !!!   Mohan Nair Partner Aesthetic Tour & Travels, Delhi Mob : 9999827103 / 9999490313         http://www.myetrip.co.in/blog/blog-2_12993.htm Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:37:03 +0530   Important things to remember while planning an Overseas Travel?   In my earlier blog, I mentioned about certain important things that are required to be kept in mind while planning a domestic tour. Here I would like to pin point certain things that are essentially to be borne in mind while planning and international tour.    As I mentioned earlier, when a desire unfolds in your mind for a travel, first of all you need to identify a suitable destination. While identifying the destination, you need to know about the climate, political atmosphere, visa regulations, tourist guide-lines etc in that particular country which you have in mind. Also it is better to have a little knowledge about the laws, culture and language of the country. Because knowing about the the basic laws of the country you are visiting, especially traffic rules, will come in handy as many countries are extremely strict and even a little slip can cost you dearly. Also know your rights as a tourist so that no one takes undue advantage of you. Don’t forget to check on the travel warnings and health advisories also of the country either.   You must keep your travel documents, like passport, visa, travel insurance etc uptodate and ready. Anything can happen anytime and your passport is your lifeline during international travel. So keeping it safely is paramout. Though people use their mobile phone for keeping telephone numbers and other brief important information, but it will be wise to keep a small note-book in your pocket along with a pen. You should note down important telephone numbers and information that may be used during your travel. It will help you at the time of your mobile phone going off due to exhausted battery.     Once your travel destination is identified, it will be better to assign the job of the tour plan to a reliable travel partner in case of an overseas tour. Because for overseas tour, you need to contact service providers abroad that may consume a lot of time and energy, apart from cost incurred on international telephone calls. Though there are other communication ways too than direct telephone calls, e-mail being the most practiced and reliable among it, but still at times you need to contact the service provider for instant response on phone, depending on the circumstances. At times, response by email could be delayed.   Be a little smarter by knowing what is happening around you in the country you are traveling, especially if it is a place you don’t know much about it. This is possible with a News App downloaded in your mobile phone.   There is an array of things to remember and arrange before undertaking an overseas travel. Here it goes:   1)      Make a check-list of things to do during your travel 2)      Make sure that your passport validity doesn’t expire within six months of your travel at least, and also your passport has enough unused pages left. 3)      Make sure that you have visa valid for the entire tour duration. 4)      Take a travel insurance before venturing into the unknown for your own good. 5)      Ensure that you get your day-wise tour itinerary from the travel agent (if booked through an Agent) and take a print out. It will help you cover all the tourist attractions as offered by the Agent and not miss out on any. 6)      Keep a couple of photocopies of your travel documents additionally. 7)      Carry Sanitizer and Masks (these have now become essential with the changed atmosphere) 8)      Take a power adaptor / charger / ear phone for your laptop / mobile phone (these are often forgotten by many) 9)      Carry Tooth Paste & Tooth Brush 10)  Carry basic common medicines for fever, common cold, headache, tummy disorder etc other than the essential medicines that you daily consume, if any. 11)  Keep Slippers & a towel (Your hotel may be providing bath towels, though) 12)  Take a good book to read as time permits 13)  Additional memory card for your mobile phone as you would be taking a lot of photos. 14)  Keep enough forex and Credit Cards. 15)  More importantly, keep your travel baggage as minimum as possible for easy and convenient movement.   As I mentioned in my earlier blog, head for an enjoyable and relaxed tour, rather than a hectic and restless trip so as to have optimal use of your trip. Of course, you should not miss out important and major tourist attractions, but can avoid insignificant and less important places. Give enough time to your body and mind.   Lastly, I would suggest you not to carry jewellery and valuables while traveling. Even if you need to carry some, it should always be in your carry-in bag and not in checked-in baggage.   Wish You A Happy Travel !!!   Mohan Nair Partner Aesthetic Tour & Travels, Delhi Mob : 9999827103 / 9999490313         http://www.myetrip.co.in/blog/check-list-for-international-travel_13130.htm Tue, 28 Jun 2022 10:13:49 +0530 Make your international trip hassle-free despite ever-changing COVID rules.   1. Read Covid-19 norms thoroughly for the destination you are travelling to and keep checkng for updates till a few hours before your scheduled departure.   2. Check which vaccines are accepted or the number of days within which your last vaccination dose wold be valid.   3. Add passport details to your vaccination certificate.   4. Check if RT-PCR Test is required for the place you are travelling to. If yes, check if it should be 48 hrs or 72 hrs before boarding or arrival.   5. If travelling with kids, check COVID-19 norms specifically for them and if RT-PCR Test report would be required.   6. For a while when cases were higher, some countries did not require you to physically visit the Visa Facilitation Centre or the Embassy for a visa, but rules have changed now, so check the current visa norms.   7. Call the airlines directly or check airline website for COVID-19 protocol well in advance.   8. Some countries require you to fill self-declaration forms. But beware of unscrupulous websites where you might end up paying money for no reason.   9. Make sure you will the Air Suvidha Form before your return flight to India.