Question: When did booking a taxi become an exciting affair? Answer: When Uber was launched I and my family & friends are enjoying the plethora of discounts & free rides that Uber has been offering. The technology is disruptive i.e it can break existing economics of the transportation business. Much as been said and written […]
Author: Rajiv
My tryst with Accor hotels
My tryst with Accor hotels began in the early 2009 in Paris with stays in Novotel & then switched to the preferred Suite Novotel. While Novotel is good for short stays of less than a week, Suite Novotel is cosy for long stays. Also, a couple of times in Ibis when I wanted to stay […]
Travel Opportunity: Fly to Singapore for Rs 9,000-13,000 return
Origin: Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli Destination: Singapore Travel: “Fly to Singapore for Free” by Tiger Airways Stay: Not big deals on the table. For now, Avoiding early-mover’s curse in hotel bookings & wait to catch the last-minute deals. Subscribe for updates on hotel opportunities as they emerge Window of opportunity: Bangalore, Hyderabad Kochi: Available now Chennai, Tiruchirappalli: Hopefully soon […]
Demystifying 3 myths about earning miles
Myth #1: Flying is the only way to earn miles While this is how it all started, flying is just one of the many ways to earn miles. Credit card spends are the most lucrative ways to earn miles today. Picture this: Among the 72,000 Emirates miles that went into redeeming the Copenhagen-Bangalore award ticket, […]
Travel Surprise: Fly to Manila, Philippines for Rs 1145 all-inclusive!
Yes! I find Bangalore to Manila return fare for Rs 1145. It is a “mistake fare” showing up on online travel agent via.com that I discovered through skyscanner. If somebody manages to book this, no guarantee if it will be honoured.
Travel Opportunity: Fly to Goa, Soak in luxury @ ~Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000
Origin: Bangalore Destination: Goa Travel: AirAsia & Go Air @ ~Rs 4,000, JetAirways @ ~Rs 4,600 Stay: Soak in the luxury of Park Hyatt in South Goa @ ~Rs 4000 (Also, Grand Hyatt in North Goa) Miscellaneous: ~Rs 5,000-Rs 8,000 Window of opportunity: 2014, 1st Aug to 15th Aug How To: 1. Book air tickets online […]
Travel Surprise: Staying in centuries-old palace or fort hotels is not all that expensive
Fancy staying in a century-old palace or fort hotel such as the Dadhikar Fort or Neemrana Fort-Palace? Did I hear you say “Ofcourse yes but it would cost a bomb” Surprise, surprise, it is not! When AirAsia India introduced the launch sale in the Bangalore-Jaipur route, I researched for some interesting stay options around Jaipur. (You can […]
Travel Opportunity: Fly to Jaipur, Stay in a Palace/Fort @ ~Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000 (EXPIRED)
Origin: Bangalore Destination: Jaipur Travel: AirAsia India Bangalore-Jaipur @ ~Rs 4,000 Stay: In a palace/fort hotel in Alwar @ ~Rs 4,000 Miscellaneous: ~Rs 4,000-Rs 7,000 Window of opportunity: 2014, 25th Jul, 00:30 to 27th Jul, 00:00 (3 days) How To: 1. Book air tickets online on AirAsia 2. Pick a palace/fort hotel & book – […]
10 days in Scandinavia – Trip Itinerary
Little did we dream of a Scandinavia trip this summer. One fine day, a tiny window of opportunity showed up. 3 weeks notice is all we had – tickets, plan, bookings & biggest bottleneck for any India traveler, VISA! As crazy as it may seem, we decided to take it as far as it goes. […]
AirFrance and Emirates miles redemption for a trip to Scandinavia
In the last few years much of my travel has been to France. The preferred airline quiet naturally started with AirFrance with its direct Paris flights. Along the way fares increased and Emirates emerged as the next option. I also got the SCB Emirates Platinum credit card that earns Emirates miles on credit card spends […]
Vacation surprise for the family to The Leela in Kovalam, Kerala
I wanted to surprise my better half with an awesome travel experience. It had to be short, luxurious & relaxing. In summers, coastal India is considered off-season. Hence an ideal time to experience those aspirational resorts at reasonable rates. These go at some insane prices at other times of the year. The Leela, Kovalam turned out […]
Avoiding early-mover’s curse in hotel bookings – How to catch the last-minute deals
Book early, save more. 90/60/30 day advance booking rates. Most of us are familiar with such offers to sweeten our hotel and resort bookings. Strange are the ways of dynamic pricing + occupancy rate targets + unknown factors, one could be a victim of early-mover’s curse i.e a well-planned booking made in advance turns expensive […]