Making the most of your International Holiday

Making the most of your International Holiday

We tend to spend a lot on our International holiday and then are left at the mercy of our itineraries to give us a feel good factor about it. Well, there are small little things which can give you ‘much more’ out of your holiday if you pay attention to the fine print. Take a closer look:

1.      Global Refund / VAT Refund: Most of the countries give a privilege to International travelers that they need not pay full VAT / tax on their purchases. The way it works is as below:

a.  The tourist does some extensive shopping (which amounts to more than the minimum amount required for VAT refund eligibility). He asks for a VAT refund form at the shop / store.

b.  The shop helps the tourist fill in his/her VAT refund form (which requires his passport details as well) and puts in the calculated refund amount on this form.     
c.   During his stay abroad, the tourist collects all such VAT refund forms from different stores he/she shops in. Remember, not all stores provide VAT refund.

d.   While at the airport to catch the return flight, the tourist visits the Customs Area and gets his VAT refund forms stamped after showing the goods he/she purchased.

e.   Then he/she visits Global Refund office at the airport and shows the stamped VAT refund forms and gives his/her choice about receiving cash / credit in card. If cash is opted, the same is provided to the tourist in the currency of his/her choice.

f.    The airport maps where Global refund offices can be located can be found at the Global blue / global refund website.

g.   Depending on the country, you normally get approximately 10% (or even more) of your purchase price back. Hey, what more do you want ??? J

2.  Register for Airline Miles: Whichever airline you fly with gives you the option to register with it to earn some miles. You can redeem these miles for either some gifts / souvenirs or domestic tickets with the same or partner airlines. Also, if you keep on accumulating these miles, you get upgraded to the next tier of the membership and then you have access to other facilities like Premier Lounges at airports, excess baggage allowance and so on.

3. Credit Card membership reward points: If you are using a credit card for your finances abroad, it is a good idea to register for its reward point scheme as well.  Since you shall be spending a lot (even if you spend less, in Indian currency it shall be quite a lot, still), you will accumulate a lot of reward points which you can again redeem for gifts.

4. Get Rail Passes or book online and look for Combo offers: You can save a lot of money by planning in advance and booking tickets online. Many official websites offer discounts / combo offers which you can avail and also avoid that queue at the ticket window.

5. Register for Hotel Membership: Most of the good hotels abroad generally belong to one or the other hotel chain. It’s a good idea to register for their membership as well. This can give you approximately 10% off in the hotels of the same chain or you may be lucky to avail some free stays as well.

     6. Be alert about the many offers and discounts that are ongoing in local markets. Things can be pretty inexpensive when bought during sales or ongoing offers. Look out for the word ‘korting’ which means ‘discount’ when in Netherlands. Many shops provide their membership card which can offer additional discounts on your subsequent purchases.

      7. There are exclusive shopping destinations like ‘Designer Outlet’ which have almost all brands’ factory outlets and offer a range of discounts. Do check them out.

      8. Do try local souvenirs, local food especially French breads / pastries, Dutch and swiss cheese, winter woolen accessories, jackets, swiss watches, swiss army knives, chocolates, perfumes, local French fries with mayonese…. The list is endless.. J

As a general tip, when shopping, search for things that you cannot find or buy in India. I am sure you will find many such things to shop for. Then, when you return to your homeland, these souvenirs can be a source of delight and a sweet memory about the exotic destination you have been to. Also, the feeling that you could get some freebies and irresistible offers will make you smile even more.

Buon Viaggio!!!!