Ravi and Ritu, a double-income-no-kid (DINK) couple, have been planning to take a break from their busy work schedules.

Vidyut and Avanti , who have a 1-year-old kid, also plan to take a holiday. Both these couples want a nice, cosy vacation, but one which is relatively easy on their pockets.

The best way to do this is to time their trip right – in the periods before or after the peak-seasons. This offers several advantages.

Both airfares and hotel accommodation rates (the major costs in a vacation) are cheaper. The crowd is lesser making for a more enjoyable holiday experience. The tourist's buck gets more bang when the rush-hour has not yet begun or is already over.

Unlike the above couples, many families do not have the luxury of picking and choosing their holiday schedule.

They plan their vacations to coincide with their children's school holidays. So, during the peak seasons – the summer vacation months, the Diwali holidays, and the December-end holidays – there are usually large hordes making a beeline for the tourist spots. With high demand, both airfares and hotel accommodation rates invariably rise. Peak season airfares have traditionally been higher than at other times in the year.

Capitalising on tourist season

For instance, online travel Web sites indicate that currently the cheapest air ticket from Chennai to Goa in the Diwali week (November 13) this year costs around Rs 3,700.

The cheapest fare on December 1, just about a fortnight later, on the same route, is around Rs 2,650, almost 30 per cent less!

This summer, airfares have been heading up higher than usual, thanks to Kingfisher Airlines and Air India cancelling flights. Hotels too tend to hike their rates during the ‘tourist season', to capitalise on increased demand for rooms.

Before the crowd comes in and after it moves out, demand in the tourist spots is much lesser than supply. This works to the benefit of the non-peak season vacationer. For one, travelling to and from your holiday destination is much cheaper. As seen above, airfares are much cheaper.

Hotels which see reduced occupancies also reduce room rates in a bid to attract travellers and gain extra income.

Something's better than nothing for an otherwise closed room – they reason. In fact, hotels may even be willing to go the extra mile and reduce already low rates, if you negotiate hard. Search around and bargain for the best deals. You should also enquire with ‘home-stays' which may offer better and cheaper deals than hotels. Good deals may be available on local travel and food in the tourist spots when the crowds are sparse.

Check for these in the local newspapers of your holiday destination.

Besides, it makes sense to plan your holiday a few months in advance and book your air-tickets early.

You could get tickets at very competitive rates. Airfares generally tend to rise sharply as the date of travel approaches, and seats start getting filled up. Booking tickets for a couple and an infant for a journey from Chennai to Bagdogra (a hub for taking off to spots in Sikkim) cost a total of Rs 18,000 on March 30, but Rs 23,000 on April 12!

Round-trip benefit

Also, many airlines offer tidy discounts if you book tickets for the round-trip instead of separate one-way tickets. But check whether such schemes come with strings attached such as the round trip tickets being not eligible for refunds on cancellation, or other such restrictive conditions.

Many travel Web sites also offer ‘combo deals' which could sometimes save you a good packet if you use their service to book both travel and accommodation together.

But don't rush into anything, before comparing other offers. Given your bargaining power in the non-peak season periods, you could even ask hotels and service providers for better deals using existing offers as a negotiating chip.

Other ways to reduce travel costs include not travelling over the weekends and being flexible to travel at odd hours . Happy (and economical) off-season vacationing!

anandk@thehindu.co.in

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