PEOPLE FROM foreign land tour India with a backpack on the shoulder and ‘a Guide to Indian cities’ in the hand. But, Lucknowites won’t go on a foreign tour without everything done and decided here.
From taxi to dinner bills, site-seeing, and back, they want everything pre-arranged from the tour operator and that makes the latter’s job a bit more responsible. And that the operators love to do to avoid post-tour complaints.
You need to attend one of the routine briefings by outbound tour operators to know how Lucknowites are handed over taxi and food vouchers in advance to ensure they don’t complain about being cheated or overcharged on various services.
“First-time travellers particularly to destinations in Italy and France are vulnerable to be overcharged by taxi drivers when they decide to take a trip around the city. “We offer food vouchers to travellers in many cases for discouraging them from eating in expensive restaurants of the hotel where they would be staying. The food in an eating joint just outside the hotel is far more cheaper thought of dining in style in a fancy hotel”, Regional Head (UP & Uttaranchal) of Delhi Express Holidays Vivek Pandey told HT Lucknow Live.
He said a briefing to the travellers before they start the journey also includes telling them not to speak in English in France when they arrive at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. “The French taxi drivers aren’t too pleased with English speaking people in their country. As a solution, travellers are asked to contact the local tour managers who await their arrival at the airport for their hassle-free transfer to the hotel”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}He said a briefing to the travellers before they start the journey also includes telling them not to speak in English in France when they arrive at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. “The French taxi drivers aren’t too pleased with English speaking people in their country. As a solution, travellers are asked to contact the local tour managers who await their arrival at the airport for their hassle-free transfer to the hotel”, he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Watch your belongings in any Italian city to avoid becoming a victim of theft which are rampant in that country”.
“Do not hire a taxi on your own when you arrive in Milan as notorious taxi drivers could take one for a long ride while overcharging on taxi fares” are some of the common instructions for the first time travellers.
We offer vouchers for taxi rides in most Italian cities issued from Lucknow to make travellers travel without the scare of being overcharged in an alien city,” Pandey said.
There are travellers who are advised to take “baked vegetables” or noodles which can serve as instant meals when mixed with hot water on foreign trips as they aren’t sure about getting the food of their choice in a foreign land, he added.