At the risk of repeating ourselves, the cardinal rule of a budget vacation is to avoid travelling in the peak season. The biggest deterrent is expense—everything from lodging to food costs a lot more during this period. In addition, destinations tend to give in to gimmicks in order to appeal to the deep-pockets-low-travel-quotient tourists. So there is little room for authentic local experiences beyond the sightseeing. If it’s a McBurger you fancied, you needn’t have travelled beyond the next street, right?
However, there is a lone exception to this rule — festivals. Visiting a place when it’s in the throes of a celebration gives you a chance to sample the best of the local culture. Better yet, given that most of them include free events, this is one of the best ways to get more value for your money. This, even though most of the worldfamed celebrations take place in the peak season, be it the Goa Carnival or the Oktoberfest in Germany.
Most likely, this is where you picture thronging crowds that are a pickpocket’s delight, traffic snarls that make it difficult to step out of the hotel, loud music till the early hours of morning, and worse. Yes, these are challenges that go hand in hand with popular festivals, but don’t let these deter you. Instead, think about the savings potential.
Take the upcoming 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The German capital has a host of free-for-all events planned to commemorate the occasion. Apart from the ongoing exhibition at the historic Alexanderplatz Square, open 24x7 till 9 November—showcasing the peaceful revolution with rarely seen photographs, documents and films— the line-up includes a music concert, a dance show and a street festival. Other easy-on-the-wallet festivals to watch out for till the end of the year are the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Nepal’s Dasain Festival and the Whirling Dervishes Festival in Turkey.
Further, travel facilitators and hotels invariably roll out attractive packages. Says a senior Make My Trip official: “Festival packages are usually 15-20% cheaper than the regular peak season rates.” For instance, during the Durga Puja this year, West Bengal Tourism is offering day-long sightseeing tours, while hotels are advertising discounted stay options. So HHI Kolkata will offer 40% cheaper rates than the regular tariff from 25-28 September. Similarly, watch out for Navratri tours, Ellora music festival packages and Xmas hot deals in Goa. Incidentally, some of the most value-for-money packages can be found on the Websites of the state tourism departments.
While a travel package is hassle-free, if you seek flexibility, it’s best to prepare your own itinerary. However, if you don’t book your trip at least three months in advance, you risk missing the show.
