Seashores now beckon more Patnaites

PATNA: Earth’s axial tilt and a drop in the temperature ring a bell? Days have started getting shorter and nights chillier, signalling the advent of winter and prompting quite a number of Patnaites to plan journeying to seashores, and elsewhere, for a winter break.
“Compared to last year, the number of holidaymakers is up 30% this winter. While classic destinations like Goa and Kerala are as popular as ever, Pondicherry and Port Blair have become the new hot spots.With spectacular beach views, ambient live music scenes and picturesque lagoons, Maldives and Mauritius also continue to beckon many,” R Priyanka, the director of a travel agency on S P Verma Road, said on Wednesday.
Tempted by the idea of exploring an “underrated” destination, 30-year-old Pooja Sharma has planned a family trip to Mandarmani on New Year’s eve. “Sun on my face, wind in my hair, music in my ears and peace in my soul... I am looking forward to an enviable stay at the seaside resort village in West Bengal for a few days,” the city’s Raja Bazar resident said, making no secret of her plans to go shopping at the beach shops selling handmade jewellery, dresses, handicrafts and shells.
With schools having already scheduled winter break in the first half of January, DAV-BSEB teacher Poonam Kumari is set to visit Singapore next year. “A trip to the Lion City was always on my wish list. Though a year-round destination, I have heard, it comes alive in December and January. I will make the most of its nightlife, solo bike rides and local food,” she told TOI.
Asked if more and more Patnaites were spending on holidaying, Raman Jha, the owner of another city-based travel agency, nodded in the affirmative. “That’s because most of them think of a holiday as a reward that their families deserve. Most of such patrons are ready to spend anywhere between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh (per person) on customized holiday packages,” he said.
There are also honeymooners, solo travellers and youngsters who compromise on accommodation expenses. They, Jha said, prefer homestays, jungle lodges, camps and small apartments to posh hotels and resorts. “Six girls came to me last month in a group, inquiring about a weeklong trip to Pondy in January. They wanted to sign up for high-octane adventure sports like scuba diving, trekking, rafting, snorkelling and jungle safaris,” he recalled.
Travel agencies have customized holiday packages to offer at a price that goes up around the New Year. There are, however, many who prefer to make bookings for trains, flights and hotels on their own on the net. “That translates into less expenses... Why pay more to travel agencies in this internet age?” asked Bahadurpur’s Sangita Jaiswal whose husband takes the entire family, including three teenage children, to different destinations at least twice every year.
Neha Manish, a Delhi University sophomore, points to another benefit of “net bookings”. “Options are varied and package prices competitive. You are spoilt for choice,” said the Boring Road resident who boasts of having saved “a lot of my dad’s money” as her parents let her make all the bookings for the family’s winter break in Goa via Mumbai.