Move over Matheran, here8217;s Manila

Says Jayanti Ghatate, 45, a home-maker who went to Turkey recently, 8220;I love exploring new places, and with exotic destinations becoming available to us, even the seen-it-all traveller has an excuse to travel.8221;

If wanderlust takes people like Ghatate to foreign shores, it was the need for a break that took Namrata Chang to Dubai. 8220;It would have been cheaper for my husband, who is working in Sharjah, to visit us there and then take us to the nearby hill stations.

8220;But my daughter had just completed her ICSE and we were pretty stressed out. So I decided that if my daughters and I went to Dubai, we8217;d get that much-needed break.8221;

Holidaying abroad is a whole new experience for the first-time traveller and veteran alike. Says Sujata Sabnis, a free-lance journalist who has been all over the world and last went to Kenya, 8220;Last Diwali, we went on a personalised travel package which included a seven-day African safari in Kenya and a four-day stay in Seychelles.

8220;It was a truly beautiful experience because while big cities like New York and London have basically the same things on offer, everything pales in comparison to a wildlife safari! I remember one particular incident vividly.

We were touring a wildlife reserve on a safari bus when a lion came right upto our window. Although there was glass between us, the look in its eyes was enough to send a chill down my spine!8221;

Chang, who went abroad for the first time, was overawed by the shopping facilities available in Dubai. 8220;The shopping malls are huge, almost as big as some residential areas here. We would spend the entire day there and not know it.8221;

Just back from a trip organised by SOTC to Bangkok and Singapore, which also included a cruise, Pooja Abhichandani has happy experiences to relate. 8220;The children had a great time. After we flew to Bangkok and then Phuket, we took a cruise to Singapore. This was especially attractive because there were games and entertainment for the children throughout the cruise.8221;

Earlier, the only dissuading factor was the huge amounts of funds foreign travel required. If more and more Puneites are now hopping on international flights, the reasons for it are mainly the market forces. Says Peter Samuel, travel manager, Thomas Cook, 8220;The travel business has become a buyer8217;s market, as a result, more and more agents and airlines are offering sops to their clients. Right now, the most popular one is the fly-free package where one pays just 1999 US dollars per person for a 16-day tour covering 10 European countries.8221;

Says Tushar Jaykar, senior sales executive, Sita World Travels, 8220;We are seeing more middle-class people travelling abroad because even if one does not have the money to pay immediately, it can be done in installments.8221;

Travelling abroad requires not just money, but also a lot of planning and paperwork, which most tourist prefer handing over to the travel agents. Like Abhichandani did. 8220;We went on a 10-day package tour to Bangkok and Pattaya that cost us Rs. 37,000 per head.8221;

Says Kansibai Pendharkar, 83, who recently travelled to Egypt and Greece in a package tour offered by a city travel agent, 8220;The package tours are very convenient and comfortable. One does not have to bother with travel arrangements, hotel accommodation and transport to the sites, it8217;s all done for you.8221;

But for the young and able, taking on the chores of organising is no big deal. Sabnis prefers touring leisurely and adds, 8220;One cannot travel independently in package tours; their fixed schedules tend to curb the freedom to explore and enjoy the local flavour. I avoid taking these tours though they give good discounts. For the discounts, I scan the internet and get the good deals myself.8221;

Once bitten by the travel bug, the lure of foreign travel gets harder to resist. Says Chang, 8220;It8217;s so exciting to see new places. Next year, we plan to visit Singapore.8221;

For Abhichandani, these trips are something her family looks forward to every three years. 8220;We do travel within the country but prefer going abroad because we see different sights. Shopping, too, is another incentive.8221;

Guess we can safely say that Puneites have well and truly been bitten by the foreign bug!