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Saturday, November 11, 2017

The Changing Face of Travel


As a small kid, I remember staying with our relatives when travelling out of the city was the first option unless the place where we went had no friends or relatives. Also, as travel would mostly be need-based so the money spent on the accommodation was minimal as the major expense would be towards the purchase of tickets and eating. I suppose this was the case with most of the middle-class Indians.
All this was set to change as people started travelling even for work and would get relocated to far off places from their native place due to emerging job market and lesser reluctance to travel. Nowadays apart from those who study in the boarding schools, most of the kids leave their home to pursue the college and higher education and invariably get settled in the new cities where they find jobs,.The increasing globalization also opened the new frontiers to travel abroad for both studies as well as jobs.
As a result of the increased mobility and more disposable incomes in the hands, the travel industry was set to change forever in India. I vividly recollect becoming a  lifelong member of the International Youth Hostels in my early years to explore the country and stay in small cubicles with bare essentials without shelling a bomb. Most of the bag packers around the world still use this option as it not only cuts down on the living expenses but provides a decent clean place, mostly in the heart of the city, well connected with the public transport, and also offer travel cards across the counter to explore the place. One could meet people from not only within the country from different states but also foreigners to learn more about their cultures. The evening at these hostels would be converted into outdoor picnics with campfires and impromptu dance and music sessions. I explored the campsites to live under the stars, pitch a tent, which I had learnt while in school, during the NCC camps. Most cities in the world have excellent camping sites and also caravans for those seeking more adventure.
The medium scale hotels affiliated to chains like OYO, Treebo in the country and Accor, Best Western, Ginger etc offer reasonable places of stay internationally. The backpackers still look for the Youth hostels, YMCA/YWCA which is generally overflowing with tourists during the peak season.
A newly emerging trend is the homestay option which companies like Airbnb have brought on the world stage with a bang! They not only provide beautiful options to stay with the option of cooking or even eating with the families with whom they stay. They offer unique experiences which not many of the best hotels can match like offering local experiences besides the cuisine. In what was experimented by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan of San Francisco in floating AirBnB in 2008, the concept has revolutionized the travel world and is set to stay. It has managed to break into the traditional hold of the hotels and their chains that had dominated the world. Some have gone to the extent of swapping their homes when travelling to the places of their choice, instead of locking their homes!

The travel sites like Booking .com, Hotels .com, and much more, offer the ease of booking the hotels from the comfort of home for any place in the world. Coupled with the net booking of air or rail tickets the face of the travel world has changed forever and made travelling a delight.

PS Image Kind Courtesy Google

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this best stuff with us! Keep sharing! I am new in the blog writing.All types blogs and posts are not helpful for the readers.Here the author is giving good thoughts and suggestions to each and every readers through this article.Quality of the content is the main element of the blog and this is the way of writing and presenting.Waiting for again wonderful blogs or posts.
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  2. Very interesting information for new travellers! My son used this while travelling to New zealand, I remember him telling me (BnB).

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  3. The only thing that remains constant is the joy of travel!

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  4. Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.

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  5. Hey keep posting such sensible and significant articles.

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