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Get inspired to explore new destinations and discover the coolest travel hacks and ideas right here. Visit the Zahara Travel blog to stay updated with the latest travel trends and news.

Economy, Premium Economy, and Business , And First Class: What is The Real Difference in Flying in These Different Classes

Zahara Travel Team| Thu, 28 Jul 2022

Nowadays flights offer a variety of seating and services depending on what you are looking for and to better understand the different cabin options, we will briefly run through what the typical economy, premium economy, business and first class seats offer. However, one should keep in mind that all seat specifications and perks, depend on the airline and plane model you’re flying, and whether you are on a short or long-haul flight. We’ll break down the main differences between flying economy, premium economy, business and first class seats so you can see what you get in each of them.

Why Choose a Planned Holiday Package

Ambika Verma| Tue, 18 Feb 2020

Weighing up the pros and cons of booking a holiday package or a pre planned itinerary versus just planning your trip from scratch can lead to a lot of confusion as there is a constant struggle between just booking a tour packages and doing it all by yourself. While the former saves you time and energy the latter does give you complete freedom to plan out every detail of the trip. We’re here today to guide you on the advantages of booking tour packages which allows you to travel carefree, without the hassle of arrangements, at the drop of the hat. While there are pros and cons of each however pre-planned customizable trips win hands down. You save on research and planning time While planning your own itinerary does give you complete freedom to explore all the options you will probably spend hundreds of hours planning a simple weeklong vacation so that you cover all the destinations and activities you don’t want to miss out on. and at the end of the day probably land up confused about which of these places or things to include and end up regretting some of the things missing You get to cover more area in planned tours How often could you think about covering five countries in ten days, or visiting two countries over a weekend? Sounds exciting right, but a nightmare to plan or execute on your own. You’ll rarely plan a trip to cover the sheer number of activities and destinations that a holiday tour would due to the nightmarish logistics involved and lack of experience about what exactly can be covered easily at a new destination. However there are plenty of tour packages that offer intense itineraries that cover a lot of ground. Hassle Free Travel You don't need to worry about nitpicking details and figuring out the how, when, where of the trip and the thousands of arrangements that have to be made as someone else is taking care to ensure that you have a hassle-free travel experience. You Don't Have to Worry About Hidden Costs With pre planned holiday packages, what you pay is already declared in the beginning with all inclusions and exclusions announced before payment so you don’t end up having to pay for additional taxes, charges and add ons from different vendors as your travel company would have already covered these charges in your package. You Get Great Value For Money With the travel industry being as competitive as it is these days, the service providers believe in offering the best deals to clients to lure in prospective customers ensuring that you can rest assured that you are getting the best service at great rates. Experts Plan When you know that the experts are planning your trip you can rest assured that worries about where a destination is safe for tourists or if it is the correct time of the year to visit this particular place is already taken care of by someone who has much more experience on trip planning for the destination. You Don't Have to Manage the Details All those annoying little things like figuring out pick-ups and drops to and from your stops is someone else’s responsibility and you’re unlikely to get stranded because you forgot to inform the operator for the fifth time again that you’re landing today. Your Food Preferences Are Accounted For With a planned tour you can just inform your operator about your food preferences whether you require Halal or vegetarian meals or if you have any dietary restriction and they take of the rest. So coordinating and informing all the people involved in the whole tour about food preferences is already taken care and you needn't do it at every food stop or risk get stuck without any options. A Variety Of Payment Option Is Available First of all you can make a single payment for the entire holiday and secondly you have the option of paying in your local currency with a host of options of how to pay for your tour package. This is quiet unlike when you are planning your own trip and are required to pay for all the different bookings, activities, meals, tours, and items separately often having to get Forex and then deal with how to pay in the only acceptable mode of payment that the particular agent accepts. Booking Far In Advance Is Possible You can plan your vacation in its entirely far in advance and don’t need to set reminders for booking particular legs as and when bookings open to the general public as your travel operator will make the reservations. Visa Assistance is Available Getting visas for your trip can be a excruciating task filled with complications and details that are not immediately clear. When you book a holiday package, you tour operator will generally offer visa assistance to make your trip booking a smoother experience.

