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Before you hit the road for a vacation, spend a few minutes to make your holiday better
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PLAN AHEAD Factor in family preferences
The short bout of summer showers has given way to scorching heat. If you are considering packing your bags and heading to the hills, it still isn't too late. Summer holidays are on for almost a month and a half and so are the travel deals. Starting this week, we enlist a few pointers that you need to keep in mind while planning a travel. Let's begin with the basics — choosing a destination.
Spend some time by yourself and then consult your family before selecting a vacation spot. Chew on these lines before you decide...
The duration: How long can you take off on a holiday? Get to know how many days you can be away from your workplace. Let all your working members in the family do the same.
The purpose of your trip: Think about the primary reason for your holiday. Do you want to just get away from work and chill? Do you also want to make your vacation a learning experience and get to know new places?
Who are involved? If you have children, keep in mind that the place you choose should be enjoyable for them as well. You can't possibly take your child on an adventure trip. And this would neither suit your parents. If you are travelling with the older generation, make sure the place you choose may not pose health problems.
The big M: Money does all the talking these days. Despite lofty promises of flying cheap , make sure you read the fineprint. Plan such that you have at least 50 per cent more money than what you had planned.
This will help in cases of emergency or to meet hidden costs. Trim down on costs but not too much. To cite an example, Kodaikanal is a good hill station to visit during summer. But you can't possibly fight the scorching heat by travelling non-AC on trains until Madurai.
Give yourself a breather: Think about when you need to return and get back to your routine lifestyle. Come back at least 24 hours in advance before you begin work so that you have time to set things right or just get over travel fatigue.
Book tickets in advance: Scan through all options before you choose a train or airline. Choose an airline that isn't notorious for last-minute cancellations. If you have to take connecting flights, choose such that you have a few hours between the two journeys. If the first flight is delayed, you don't want to be stranded in the airport scurrying for alternatives, do you?
Where do you stay? Make hotel bookings in advance. Even if you are driving down, think of some place you may have to stay at night before you resume on your journey. This helps if you are driving with children.
Next: Packing for the journey.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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