Whilst shopping on a holiday… For many, going on a holiday equals to a shopping spree or mall hopping (a friend of mine termed it as mall camping). I do admit retail therapy works and has its own joys. But with experience, one learns that it makes no sense to buy stuff on a holiday that is also available back home (risking the embarrassment of someo …

When looking to buy Air Tickets… Travelling overseas requires careful planning even before the pandemic happened, more so now. But for now, since I have not travelled since the pandemic let me share what I learned before that. I am optimistic things will return to normal again at some point in time. Most airlines used to open for bookings around 9-12 …

Travel light and get your laundry done while travelling… Travelling for two to three weeks at a stretch can leave a stench in the clothes. Carrying enough clothes means carting extra luggage only to bring back more dirty clothes. Right from the first overseas trip, one happy accident was discovering a cheap laundry service a few meters away from the …

Prepare for emergencies in the cabin luggage… It is difficult to hand hold your children and also push the cabin luggage. So as far as possible, I used to avoid carrying any extra cabin baggage except for my oversized handbag which accommodated all the absolute essentials (this is much easier once the children are out of the pampers). Once on the las …

Matching the flight timings to hotel check in and check out timings… When moving from one destination to another requiring a short travel time, I have found it is better to match the timing of the flights/ buses or trains to the check in timings of the hotel. Across hotels, most check in timings are around 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Taking flights that arrive …

Live in the moment for a memory later! I am often amused at the very human nature of people to immediately start clicking away the very moment they set their eyes on the place or monument of interest. Out comes the mobiles with 10 identical shots of the same scene and in seconds Instagram posts, without even admiring or soaking in what one has trave …

Don’t be too pennywise while buying airline tickets! Often one is tempted to purchase the cheapest tickets that include multiple airlines to cut down on fares. It will have one PNR for the entire ticket but there is no guarantee that a particular airline will adjust if another airline for some reason changes their time schedule due to cancellations, …

Cash or cards or both and pick pockets while travelling… When I travelled for the first time outside the country to Thailand, I carried cash. Having hard currency in hand made me feel more secure in a foreign land. The only thing I did was to divide it into different pockets so that I would not loose all the money at once (should I be the chosen one …

Building a trail of memories with keepsakes. If you plan to buy souvenirs as wonderful reminders of your travels, it could be an initiative to start a collection of sorts (I have fridge magnets since they are cheapest). Having a theme gives you something to look out for while travelling and a feeling of satisfaction that you have picked it up. Souven …

Book stays after signing up for membership (and preferably with breakfast) Booking your hotel stays takes up a major part of your travel budget. Different hotels have varying age policies about children being counted as free. As far as possible, I like to keep all of us within a room (being a mother hen). I find booking two rooms at a lower tariff i …