Buy one, get one free," scream hoardings all over the city offering cheap tickets, free holidays and unbelievable discounts. Gone are the days when the exodus from the country was only during the holiday season. Now it seems Indians want to holiday all year round, and travel companies, airlines and resorts are doing their best to cash in on this wanderlust. And it is easy to get lost in the maze of special packages on offer. Each has its merits, and the trick is sifting the wheat from the chaff. Let's start with the Quantas Airlines offer. On till yesterday, you could get two tickets for the price of one to Australia. Missed it? Don't despair. Air India still has a two-for-one offer to Seoul. And it's not just airlines that are slashing their rates. To lure tourists, Singapore has a grand sale on through the next month (like the Dubai Shopping Festival) and rates of both accommodation and flights have been slashed.Travel specialists Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings both have great budget packages available at the moment. For Rs 19,999 Cox & Kings offers a four day, three night stay at the three-star Garden Hotel in Singapore. This package includes breakfast and a shopping orientation. Thomas Cook has a similar special offer for Rs 21,440. Fares to Singapore are about 20 per cent cheaper at the moment, costing well under Rs 20,000. Cox & King's Matthew Spacie says that the response has been better than expected.While this is not the peak season for holiday-makers, a surprising number of people are going away at the moment. For many young couples without children, now is the ideal time to take a break from the monsoons. The travel industry calls this shoulder season, between the busy season and the slack period.But watch out for the hidden costs in these offers. Just because there is a deal on Singapore it is far from being the cheapest holiday spot in the Far East. Why not check out Thailand instead? Both air fare and accommodation are cheaper all year round. "Even the shopping is cheaper," adds Spacie. And there is more to Thailand than the traffic-ridden city of Bangkok. The country has innumerable island resorts with azure-blue seas and golden sands which make for breathtaking getaways. The only advantage with Singapore is that it is probably the easiest country for an Indian passport holder to obtain a visa for.But why go even that far? Take a look south of India. According to Thomas Cook's senior leisure travel manager, Sri Lanka is probably the best value-for-money (VFM) holiday spot. "It is not as risky as people make it out to be," he says. A ticket costs around Rs 12,000 and accommodation comes to around Rs 1,800 a day including breakfast.Other VFM destinations are Mauritius and Malaysia, but visas for the latter countries can be very difficult to get. Thomas Cook offers a package that costs Rs 50,000 for 10 days to Malaysia, including air travel. Travel specialists also recommend booking on-the-spot for these special offers. "Never think that the price will be reduced later. If any airline comes out with an offer then it will the best price they can give," says Spacie. Also, when an airline gives a discount it does not mean that the rate on all the seats will be reduced. Normally, a maximum of 20 seats per aircraft will be allocated for these special prices. So, it is better to book early to avoid disappointment. And even after an offer is over, don't discount the destination. For instance, while the Quantas promotion is over, travel agents still recommend Australia as an affordable alternative to America and Europe. Going West is expensive at this time of year, as this is the peak holiday season with European and American schools breaking for summer holidays in July.Cox & Kings are planning an eight-day tour around Australia at a special rate. Going down under is a better option for Indians as the exchange rate is more favourable and there are more Indian restaurants there than in America. Basic items are also more reasonably priced. In fact, this year most travel agents are planning tours of the East and Australia.As Diwali approaches, so does another bust holiday period. Thomas Cook is already offering an Oriental tour, which includes a cruise, for Rs 21,999 for travelling plus an additional Rs 28,800 for -room, board and a few bus tours.But if you are determined to go West, then TCI has an offer to Florida, starting at Rs 19,500. Or you can wait and wish, the only problem being you will have battle the cold. Last September most European airlines reduced their rates to Europe. But there is no guarantee that this will happen again. Only when demand slackens do airlines cut fares.If this still sounds too expensive, then SOTC-Kuoni have a novel way to pay for your holidays. Called `Happi Holidays', this scheme allows you to pay over an extended period of time, in monthly installments. For instance, for the Oriental Odyssey - which includes stop-overs in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore over five days - you pay Rs 2,900 per month. There are similar deals for trips to Europe, Mauritius and the USA. So even on a budgetyou may be able to afford a dream holiday!
