Indians pick day trips to cities abroad

When Vikhroli resident Swarnim Bharadwaj decided to go on a multi-destination vacation in Europe this summer, one of the pre-requisites was minimal packing and unpacking during the trip. As a result, Bharadwaj and his wife will go on day trips to Budapest and Slovakia while their baggage is stationed at a hotel in Vienna.

When Vikhroli resident Swarnim Bharadwaj decided to go on a multi-destination vacation in Europe this summer, one of the pre-requisites was minimal packing and unpacking during the trip. As a result, Bharadwaj and his wife will go on day trips to Budapest and Slovakia while their baggage is stationed at a hotel in Vienna.

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“Frequent shuttling between hotels makes it exhausting. So we chose an itinerary with fewer stopovers and many day trips,” said Bharadwaj, brand manager with a consumer goods company in Mumbai.

Travel operators say that such tours are particularly in demand among groups travelling with children, as families prefer not to drag their luggage to every destination on the itinerary.

“Frequent packing and unpacking is a common grouse among tourists travelling with family. Also, lon-ger stay at one hotel could earn higher discounts as compared to 2-day stays at several places,” said Subhash Motwani, director of Compact Travel in Colaba.

While Europe is most conducive for such holidays owing to its geography, the trend is being witnessed elsewhere too, added Motwani. “A couple recently booked a packaged tour for Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but they will stay in Dubai throughout the holiday.”

In Europe, Basel, Munich, Vienna and Prague are turning into popular stopover points for Indians. “Since most of these destinations are small, they can be covered easily in a day,” said Jay Bhatia, western region chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India.