Flight Tips

India has rolled out chip-enabled e-passports under Passport Seva Programme 2.0, formally launched in mid-2025 and extended across regional passport offices since. The embedded chip stores your personal and biometric details digitally alongside the printed page, following international passport standards, and is identified by a small symbol on the front cover. Your existing non-chip passport

The US State Department significantly narrowed who can skip an in-person visa interview, with the tightened rules taking effect from 1 October 2025. Most nonimmigrant applicants, across almost every age group, now need an interview. The main exception left for many Indian travellers is B1/B2 tourist or business visa renewal, under specific conditions, plus a

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card, or TDAC, is a free online form every foreign traveller must submit before entering Thailand. Indians should file it at the official site, tdac.immigration.go.th, within three days before arrival, with passport, travel and accommodation details. It replaced the old paper TM6 form in 2025. Indians separately get 30 days visa-free

Winter school holidays in India generally run from around Christmas into the first half of January, though exact dates vary by state and board. Flights across this window get booked up and priced up fast because of the Christmas and New Year rush, so book both onward and return legs early, check infant fee rules

Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, home to the official Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle, is a popular December trip from India. Indian passport holders need a Finland Schengen visa, which typically takes two to three weeks to process, so apply well ahead of travel. Fly via Helsinki, Finland’s only direct link to India, or

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa show, Singapore’s Marina Bay Countdown and Sydney’s Harbour Bridge fireworks are three of the most watched New Year’s Eve displays, and all three are reachable from India with advance planning. Dubai needs a UAE e-visa, or visa-on-arrival for a limited group of travellers; Singapore needs an e-visa applied for ahead of time;

As of October 2026, Karnataka Tourism had not published official dates for Hampi Utsav 2027. At the inauguration of the 2026 festival on 14 February 2026, the Chief Minister said the festival would move to a fixed 3 to 5 November slot every year going forward, which points to around that window, but recent editions

Republic Day 2027 falls on Tuesday, 26 January, with the parade along Kartavya Path followed by Beating Retreat on Friday, 29 January. Tickets are sold through the official Aamantran portal (aamantran.mod.gov.in) and the Aamantran app, in two price tiers, alongside designated counters in Delhi in past years. Book Delhi flights early and build in a

Magh Mela 2027 at the Sangam in Prayagraj runs from Paush Purnima on Friday, 22 January to Mahashivratri on Saturday, 6 March, with Makar Sankranti on Friday, 15 January as the opening snan and Mauni Amavasya on Saturday, 6 February as the largest bathing day. It is an annual mela, not a Kumbh year. Fly

Kerala’s houseboat season runs roughly October through March, with November to February generally considered the most comfortable window, cool and dry, while October offers a greener backwater and lighter crowds just after the monsoon. The nearest airports for Alappuzha and Kumarakom are Cochin International Airport (COK), about 80 to 90 km from Alappuzha, and Thiruvananthapuram