The International Holiday / Travel Thread

[raksrules]

I didn't find a thread like this so opening this. This will serve as a single thread to ask and answer questions about International travel from India. It can be for Holiday purpose or business or office work travel. You may be traveling on your own or with your loved ones. You may also ask Visa questions or list down countries where Indians have Visa on Arrival or things that person should take care when visiting a certain country. You may also share your own experiences which may help others.


I will kick off this thread with my query...

I am planning to visit somewhere in December 2020 along with my family. I am not sure of the destination yet. It has to be pocket friendly as I will be traveling with my wife and 2 Kids (both would be needing separate seats in airline by that time). Within Asia, I have visited Thailand till now (Bangkok and Phuket). What other options can I explore?

 

[puns]

Depends on budget. How old are the kids.
Family friendly places would be Singapore, Bali. Egypt and Jordan would be nice if you and wife into that.
Dont ignore Thailand as Ayutthaya, Chang Mai & Chang Rai are just gorgeous. Lot of animal reserves and national parks.

 

[blr_p]

Hmm so I guess Monaco, Galapagos & Bora Bora are off the list then

Best place i enjoyed as a kid was Bangkok

 

[raksrules]

Depends on budget. How old are the kids.
Family friendly places would be Singapore, Bali. Egypt and Jordan would be nice if you and wife into that.
Dont ignore Thailand as Ayutthaya, Chang Mai & Chang Rai are just gorgeous. Lot of animal reserves and national parks.

In Dec 2020, one will be 6.5 years old and another will be 2 years old.

 

[skoka123]

Someone suggested that Combodia offers a lot too and that it is a comparable to Thailand cost wise.

 

[vyral_143]

In Dec 2020, one will be 6.5 years old and another will be 2 years old.

This is going to be tricky. Recently we went for short trip to Cebu, Philippines from HK, with 2 other couples (one with 3 years old kid). Overall, it was managed; but kids tend to get cranky if their cycle is broke. With kids, you may explore Indian destinations more comfortably. For international ones, Singapore, Hong Kong and such cities, Taiwan (Taipei, Jiufen/Shifen, SunMoon lake), Vietnam (Hoi An, Da Nang, Hanoi - Halong Bay), China (Guilin, Yangshuo, Longji) come off my mind.

Coming back to topic, what I have learned from multiple VISA applications is; immigration authority of any destination country would be looking a mainly 1) return ticket - so you are not overstaying in their country 2) hotel reservations/itinerary - while trip you have planned for accommodation 3) financials - you would be able to manage expenses in trip and also indicates you are settled/engaged in your current employment/business well/enough back in home country. Also having travel insurance adds more to your application - Schengen visa specifically asks for one in application.

 

[red dragon]

@raksrules ,
If you are interested in Europe, east Europe is mostly budget friendly, so is some cities in Central Europe.
Praha is pretty cheap, so is Budapest and Bratislava (ESET head office is located here) Christmas eve in Praha is really magical.
PS I live in this part of the globe, so obviously biased.

 

[raksrules]

What are the options of cruise for us Indians? Even if that involved traveling to a different country and then boarding a cruise from there. Preferably in South East Asia.

 

[sushil.mudgil]

watching the thread as i am planning similiar in may 20 but without kids. I had rather let them enjoy their vocations with Grand parents while we too can get some much needed time off...

 

[vigilante]

watching the thread as i am planning similiar in may 20 but without kids. I had rather let them enjoy their vocations with Grand parents while we too can get some much needed time off...

Good idea. I went to Spain with wife this year through MMT. Kid was with grandparents which turned out to be a good decision. Europe involves a lot of walking and food options for kids tend to be limited. With just 2 of us and the whole tour group, we were able to even explore destinations that weren't part of the original itinerary.

 

[raksrules]

On doing research on cruises, I found the Jalesh Cruises. Anyone here has experience about these? Or if you know anyone who has traveled in them? I see they have departures from Mumbai and have domestic (Goa, Dui etc) cruises and even upto Dubai.
Their website does not do a good job of telling what will happen at each port, as in for Mumbai to Dubai cruise, the first destination is Muscat so can we get outside in city or no? The only part that made sense is that Dubai is the last stop so coming back from Dubai is my cost.

I am confused that if I want to do Cruise, would it make sense to do a Dubai one or rather do something like Mumbai - High Seas - Mumbai or Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai or Mumbai-Dui-Mumbai. This way I am guessing we can experience "Cruise". Dubai one probably doesn't make sense as it requires us to go till Dubai which takes 5 days and then local stuff in Dubai which means more stay there.

