Ahoy! To long weekends

An extended weekend around Independence Day has many people planning short holidays with the quaint towns of the Himalayan foothills proving to be favoured destinations, though some are even venturing abroad

There are way too many reasons to love August. Be it the pleasing weather or the month-long festivities or the long weekends. After a dry spell of almost four months, the holiday month brings along three national holidays Monday August 15 Independence Day, Thursday August 18 Raksha Bandhan and Thursday August 25 Janmashtmi.

Rajeev D Kale, President & Country Head - Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. opined, “Spurred by a burgeoning economy that has vastly improved travellers spending power along with declining airfares and great travel deals for the Independence Day long weekend, Indians have emerged as the newest globetrotters in the world.

“At Thomas Cook India, we are witnessing a shift in travel behaviour across segments where boomers and young professionals are driving significant demand for more experiential and adventurous travel options. Our portal thomascook.in has seen hotel bookings to drive down destinations almost sold and tariffs for hotels are up by 100 per cent for the upcoming long weekend. Domestic uptake is up by 45 per cent and international by 35 per cent,” he said.

“Trends observed by our sales team highlight that Goa, Shimla, Coorg, Mysore, Kerala, Andamans, and the Golden Triangle have emerged as domestic favourites for the upcoming long weekend,” informed Kale.

Options for late planners
If you are a smart soul, you already have your leaves planned for an international trip but, if you believe in living in the moment, here are some insights on what to do on these long weekends.

Bring your inner chef out
One of the best ways to unwind is by slicing and dicing vegetables for lunch or dinner. The steady chop, chop, chop of knife against the cutting board quiets mind and soothes soul. Cooking is meditation with the promise of a good meal afterward.

Go out and go free
If you are a travel junkie there are many places at your disposal. For those who love good wine and leisure, Sula Vineyards can be a good option. Depending on time and budget, one can also look at beautiful hill stations like Mussoorie or Panchgani resplendent with amazing natural beauty or Goa that offers ample natural beauty, complete with unending carpets of greenery.

Couch surfing
If you wish to stay at home and laze around then what better than a binge day. After a long and hectic week, one can only wish for a day or two on couch with a blanket, a bunch of snacks and some TV. This long weekend is your opportunity to catch up on some of the most popular and must watch TV Shows especially with Emmy Awards around the corner – shows like Silicon Valley, Veep and Knick are running on Star World Premiere.

Keep it book-ed
With ample of time at hand, it’s time to either re-visit your favourites or pick up the new titles you had been waiting for. The new titles to explore can be ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two’, ‘Truly Madly Guilty’, ‘The Girl on the Train’ and ‘The Girls’. Take your pick.