Off-season hacks helped Mumbai couple save big on European trip

Strategy behind a 13-day winter adventure in Eastern Europe and a magical white Christmas for under ₹3.5 lakh

- Shipra Singh

Dreaming of a magical white Christmas in Europe but concerned about the costs? Mumbai-based entrepreneur Mufaddal Kagalwala and his wife Sakina Gandhi turned this dream into reality—without breaking the bank, and instead taking advantage of off-season deals on flights and hotels.

The couple pulled off an unforgettable 13-day journey across Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria—all for under ₹3.5 lakh.

"Our friends holidaying in Udaipur around the same dates paid ₹1 lakh for a four-day trip. That's the difference between travelling in peak season and off-season," noted Kagalwala.

As part of Mint's travel series, Kagalwala shares the details of their planned and budget-friendly winter adventure across Eastern Europe.

Off-season cost-saving hacks

"Being budget travellers, we often check flights from India to anywhere on Skyscanner," he said. This time, he found tickets to Eastern Europe for just ₹32,000 per person and immediately began planning. With the visa process for Schengen countries often taking time, they were pleasantly surprised to receive theirs in just eight working days due to the off-season.

The 12-day itinerary included four countries, with three nights in each destination. Flying out on Christmas Day—a less popular travel date—helped save further on flight costs.

Accommodation cost was another area where they saved smartly. The couple spent ₹1.35 lakh on 12 nights in budget-friendly 2-star and 3-star city-centre hotels. They pre-booked first three nights and left the rest open to snag last-minute discounts that hotels offer for one-day-prior bookings.

"This strategy also gave us flexibility to stay longer in a city we liked or tweak our plans," Kagalwala said.

The couple's accommodation cost was lower than Europe's summer rates but slightly higher than typical winter rates due to the year-end holiday season.

Eastern Europe