Holiday season is ahead and there is nothing better than to pack your bags and move out at a place of your interest to chill out and rejuvenate yourself. Planning a holiday is a complex exercise involving numerous jobs. And, needless to mention - closing your travel/hotel bookings is the most cumbersome, time consuming and important of all. One has two options for travel and hotel bookings. Either you do your own travel arrangements, book your hotels/cars and fix your own itinerary or go for a Tour Package, which is basically a ready-to-eat dish. In today's fast and busy work, Package Tour is not a bad idea at all. There are scores of travel agencies and websites, which offer Tour Packages to most destinations.

However, a Tour Package is also not that easy as it looks. One needs to be very careful and vigilant while deciding on and booking a package tour. Here are some tips, which will help you in choosing the best and economical tour package.

• First and foremost, one must select a renowned travel agency/website, which has some history and track record of conducting good tours. Reference from friends/relatives who have recently conducted a tour is always a good idea.

• In most of the advertisements, the packages look very attractively priced and sound as the best possible deal. But do not ignore the asterisk (*) sign after the price, which demands more diligent and meticulous scanning. One can check out the following in the package details:

o Generally the advertised package costs are for the lowest available Hotel Tiers. Please check out the category of Hotels and rooms offered by the package. The hotel details and facilities can be cross checked and reviews can be read at various websites available for these purposes. The cost, naturally, increases with the higher category of hotels and decision can be made as per the budget.

o Also, generally, the package costs are quoted considering departure from a common city. Please check-out the cost considering departure from your place.

o The package costs are mostly without taxes. The tax (Hotel Tax, Service Tax and Airport Tax) is always a significant amount, which needs to be enquired and considered while doing a cost comparison. Airport Tax amount is not always firm because it varies with the date of booking, however an approximate amount is always available with the agent.

o The places of interest and itineraries are mostly common for a given destination. Thus a broad comparison can be made among various offers without dwelling much on it.

o Please check whether the price quoted is on Full Board Basis (All Meals) or Half Board Basis (Breakfast). Accordingly the cost may vary among two offers.

o Generally the cost of entry tickets at places of interest and camera permits are not included in the package. One can enquire about the prices from the agent to get a broad idea and know a comprehensive tour cost.

o The packages are mostly on group basis and all the travel during the tour is conducted in a common coach. If you are looking for exclusivity, individual cars are, generally, available at extra cost.

o In few cases, the air travel to the destination might not be direct and the flights could be hopping. Though this could be slightly cheaper option - but can be extremely tiring and cumbersome, too.

• Arrange quotes from multiple agents/websites for the similar category of Hotels and similar places of interest, so a better comparison can be done and best deal can be clicked.

• Once you are decided on your program and have chosen a package, please hold your bookings via your agent so there is no price variation at the time of final booking (though not much time should be taken between blocking and final booking).

• Least possible time should be taken for closing the final bookings as the price escalates with the passage of time - mainly due to air fare.

So, go ahead, scan the tour packages well, happy journey and enjoy a good holiday ahead.

(Contributor is a Chartered Accountant based in Delhi)