Travel Guide 2022-23

Around 60 countries offer Indian passport holders visa on arrival. These include Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Thailand, Fiji, British Virgin Islands and Sri Lanka. Some of these countries have a visa fee; do check their official travel websites for details. Indian passport holders can visit countries like Nepal and Bhutan visa-free—remember to take your passport or election card as proof of citizenship. Check the destination countries' tourism websites for the latest requirements.

An e-Visa or electronic visa requires online application instead of a physical visit to the embassy of the destination country. Countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Vietnam, and Taiwan offer Indian passport holders e-Visas. Make sure you meet the countries' requirements, including months of validity and pages left in your passport before applying.

Some travel websites and agents offer “travel now, pay later” schemes to encourage people with good credit profiles to travel more. The schemes may cover airline tickets, hotel bookings and/or travel packages. The fintech lenders charge an interest on the sum loaned for these bookings, usually to be repaid in EMIs over one to six months. Be mindful that defaulting even once may:

• Hurt your credit score
• Trigger late fee and/or other charges
• Changes in interest rate

Remote workers who can work from anywhere and meet the criteria, including age (usually over 18 years) and income (varies from country to country), can apply for a digital nomad visa that allows them to remain in the destination country for months, even years. At least 42 countries around the world offer digital nomad visas. These include Dubai, Germany and Greece.

Make a travel budget. Whether you want to spend Rs 2 lakh or Rs 20 lakh on a vacation, clearly outline the spends.
For the big budget items, like airline and railway tickets, hotel stay, shop around for deals. Don't shy away from using frequent-flier miles and deals offered by your credit card company (read the fine print for charges).
Try some of these basic travel hacks:

• Research the destinations you can cover comfortably within your budget.
• Try to book tickets and hotel rooms well in advance, to get the best rates.
• Try to fly out on a weekday, instead of the weekend. Sign up to Airfarewatchdog
• Make sure to check whether a transit visa is required where you have a stopover—weigh the benefits of taking a direct flight or alternative stopover that doesn't require a transit visa.
• For travel within the destination city, check if there is a pass or card that allows you to take public transport. This generally works out cheaper than paying for multiple short rides in buses and subways, and cabs.
• If you are travelling for a longer period, see if buying a local sim is an option.
• Check for discounts and deals on tickets for amusement parks and museums, on apps like Klook and Triipme
• Buy travel and health insurance; if you have a chronic condition like high blood pressure or diabetes, try to take all your medication with you.
• Carry a pre-paid forex card, to save on conversion costs and track expenditure. However, for some things, like hotel security deposit, check if a cash deposit is possible. This could potentially save you some trouble down the road in getting the deposit back.
• Paying a little extra for a hotel that is close to the places you want to visit might eventually turn out to be cheaper than staying in a hotel that’s far away and requires a long commute to the city centre.
• Check that your hotel has free Wi-Fi and includes breakfast.
• In case of change of plans, you can sell non-refundable room bookings on websites like RoomerTravel.com.
• Some countries, including Singapore and Australia, offer GST/VAT refunds for tourists. Save your receipts and head to the airport early to claim refunds.

There's no short-cut. Shop around for the best prices. See websites like makemytrip.com and kayak.com. But also check the airline websites for ongoing promotions and deals. Sometimes cancelling tickets can be easier and incur lower charges if they've been booked directly with the airline.

Buying a tourist card is often a good idea. It typically includes

• Discounted or free access to public transport
• Discounted or bundled entry to multiple tourist sites like museums, palaces, theatres
  Visit welovecitycards.com for details about city cards in 16 countries and 29 cities.