Make your International vacation pocket-friendly!

Whenever you plan an international holiday you usually want it to be luxurious, but there is always a travel budget. Sometimes we need to compromise on certain things like a five star hotel or cancel out on certain places just to fit in the trip in the decided budget. Be it your first holiday or fifteenth you always prefer enjoying it to the fullest without any financial pressure. Thus we at Fpguru.com will help you on how to save a few dollars and cut costs and still have a luxurious trip in your budget.


Advance Booking

Once you have planned the dates of your vacation, book tickets and hotel rooms immediately. This is one of the best methods of cutting cost. If you are lucky you may get the tickets at half the cost or even less. Book your hotel rooms simultaneously as the earlier you book the cheaper they are and if possible you may also get an upgrade at the time of arrival. Start your bookings now!



Catch the loopholes

Generally people prefer doing their bookings online as they are fascinated by the websites showing very reasonable prices for the holiday packages. But there is always a loophole attached to it which they realize after making an online transaction. Thus it is very important to read the term & condition of such online offers because eventually one land up paying more than what the trip costs. Thus it is better to do the bookings from a known travel agent and make clarifications if not sure about any terms and conditions and the actual price of the package. Not to fall for things which are cheaper than they should be!



Oversea Mediclaim

Do take an oversea mediclaim policy without fail. It may cost little but will save a lot if there is any health problem while travelling abroad. International hospitals are very expensive and they have their own rules & regulations. You can ask your travel agent to provide an oversea mediclaim policy, the premium can be paid in rupees and claims can be settled abroad in foreign currency if there are any health issues.



Travel Insurance

Vacations are very exciting but one should also be well prepared for any unexpected problem. Oversea travel insurance is very important, as this insures your belongings. Overseas Travel Insurance Plan guards you from unexpected incidents such as baggage delay, loss of baggage, flight delays, and loss of travel documents, all under one package, so you can travel tension free. Also the cost of this policy is not too high.



Save your dollars

While travelling abroad you need to exchange your dollars to the currency of your destination. There are many currency exchange counters but one should exchange where they get the best exchange rates. Generally airports, big malls and hotels do not give a good rate, one should go to a whole sale market area as they offer better exchange rates.


Shop & Declare

Your international vacation is not completed till you shop or maybe you have taken a holiday just for shopping. Whatever be the reason it is very important to ask for a VAT receipt from each and every shop. A VAT receipt is nothing but a tax refund slip which you can redeem back into cash at the airport of the same country. This is applicable in most countries. Also if you want to get your shopping bags safely back to your country it is very important to declare your shopping and especially if you have bought loads of jewelry. As we have heard recently in the news about custom check at the airports, it is better to declare than lose it all.


Keeping these points in mind you can have a great international vacation. We at Fpguru.com suggest you to plan out your vacation properly not only with regards to funds & goal setting but also with regards to proper utilization of the funds.


Have a safe & stress free vacation this holiday season!!

 

By Namrata Shah.

The writer is working with FpGuru.com as a Financial planner.