Pack your bags for a weekend trip

Consider a road trip and look for hotel flash sales on internet and mobile platforms if you have not planned in advance

Given the hectic lifestyles today, many families prefer to take short trips during long weekends. If there is a public holiday on a Friday or a Monday, people might take an additional day or two off and make it a week-long holiday. Travel operators and hotels also come out with special offers for such extended weekends, to cater to this segment.

Karan Anand, head, relationships, Cox and Kings, says: "Most of our domestic customers are taking two to three leaves adjoining to a long weekend and planning a week-long holiday to take benefit of our latest offers." Cox and Kings offers a free foreign holiday with some of their packages.

Neelu Singh, director and chief executive, Ezeego1.com, says with the concept of short weekend getaways getting popular, there are at least 15-20 destinations within a driving distance of 150-200 km from each of the metro cities, and others which are accessible by a short flight distance.

Amit Agarwal, senior marketing manager, Hotels.com, a website for booking hotel rooms online and by telephone, says: "This year has had a large number of extended weekends and we have seen an increase in bookings for each of these weekends. The upcoming Gandhi Jayanti weekend has seen a huge surge in hotel bookings not only for short-haul destinations but also for metros such as Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai as well. We are also seeing demand for weekend getaways from these cities which are in a short driving distance."

Hotels.com has offers like the Festival Sale or Beach Sale where travellers can save up to 50 per cent on accommodation. "What has further fuelled the rise in bookings has been the several flash sales that airlines in India have introduced over the past few months,'' Agarwal adds.

If you have not yet planned your trip, here are some options you could look at and some things to keep in mind while planning your travel.

Domestic locations
If getting train or flight tickets looks close to impossible, you can consider a road trip to a nearby destination. Some popular destinations and the distance from metro cities are Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar - 229 km and Goa - 592 km; Bangalore-Mysore - 144 km and Kodaikanal - 465 km; Chennai-Mahabalipuram - 57 km, Pondicherry 143 km, Delhi -Shimla - 344 km and Corbett - 244 km; Kolkata - Kalimpong - 622 km and Dooars - 248 km.

Those ready for longer travel can also look at Rajasthan-Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar; Kerala-Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey, and Andamans-Port Blair & Havelock Island.

Foreign locations
The concept of choosing a short-haul international destination against a domestic destination is picking up. Also, some of the Southeast Asian destinations work out cheaper than a long-distance domestic holiday. Considering this, people are certainly opting for a short haul holiday abroad during the long weekend, says Singh.

Some popular foreign destinations include Thailand-Koh Samui and Bangkok, Dubai, Seychelles, Bhutan-Phuentsholing, Thimphu, Punakha & Paro.

While booking an overseas destination under its Dus Ka Josh offer, Cox and Kings is offering additional benefits such as cash discount, free domestic holidays, free goodies, etc, says Anand. Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and South Africa are the most preferred destinations this season.

Avoid last-minute hassles
For those planning a last-minute trip, the cost is likely to be higher than those who book early. Booking in advance also get the benefit of choosing an accommodation. One option is to go on a group tour. You could get a good deal, as the tour operators have strong supplier networks.

"Group tours and fixed departures are a good way for last-minute travel during the long weekend. It is not only lighter on the pocket but also ensures you are safe, since you are part of a larger group. Typically, these are all-inclusive packages and to avoid high last-minute air fares or non-availability of hotels, one must consider group travel," says Singh of Ezeego1.

If planning a trip on your own, opt for short packages instead of long-haul trips, says Anand. Also, keep a tab on the flash sales and offers announced by travel companies, as these can save up to 40-50 per cent of the cost of package.

You can look for secret hotel deals using online aggregator platforms and mobile apps, says Agarwal.

"Last Minute Deals and Secret Prices programmes offer travellers a greater selection of competitive hotel deals, most of which are not available on comparison sites. Secret Prices offers thousands of specially negotiated rates and subscriber-only deals on hotels," he says.