 

[raksrules]

Does anyone know what is the current situation in terms of acceptance of COVID Vaccine certificate for travel to countries like UAE (Dubai specifically) or Singapore? I am NOT planning travel right now but may plan for the year end. Also since there is no COVID vaccine for children, obviously kids haven't taken vaccine.

 

[kalph09]

Most countries right now have banned visitors from India since April 27th. Intl travel is open to very few countries like the Maldives, Bahrain with mandatory RTPCR tests.

Dubai is open to specific types of visas and a tourist visa is not one of them.

You can check official statements/announcements on the Airline's website or the Bureau of Immigration.

 

[red dragon]

The situation and the rules are changing so rapidly, it's very difficult to keep track.
UK has withdrawn the mandatory 10 days quarantine ( 1700 pounds per person) 3/4 days ago.
But the confusion and controversy around the Vaxzevria vs Covishield is still there.
Many things depend upon the post Diwali situation.
If possible defer travel till mid January 2022.

 

[kartikoli]

Only resident are allowed to travel to dubai No visit visa allowed as of now

 

[raksrules]

Not International but still want to update that I have been able to check off one more thing from my bucket list, something I really wanted to do and even after staying in US for a good amount of time I could not. Cruise.

Enjoyed the Cordelia Cruises from Mumbai to Goa and back, It was 2 night itinerary and myself and family thoroughly enjoyed a real cruise experience. Be it food, swimming pool, entertainment and many other things. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is itching to do a cruise. We also saw many honeymoon couples as it seems due to international travel restrictions, people are preferring domestic options and this is a great one.
If anyone has any questions, shoot and I will answer them.

 

[girish925]

@raksrules travel time and cost involved

 

[fastapifastdisks]

Not International but still want to update that I have been able to check off one more thing from my bucket list, something I really wanted to do and even after staying in US for a good amount of time I could not. Cruise.

Enjoyed the Cordelia Cruises from Mumbai to Goa and back, It was 2 night itinerary and myself and family thoroughly enjoyed a real cruise experience. Be it food, swimming pool, entertainment and many other things. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is itching to do a cruise. We also saw many honeymoon couples as it seems due to international travel restrictions, people are preferring domestic options and this is a great one.
If anyone has any questions, shoot and I will answer them.

any websites or credit card/debit card cashback etc offers to get good deals on the cordelia cruise ?

 

[raksrules]

any websites or credit card/debit card cashback etc offers to get good deals on the cordelia cruise ?

Honestly didn't bother checking. I just used their website to book. You could explore other websites through which you can book and may be get a better deal.

@raksrules travel time and cost involved

Didn't really hunt for any deals and just booked through their own website. I paid about 51K for an interior room (cheapest with no views) for 4 people but 2 of these are kids under 12 and they had this scheme where "Kids sail free" so base price was not applicable for them but port charges etc was there. Check attached pic for exact amount. It was 2 nights. Sailing from Mumbai at 5:30 pm, reaching Goa at 11 am next day, Sailing back from Goa at 6 pm and reaching Mumbai by 11am-12pm next day.

There are other options too in terms of where it sails, like Dui, Lakshadweep, Sri Lanka and so on. But honestly, with cruises it is more about enjoying the experience of cruise than going to destination. On our cruise many people never disembarked at Goa, just enjoyed on cruise doing various activities.
Some pics. Will give you Titanic Vibes...

 

[fastapifastdisks]

Honestly didn't bother checking. I just used their website to book. You could explore other websites through which you can book and may be get a better deal.

Didn't really hunt for any deals and just booked through their own website. I paid about 51K for an interior room (cheapest with no views) for 4 people but 2 of these are kids under 12 and they had this scheme where "Kids sail free" so base price was not applicable for them but port charges etc was there. Check attached pic for exact amount. It was 2 nights. Sailing from Mumbai at 5:30 pm, reaching Goa at 11 am next day, Sailing back from Goa at 6 pm and reaching Mumbai by 11am-12pm next day.

There are other options too in terms of where it sails, like Dui, Lakshadweep, Sri Lanka and so on. But honestly, with cruises it is more about enjoying the experience of cruise than going to destination. On our cruise many people never disembarked at Goa, just enjoyed on cruise doing various activities.
Some pics. Will give you Titanic Vibes...


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how was the hygenine situation wrt to covid especially in buffet areas ?