Braving your flight bookings is only step one of planning a holiday. What’s more important is that which waits for you at your destination. Accommodation, besides airfare, takes a huge share out of your travel budget – and more often than not, it leaves you underwhelmed for the price you end up paying. At the same time, the hospitality industry around the globe is expanding with each passing year, giving you reasons aplenty to look beyond standard hotel accommodation for your next vacation.

Read on to find out lodging options that may suit your travel style better, help you save money, or simply add to your experience of being in a foreign land!

Hostels
Hostels can be the go-to option for young backpackers, where shared rooms, dormitories and communal facilities characterize this budget accommodation. Most hostels feature a communal kitchen, giving you the option of fixing up a meal or two to save money. This option is also ideal for solo travelers looking meet young like-minded people and make new friends, or for those don’t mind plenty of company during their stay.

Homestays
Probably the best way to soak in the culture of a place, home-stays may also be the cheapest option out there. The idea of a homestay is to live with a local of the city or town which you visit, and pay rent in cash or kind. With locals renting out spare bedrooms to travelers, the latter are offered a close-up look to new cultures and lifestyles. It’s best to do a thorough research to ensure that your hosts are trustworthy, flexible and friendly – and social media has plenty of homestay networks that make this process a lot easier!

Holiday Homes or Vacation Rentals
Villas, cottages, chalets, manors –properties that may be used by owners as a “second home” are often rented out to vacationers for a short duration. Since they’re usually larger than hotel rooms, holiday homes offer the space, privacy and personalization of one’s own residence – and are perfect for large groups and families looking to spend a weekend relaxing in a home away from home. To find out more about holiday homes, click here.

Religious Housing
Several ashrams, monasteries and convents around the globe are welcoming of travelers looking for a place to stay at little or no cost. While not the ideal choice for those looking for luxury, one can be assured of cleanliness and basic amenities that are enough to foster a comfortable and peaceful stay. You don’t have to follow a particular religion to find a temporary home in such an accommodation, although mindfulness is key to being a good guest.

Serviced Apartments
If you’re looking at long-term stay or an extended vacation spanning a few weeks, service apartments are ideal. They combine the flexibility of a full-furnished private residence with the convenience of a hotel, but at a fraction of the cost. Most serviced apartments are equipped with a functional kitchen, room service and laundry facilities for their guests, giving you the freedom of your own house/apartment while adding the service of a hotel to it.

B&Bs and Inns
Bed & Breakfasts or Inns are independently run lodging that (as the name suggests) includes breakfast in the room rate. Most B&Bs are not sprawling establishments – the number of rooms may range from two to ten – and may also accommodate the hosts that run the establishment. However, it is this intimacy that often adds to the charm of the place, making it ideal romantic getaways. There are a range of B&Bs available out there, ranging from basic rooms with shared bathrooms to luxury B&Bs that offer specialized services.

So the next time you take off alone or with your family for a much-needed holiday, ditch the hotel and make lodging a part of the adventure!

Also read: 15 Frequent-flyer hacks to help you survive the airport madness | What you need to know about travelling solo

Written by Lynn Verghese for JenJon Retail & Services Pvt. Ltd. Images used in this post are taken under the Creative Commons Licenses. 

For city folk, the fascination with hill stations never cease to diminish. The sudden burst of green around you is happily welcomed when one isn’t too busy navigating his way to work and back – where the red taillights of hundreds of cars and rickshaws on the road almost always trigger a comment about the city’s pitiful state of affairs. For the average upper middle class Mumbaikar, the organised chaos of the city is reason enough to want to get away from Mumbai every once a while – and the calm of a hill station makes a strong case for it.

Tucked away in the expanse of the Western Ghats, Igatpuri is a quaint hill town located in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. For Mumbaikars who battle the combined forces of heat and humidity for most part of the year, they breathe a sigh of relief in lieu of the climatic perks of a higher altitude. This charming hill station may not see a quantum of visitors like Lonavala or Matheran do, but it is a verdant destination for those who seek a break from the pseudo-civilization.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the town is the dense green hills and valleys   surrounding it – Mother Nature is in all her glory here. Igatpuri stands proud as a hotspot for hikers, river rafters and adventure seekers. Bollywood filmmakers,   who love an exotic locale or two, often flock to Igatpuri to capture a stunning backdrop for the silver screen

While the best time to visit Igatpuri is between October and March. However, in   the months of June through August, when the unpredictable monsoons are in full force, this hill town witnesses a significant influx of travellers and pluviophiles who drive up to enjoy the abundance of pristine waterfalls and lakes around the Thal Ghat and Bhatsa River Valley.

If you happen to be a lover of history and architecture, the Tringalwadi Fort, now in ruins, sits at a height of 3000 ft. and is surroundedby the Sahyadri hill range, housing a small temple of Lord Hanuman. Similarly, the rusty Trimbakeshwar and Amruteshwar Temples and the Ghantadevi Mandir, each with their own old-world charm, are not to be missed. Devotees and photographers often throng to these sites for its scenic splendour.

Exotic locations, tranquility, mediation and soul-searching are all synonymous with each other – and Igatpuri rightly bears witness to it. The Vipassana International Academy, a.k.a., the Dharmagiri Meditation Centre, has taken Igatpuri as its home and draws in visitors from all over the world who enrol themselves in rigorous short and long term courses to learn the ancient Indian art of meditation. The backdrop of the Sahyadri hills against the stunning architecture of the Vipassana centre brings with it a certain oriental, mystical charm. The Academy is one of the world’s largest centers for the practice of Vipassana, very   aptly making use of the restfulness of this little town.

Sometimes, just breathing in some salutary air can alter your mind and body – and a hill station is a great destination for a gadget-free, family-friendly hiatus from the routines of the daily city life. Regardless of what your travel style or preferences are, the experience of a simple nature trail, a long drive to and fro, or even watching the sunset from the comfort of your hotel room, villa or private holiday home is multiplied two fold with nature’s exuberance surrounding you.

Igatpuri is in no means a developed tourist spot, although it does have a potential to be one. However, when you’re away from the mindless construction and commercial shadows of the city-sphere, you hope that the town’s simplicity is preserved the way it is.

Written by Lynn Verghese for JenJon Retail & Services Pvt. Ltd. All images are the property of JenJon Retail & Services Pvt. Ltd. 

JenJon Holiday Homes, headquartered in Mumbai, India, is a fast-growing Holiday Home establishment offering stunning destinations and properties for those looking for quick getaways.

We at JenJon provide Holiday Home facilities to travelers who are looking for accommodation options that go beyond the traditional hotel room – but with the same world class facilities that accompany it. JenJon Holiday Homes are present in unique locations across India’s west coast. We ensure our guests are pampered with cozy rooms, great hospitality, homely food and the tranquil company of nature. We give our guests the opportunity to live like locals and immerse themselves in the culture of their destination.

Travelers from across the country and abroad rely on JenJon to provide them with great accommodation solutions all year round. Be it family trips, weekend rendezvous, romantic getaways, school and college reunions or just office retreats, we understand your need to unwind from your daily routine, in a place that feels like home. We ensure you a vacation at a home, away from home.

We create possibilities with all the opportunities that come our way. Welcome to JenJon Holiday Homes.