Almost 90% of our Indians have an inclination to go abroad atleast once in their lifetime. Some of us go for employment reasons; some shift their base along with their whole family seeking permanent residence; some feel it is better to keep visiting once or twice a year. But there are some who are determined not to leave India whatsoever (Indian patriots).

But whatever maybe the reason, I feel it is good to visit places instead of sticking to a particular country, or for some, a particular locality.

So now, if you are in my boat, we would prefer to go abroad for sightseeing on a yearly trip or to visit our kith or kin for a short period. But we have to face the question of where we are going to stay. Hmm….

If you have some of your kith or kin out there, NO PROBLEM but we can’t naturally expect to have our kith and kin everywhere we go.

So we have to take a solid decision of how and where to find the right spot that suits our budget as well as keeps us in our comfort zones.

If you are not a newbie abroad, you may be of little ease but for those who are traveling for the first time, may find it difficult to find the best place to stay.

OK lets imagine, I have landed in the U.S……..

My first thought would be to drive straight to some hotel/motel that is home friendly. My second thought would be whether it would pinch my purse. I would suggest the best option would be to book a hotel through a known person or any agent before you arrive there. But we need to be extra careful as most agents tend to charge more than ordinary, which you would discover after you arrive there.

The thought of hotel accommodation itself would bring to mind the Star category of the hotel, various types of rooms, say, A/C or Non-A/C, Single Bed/Double Bed rooms, furnishings, Attached Bathroom facilities, Water (Hot/Cold) facilities, Bar, Leisure indoor sports, Swimming Pool etc. International Hotels would definitely provide all of these services.

The next would be the kind of food we have to take. Mostly we tend to order for food we are mostly accustomed to. But I would suggest trying out their own local food. Why I am telling this is because, people are not experts in some other country’s food and moreover we cannot afford our own idlis and sambar at their cost ($). Indian minds always tend to calculate every $ or whatever maybe the currency, in Indian Rs.

The best thing you could do is to do a survey over the internet and find out about the country, its people, their culture, hotel accommodation charges, food etc before you travel. You can also call up the hotel’s customer care number and speak to them about the rates before you decide.

Most International hotels provide discounts on some special occasion or events, seasonal discounts etc. You can compare pricing of the various hotels from their websites.

When you stay in a hotel, the main thing to expect is the kind of hospitality or service they provide. And you have all the more reasons to expect this when you stay abroad.

Another vital service you can expect from international hotels is to see if they have provide any local sightseeing packages. You can make a tour to the various historical as well as special places of interest by booking your car/bus.

Any international hotel should have a Help Desk to provide you information on the flight/train timings, ticket bookings, local car/taxi charges etc.

If you find a hotel that provides you all of these, I am sure anyone can have a happy stay at any international hotel. But beware of the pricing and taxes extra………..