Things You Need to do Before You Take Off

According to a May 2016 article on The Huffington Post, research shows that taking regular vacations can have various health benefits, including reducing stress, helping with heart health, improving mental health and also improving relationships. So, if you haven’t gone on a vacation, away from your everyday responsibilities, in some time, the time to start planning is now. You don’t need to go to an exotic destination or splurge till it hurts to have an unforgettable vacation. Actually, the key to a memorable holiday is to plan meticulously, from booking domestic flight tickets to chalking out the itinerary, so that every step of the journey and back is smooth and hassle-free. Here’s a look at some key things you need to do before going away on vacation.

Steps to Planning a Memorable Vacation

1. Pick Your Destination
   Well, without this step, there won’t be a holiday, right? There are some excellent holiday destinations in India, so don’t worry about having to spend a packet. The key to choosing a destination is to decide on what kind of vacation you want and who all will be traveling with you. For instance, if you are traveling with young children, you might look for destinations that have a lot to offer children. On the other hand, you might want to spend a beach holiday with the family, just relaxing, enjoying the water and eating loads of sea food. This is also a good time to decide on how long you wish to stay at your destination.


2. Set Your Budget
   It is easy to overspend when you are having fun. However, one vacation shouldn’t put you in a financial crisis. So, decide on the total budget beforehand, keeping in mind the cost of flight tickets, accommodation, food, travel at the destination, shopping for souvenirs, etc. Once you know how much you can comfortably afford to spend on the holiday, you can plan your itinerary based on that.


3. Book Air Tickets
   The first step to booking domestic flight tickets is to look for the best prices. You might also come across deals with air and accommodation bookings and discounts. The best way to ensure that you get the best flight deals & offers is to book your travel online. For this, you can either visit the website of the airline itself and check out their offers or try aggregator sites. Staying with the same airline and winning loyalty and travel points is a good idea, since this will open up many offers and discounts for you.

What you need to do is go to the airline’s website, pick the dates for travel and the destination and choose the airport of departure and that for arrival. You will also need to fill in the number of adults and children travelling. It is advisable to book return tickets because these tend to be cheaper than buying one way tickets at a time, when you know you have to come back home. You can also check for flights with stop overs rather than direct flights for cheaper air fare.

Once you’ve filled in all these details, you can proceed to pay for the tickets through the website’s secure online payment gateway. You will need a credit or debit card or use net banking for this. Payment providers, such as PayTM or RuPay, might also be accepted. So, choose the mode you are comfortable with. Once the payment is received, you will receive the confirmation of the ticket booking on the email address you have provided. You can either save this on your smartphone or print it out and use at the airport at the time of travel.

Don’t forget to book your accommodation in advance too, especially if you are travelling during the peak holiday season.