The 12 Reasons Why You Must Get Travel Insurance

Ambika Verma| Tue, 28 Jan 2020

Wondering whether travel insurance is worth it? While we can give you a hundred reasons why it is a must for smart travellers here are the top 12 reasons why you should definitely get travel insurance while planning any trip. 1. Having Travel Insurance Saves You From Unforeseen Medical Expenses No matter how good you are at planning, there are a hundred things that could go wrong during the trip and even a simple thing can become a nightmare when travelling abroad. Figuring out how to pay upfront for sudden and often massive bills during a medical emergency can ruin your entire entire holiday experience turning it into a nightmare. A suitable travel insurance covers the costs of medical exigencies leaving you to focus on important issues and some even offer assistance service to figure out the best options for you. This is especially important as many time local medical insurance providers do not provide cover for international travel. 2. Travel Insurance Helps If You Bags Get Lost, Damaged, or Delayed Whether you are attending a work related conference or off on a vacation, if the airline or travel operator misplaces or causes your bagge to be delayed, it puts a damper on the whole event. However with coverage for delayed, damaged or misplaced bags, you can sit back and continue as planned as the insurance provider will help you recover your bags and often reimburse you for the essential clothes and personal items you need to continue your trip unhampered. You can even get reimbursed for the suitcase itself so you can take your new stuff home. 3. Trip Cancellation Can Be Covered Travel Insurance ‘The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’. So what happens to all those non refundable booking and tickets, if for whatever reason you have to cancel your trip? Without trip cancellation coverage, you’ll end up paying for all the pre-booked expenses and the costs of the entire trip may have to be written off as a total loss. However with coverage for trip cancellation you should be able to recover your out-of-pocket expenses for the trip and related cancellation charges if the reason for your cancellation is covered under the agreement. So, you won’t have to stress over losing your trip and being charged for cancellations on top of whatever issue you could be dealing with like for example if someone gets sick and can’t travel, or the death of a loved one or if you are required to come in for work, or other disaster strikes. 4. Travel Insurance Covers Theft Travel insurance generally covers theft by reimbursing you for the direct loss of items in your possession during the trip. That means that if the theft occurs in the airport, including checked luggage, in the hotel, and while the traveller is in transit, for example in a taxi, on a bus, etc then the insurance covers the cost of stolen goods. However it should be noted that travel insurance plans also set limits on their coverage for stolen goods and have a defined limit for different categories of items covered, and it is always best to not travel with anything that is irreplaceable or valuable and to keep those valuable items that you must carry on your person at all times to keep them from being stolen. 5. Travel Insurance Protect Victims of Passport and visa theft The dreaded thought of losing your passport or visa in a forign country can sound like a nightmare but travel insurance with coverage for lost passports ensures you have help expediting the process of replacing and paying for a new passport and other travel documents. If your passport is stolen after you departed from your home country, travel insurance will usually reimburse a traveller for the cost of replacing the passport and other travel documents and assist in finding the local embassy where all this can be accomplished. Some travel insurance plans even offer trip cancellation coverage if your passport or visa are stolen prior to your trip and you can’t get them replaced in time. 6. Travel Insurance Offers Peace of Mind for Personal Liability On the off chance that you’re involved in any incident where you are found legally responsible for someone else’s personal injury or damage to their property, travel insurance can cover you. Personal liability coverage in your travel insurance also ensures that you can opt for a rental car stress free as if you are involved in an accident in a rental, you’ll end up having to pay in excess even if the fault wasn’t yours. 7. Travel Insurance Protects Against Trip Interruptions And Missed Or Cancelled Flights

A Guide for First Time Solo Travellers

Zahara Travel Team| Mon, 22 Apr 2019

Solo travelling is an exciting experience that gives you the luxury to do what you really want to do, without depending on others. It's thrilling, scary, and challenging at the same time. You learn many things about the place as well as learning things about yourself. But no matter how adventurous or entertaining solo travel may sound, the truth is that many of us still find it as a daunting task. Many questions come to you including about safety, practicalities, how interesting it will be and more. Use these practical tips and ideas to get started:

A Guide to Booking International Car Rentals From Oman

Zahara Travel Team| Thu, 28 Mar 2019

Travelling to Europe or other destinations from Oman is complicated enough without trying to figure out last minute details like car rentals after you land at your destination.

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