An Innocent Abroad

If the world is your oyster where do you begin? The answer to that would depend on who you are travelling with. A partner who loves to take in the pubs and casinos, someone who shops like there is no tomorrow or post-exams kids who are ready for the foreign experience? Everyone has a favourite destination to recommend and you have your calculator to separate the desirable from the do-able. But there are other ways to arrive at a short-list.

Lets compare what a ticket to London, New York and Singapore would cost for a family of four. Based on the actual rates set by International Air Transport Association (IATA) you would spend around Rs 1,57,340, Rs 1,89,160 and Rs 74,040 respectively. How does one board that plane without going bankrupt?

Lean seasons in Europe bring peak seasons in Australia

How about a healthy bout of abstinence and postponing travel to the off-season? Almost all airlines dangle attractive discounts from mid-September to mid-March. Do-able yes, but desirable? Well, despite the tempting savings, do you really want to fly at that time? Lets say the trip started in New York. Picture yourself, teeth chattering and mummified in several layers of clothing? Isnt a sunny holiday preferable?

So, expensive or not, you may want a hard-earned holiday now. The silver lining is that a bit of planning and badgering can get you a hefty discount even in the peak seasons .

Destination and timing can dovetail

Before circling a place on the map with blinkers on, consider some factors. Like, the length of your trip. Paviter Handoo, GM, Span World Travels, explains, If you have barely four days on hand, why waste time focussing on far-off destinations? A trip to Europe or USA would be quite unsuitable. Instead, nearby Mauritius or Singapore would be ideal for a short stint.

Besides planning the list of things to do, take out time to note the seasonality of the sector you aim for. May to July is the ideal time to visit Europe while June or January and February are good for South Africa. A lot of honeymooners opt for Mauritius in the cold month of December, indicates M Y Khan, manager, Quick Travels.

Identity tags for the globetrotter

Make sure you have a valid passport. Then make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements to visit the country of your choice. It is important to apply for a Visa, that lets you enter the country you are visiting, well in advance to avoid last minute panic and disappointment. A first-time traveller usually has longer to wait to get a visa.

Penny wise or plenty to spare

Want a first class treatment or is it a no-expenses spared jaunt?. Either way, your agent can suggest tour packages ranging from the most economically budgeted to the five star menu all the way.

According to Handoo, the difference can be to the tune of 20-25 per cent between the two. A cheaper alternative is to travel in large groups and avail of further dicounts under group rating. In this case, the overall savings can be almost 35 per cent.

For the low-budget traveller, Khan suggests travelling by Economy class to one point and from there by the cheaper yet well-connected rail services in Europe and America. Better still, take the season pass. And if you can stay with friends and relatives, you can save on hotel tariffs as well.

Chipping away at the total damages

Do not approach an airline directly. The airlines offer discounts to the general sales agents (GSAs) or travel agents (TAs). IATA rules allow for international airlines to give upto 9 per cent commission while the domestic sector offers upto 6 per cent to agents. GSAs get an additional three per cent but it is unethical for them to conduct direct sales.

You can have a portion of this discount by being demanding while booking through the TAs. But dont be hasty, shop around. Tedious, perhaps, but worth it if the discounts are better.

Frequent flyers aware of this trade often force us to extend almost upto eight of the nine per cent commission we get, says Handoo. Irrespective of season, it is the TAs alone who can offer discounts between 10-40 percent on a basic air fare.

You can get more discounts depending on class and sector of travel. Heading for USA, KLM offers upto 30 per cent off in Economy compared to British Airways that extends upto 17 per cent in Economy and 12 per cent in Business class.

Picking a pair of wings

Fares are decided either by IATA or the Deputy General Civil Aviation. However, DGCA rates are not valid in the middle-east or south-east. Till recently, the airlines opted for either of the two fares. The DGCA fares for USA or Canada are cheaper than IATAs while the converse is true for Europe. So one could opt for an airline with DGCA rates for travelling to New York.

But since February, after the DGCA fares for USA and Canada were scrapped, most of the European carriers have further opted for a five per cent hike in the IATA fares. So, a New York ticket costing Rs 47,290 earlier may now be available with carriers like British Airways, Air France, KLM or Lufthansa for almost Rs 49,655.

Added to this, these carriers offer a maximum discount upto 17 per cent on Economy class travel (new rates) while the middle-east carriers offer almost upto 25 per cent of the IATA rates (minus the hike). So, travel without some fringe quality services offered by the bigger carriers, means travelling cheaper.

An evening in Paris

Check out the stopovers (extra halts between start and arrive bases) of various airlines. It makes a difference. Say youre headed for New York. Book on KLM and you get a stopover at Amsterdam. Have friends at Frankfurt? Makes sense to fly by Delta. And no, if you spend a couple of days at Frankfurt you are not charged more. After all, the mileage is the same.

Remember, travel with stopovers usually means lower overall discounts. Besides, most of the special schemes may not apply to stopovers. If you crave more free trips, then you pay more for exceeding mileage. Khan explains, An excursion ticket usually limits stopovers to one or two. In a normal ticket, it is affected by the maximum permitted mileage on the fare purchased.

Going to New York from Delhi via Dubai? A stopover at Dubai may mean coughing up the cost of a Dubai-New York trip more expensive than a direct Delhi-New York ticket.

After all this, if you lose your ticket dont panic. Always carry a photocopy of it and contact the airline promptly. When you fill in the lost ticket application, a photocopy of your ticket will help in giving the number and other details. Better still, guard it with your life and have a safe journey.