Suffering From Wanderlust But Can’t Afford? Worry Not! Use TRAVEL CARD

Are you suffering from the acute syndrome of anytime-adrenalin-and-never-settle-keep-moving disease commonly called ‘wanderlust’? You have that passion to explore and live but sometimes fail to reach your destination due to monetary issues? Does your financial dependancy disallow you to wander to the places you’ve dreamt of?

Well, your worries stop here. Yes, because several banks in India have come up with a splendid solution to your wanderlust expeditions where you can travel all you want in a budget less than you’d think.

Macau (Picture by Ramit Chauhan)

Youths are travelling more than ever and the sudden rising rush of explorers has likewise pushed the tourism business forward. Not bounded by the nation boundaries these young travellers are also going overseas seeking affordable travel packages, knowledge,  adventure, wish to experience new cuisines and culture and, of course, relaxation.

According to a report by World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, by 2020, 320 million worldwide trips are expected to be made by youth explorers every year, a stunning 47% rise from 217 million in 2013.

Most popular travel destinations recently include UK, UAE, the USA, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc. Numerous voyagers pick solo-backpacking, group trips etc, however one thing is common- they want hassle free travel, especially when they are travelling abroad. They wish to spare themselves from troubles of money exchange at each destination abroad, furthermore search for rebates and discounts.

Here’s when travel cards come in.

Banks these days are facilitating smooth travel for youths who travel abroad. They have propelled travel cards for simple exchange, sparing them from carrying cash.

“A multi-currency travel card helps traveller to either carry money in a single currency or carry multiple currencies in one single card without the hassle of carrying cash. The exchange rate is fixed and known to the user protecting him/her from volatile movement in exchange rates,” said Kusal Roy, Senior General Manager, ICICI Bank.

Hong Kong skyline (Picture by Ramit Chauhan)

The travel cards accompany protection or insurance, free emergency travel help, zero lost card liability, and so on. And adding to its list to features the extravaganza is that it also provides discounts.

“One can avail 1% cutback, on a minimum spend value of $1000, using ICICI Bank Travel Card and up to 20% discount on dining, shopping, travel and stay as well,” said Roy.

V George Antony, MD, UAE Exchange India, said, “Any customer who wants to exchange traveller cheque need to pay high exchange conversion rate and this has shifted the youth to prefer travel cards that has comparatively less conversion rate. Besides, travel card can also be used in various instruments like POS swiping machines, ATMS, online etc.”

Although the process to avail the card might be a tedious one and I would suggest you to carefully read and understand its limitations and terms & conditions. Contact your bank for more details and pay attention to the documents. To name a few, State Bank of India(SBI), ICICI, Axis are some of many banks that provide travel card.

So, dear explorers, next time when you plan a trip abroad do contact your bank and ask for travel cards and make your journey convenient and pocket-friendly.

Do tell me about your travel stories by hash tagging your instagram/twitter/facebook posts with #DHTravelStory or comment down your wonderful experiences.

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