Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Is Maldives the right location for your next travel?

There are lot of factors that one needs to consider before making an international travel plan. If you have been considering Maldives, let me break this down for you to help you in your planning.

1. VISA
VISA is a critical factor that travelers tend to look at while planning for vacations. Since the VISA process and requirements are overbearing for the first world countries, travelers tend to choose popular tourist destinations which offer Visa on arrival.

If your passport has a validity of six months or more then you would be given a free VISA on arrival for 30 days (which would be 90 days for Indian passport holders).

2. Flight Options
Maldives has an island airport and with good air connectivity to popular airports in Asia and Middle East. So if you are flying from elsewhere, you are likely to have at least a one stop layover in one of these locations.

If you are an Indian traveler, don’t be deceived by the airline ticket budget as this would be a small fraction of your overall travel cost.

3. Attractions
Unlike other tourist destinations, you have less touristy stuff in the form of monuments or places to visit in Maldives. The main attraction are their resorts, most of which are located on an exclusive island surrounded by pristine beach and sand bank. You can look at the images below to get an idea of how beautiful the resorts are. 

   

Also, if you love the beach and scuba diving or snorkeling, this place is a must visit. However, if you are looking only for water sports or sea excursions, Maldives might end up being an expensive option.

Pro tip – Plan you stay in such a way that you stay a few days in regular BNB hotels in Hulhumale or other large islands if you are looking to do water sports or sea activities (scuba diving, dolphin spotting, island hopping, submarine, etc) at lower prices – resorts can be really expensive. 

4. Budget vs Luxury
Now that we have discussed VISA, flight options and attractions it is very important that you factor the most important decision making factor, which is the cost of your vacation.

The best way to enjoy Maldives is to be lavish in choosing your resort and also loosen your wallet when it comes to ancillary spends. This is because there are certain experiences which are unique to Maldives and it’s a one time experience if you were to view it so.

My recommendation would be you reserve a trip to Maldives for later if you are planning to do a budget trip. However, if you are still looking to put your foot on the map then I would suggest you base yourself out of one B&B joints in the populated islands and do day trips to the island resorts.

While this post is an easy decision making tool for choosing to visit Maldives or not, I request you to read my next post to understand better on how to choose the best resort in Maldives to make your experience better.

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