If you are planning a last-minute trip to celebrate Eid Al Fitr, then make sure you take advantage of the dozens of travel deals on offer. From Europe to Southeast Asia and locations closer to home, there are dozens of bargains for those conscious about cost.
A road trip to Muscat for AED1,181, a three-night stay in London for AED3,290 or a five-night break in Nepal for AED4,568 – these are just a small sample of the types of travel deals currently on offer in the UAE ahead of Eid. From Saudi Arabia, some travel deals offered such as a 5-night trip for 2 to the Maldives in a private beach villa with meals and transfers cost SR6,609 or a 2-night trip to Dubai for SR1,540.
The travel deals can mainly be found on the nation’s multitude of group buying and daily deal websites such as Cobone or Groupon, which all offer large discounts on foreign travel.
But before you get dazzled by the bargains on offer, make sure you read the small print of any trip you are considering buying. For a start, don’t buy a travel deal that is not valid for Eid. Not all deals allow buyers to travel over the Eid weekend, so check the dates that you can use the deal.
Also if you are planning to travel after Eid, make sure the travel deal is still valid – expiry dates can sometimes be just weeks after you bought the offer. It is also worth booking the trip as soon as possible. If lots of people buy the same deal it could mean that the hotel or airline gets booked up so you might not be able to travel on the days or times that you want.
If you see an offer you like, try and snap it up quickly. The whole point of deal-sharing websites is that they are available for a short period of time so you need to buy before the deal expires. And make sure you know exactly what the deal includes. It’s no good getting a great bargain on a trip to Mauritius, for example, if you then discover that the flights were not included. You will then need to book those flight separately.
For those with credit cards that reward their spending with air miles, this is a perfect time to cash in those miles. However, if you don’t have enough miles stacked up for a flight, try and look up the airline policy where you may have a cash + miles deal.
All credit card holders should also check what discounts and offers their card comes with. Many banks partner with leading airlines, travel agents, hotels and travel websites so check your card to see what benefits are available. You can browse through all the offers that your credit card has to offer in both UAE and Saudi Arabia and find the offer on the credit card you currently hold.
Once you have booked your Eid trip, make sure you don’t forget your travel insurance. Just as you have shopped around for the best travel deal, it is also worth shopping around for the best travel insurance policy – have a look at Souqalmal.com to compare the different insurance policies and get a quote from multiple providers. Anything can go wrong on your trip from lost luggage to missed flights and even illness, so it’s wise to ensure you are fully protected. Bon voyage!
