Many plan short trips as festivals approach

PATNA: With Diwali and Chhath round the corner, there has been a surge in travel bookings as people are planning short trips to beaches and mountains to celebrate the festivals.

Prashant Kumar, a travel agent at Krishnapuri, said Mumbai, Kerala, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Guwahati and Sikkim are among the most preferred destinations. “I have booked around 20 air tickets and almost 38 train tickets for various destinations during the festival holidays,” he said.

“People prefer Nainital, Darjeeling, Srinagar, Manali and Dehradun to escape pollution. Air fare to such places ranges between Rs5,000 and 9,000 per person, while train tickets of AC class costs anywhere between Rs2,000 and Rs4,800,” said Ajeet Singh, a travel agent of Boring Canal Road area.

Pankaj Gupta of Agamkuan said, “It’s a perfect time to visit Srinagar to avoid air and noise pollution. We have planned a family outing in a healthy environment. It will be our first trip to Kashmir and we are really excited.”

Sakshi Priya of Pataliputra Colony said she would be holidaying in Mumbai and Goa. “Next year, my daughter will prepare for Class X board exam and we will not get enough time for vacation. I have prepared a list of places to visit with my family and things that I will buy for Chhath,” she said.

Aditya Raj, a class XI student of Don Bosco Academy, said he was heading to New Delhi to celebrate Diwali and Chhath with his aunt. When asked why he choose Delhi, Raj replied: “We booked the tickets almost a month and a half ago and didn’t think about air pollution in Delhi at that time. We will use anti-pollution mask as a precaution to avoid polluted places like Dadri and Sadar.”

Diwali and Chhath holiday in schools and colleges would start from November 4 till November 15.