TRAVEL TIME:TAKE A BREAK

A perfect holiday isn’t one that comes around often. Most last for a day or two, receding into the dark corners of our memory, given the lack of time to make them memorable. Even when one does have time, who wants to go through all the hassle of planning?

Well, apparently some people now do. With a somewhat booming economy and more young tourists, travel agencies have gotten busy planning your trip for you. As an added incentive, these are even budgeted at extremely attractive prices! So, with no time ever good enough, why not use up some of those paid holidays? This way you can have a memory that you can cherish even after the grind starts and they won’t seem too far off. The options, too, seem limitless.
Early preparation is key of course.  You can choose between time, budget or get a mix of both. Those that really want a budget trip plan the itinerary weeks or even months in advance. Picking the right budget airline, the right hotel and of course deciding routes and stops beforehand can save one an ample amount of cash. If these are taken into consideration beforehand, around Tk.10,000 can be shaved off from the average amount spent on trips abroad. However, one needs to really know the destination or thoroughly research in advance. Furthermore, it’s always advisable to voice any queries with your airlines or even in online travel forums. The best method is of course to ask someone who is presently there or has visited. However, this process can be tedious. Fortunately, Bangladesh has a number of tour operators and travel agents who arrange well-rated tours, especially in and around Asia, to popular tourist destinations such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Winux Travels is one such organisation that offers package travel tours at comparatively cheap rates. A 7 nights, 8 days trip to Bangkok, via Druk Air, will set one back Tk.39,500. This is inclusive of transport from airport to hotel and then back and also return tickets. A more hectic option can be the 2 nights, 3 days trip from Dhaka to Singapore to Kuala Lampur and back to Dhaka, which costs Tk.35,500. A similarly interesting trip is one from Dhaka to Kolkata to Delhi to Agra to Jaipur and back to Dhaka. This trip will set one back 35,500 BDT. The trip is scheduled to take 9 days and the cost will include guides, meals, hotel and transport. The travel arrangements will include both air and road travel. If you want a shorter trip, a 3 days 2 nights trip to Kathmandu will cost you Tk.25,999 if you travel using BD Tours. If you can round up a group of at least four, then BD Tours can arrange an extremely cheap road trip to Darjeeling, which will set each individual back 12,999 BDT. This package includes twin-bed accommodation in Sweet Home, AC bus, one whole day of sight-seeing, tourist bus ride and a guide.
If you have more to spend, most travel agents offer travel packages to Istanbul, Cairo, Sri Lanka and many other countries, with a 3-star hotel the preference. These packages start from Tk.70,000 and go up to Tk.1,60,000. Of course, it all boils down to finer details such as what airline and which hotel. It’s imperative for any would-be tourists to read the fine print that come with these and any packages. Many packages fail to show the hidden cost, such as the ones associated with visa processing. The hotel arrangements are also not mentioned and nor is the full itinerary. These are the things one needs to find out. Secondly, always search for the best deal and get recommendations. If deals seem too good to be true, they usually are. But don’t be too surprised to come across low rates. Asian Holidays Ltd, another travel agency, offers extremely remarkable prices. A two person trip to Bangkok from here will set you back 24,000 BDT in total, with services including 3 star hotel accommodation and transport, for 3 days and 2 nights. The price for Bangkok and Pattaya will cost a two-person group around Tk.35,000, if you take into account the visa processing fee. The rates for children are almost half of the adult prices
Of course, as advised, instead of rushing into booking a deal for yourself, look through and research if time permits. All the agencies listed have web pages where all the needed information and contact numbers are present. So why not give yourself a real break and head away. If you want to stick a little closer to home, how about signing up for a guided tour programme of Bangladesh’s heritage sights or even Sundarban? Even those are available.