Having been born and brought-up in a middle-class family in India is a wonderful thing. We get to see, experience, learn a lot of things. One of the things I learned early in life is valuing whatever we had and using them wisely. We hardly ever pull our hands back when it comes to spending on something we want but we always make sure we use it to the max and in as many ways it is possible 😛 .
Be it using the tooth-brush to put drawstring in our trousers after using well beyond its life, be it squeezing the life out of the already empty toothpaste tube or be it rinsing the empty shampoo bottle for that one last shampoo, we Indians always make sure we get as much value for our money as we can.
This unique trait of ours and to the level we take it, is something which is very hard to find in people from any other part of the world and I am no different.
Though not the haggling thing but other than that, I do all I can whenever I am paying for something to make sure I get the best possible ‘value’ for the money I am going to spend.
For me, it doesn’t have to be the cheapest out there to be of best value. Rather, if by spending a little more than the cheapest priced product/service I get something which otherwise would have costed significantly higher AND I need it, that to me would be a better value, a bang for my buck!
While planning my trips too, like any other traveler who wants to get the most out of the money (s)he is spending, I too am always on the lookout for ways to save and get the most out of what I would be spending.
If it’s a trip to somewhere not that far then may be I can save a couple thousand rupees on the air tickets by taking that early morning flight instead of the one with a much more comfortable ‘departure time’. I can then use this saved money on doing something more memorable or adventurous at my destination.
That being said, taking the early morning flight to save couple of thousand bucks is not always the option. What if I am going to catch a ten-hour long flight or may be even a longer one? In case that is the case, I would definitely think and act differently. In a long-haul flight the least I would want to is to be to stretch my legs after few hours of doing nothing and would like to have a bit more seating-space where I can twist and turn a little may be and try to get a nap.
But that means going for the more luxurious Business-class. Sadly, that would cost significantly more, at-least more than double what the Economy class costs and would not be value for money from the point of view of someone like me.
Sad!? Not actually…! 🙂
It seems one of world’s premier airline Lufthansa, have taken note of this point and have come up with something that perfectly sits between the cramped and not-so-comfortable economy class and the exorbitantly priced business class. Something which a value-for-money conscious Indian traveler would love to spend his/her money on.
The premium-economy class as Lufthansa likes to call it, allows you to have that extra bit of leg-room which lets you stretch comfortably, one of the most fulfilling feelings on long flights in my opinion. Travelling in premium-economy also allows you to carry an extra piece of check-in luggage so that you don’t have to think twice while buying the things you would want to take back with you. Once settled, the on-board entertainment system keeps you from getting bored.
Right from the welcome drink to the personal space to your own foot and arm-rest to several other small but significant things that make the journey a relaxed and comfortable one, everything about is almost premium and all this at just a tad bit higher than the economy fare!!
Now that’s what I call a bang for my buck!
Video credits: #LufthansaPremiumEconomy
What do you think of the premium-economy class? What is your way of getting the best value for your money?
I wouldn’t mind paying for a premium economy class if the price difference isn’t too large. There were times I didn’t mind paying 100 bucks extra for a full-service flight vs low-cost airlines which I have to end up paying more for checked-in luggage and food.
Exactly Kat!
For me, it all depends on how long is the travel time and what the baggage limit is. Saving 80-100 bucks by not going for a full-service flight and then paying 60-70 bucks for the baggage makes no sense at all, plus you loose out all the comfort by cramming yourself in a tight space!
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Cheers,
Rajiv
hmmm… so this was an advertisement for the airline, if it was it was a nice one…anyway… it is not possible to have the cheapest and quality stuff especially while travelling, so thinking of the pros and cons is essential. For ex, I tried to have a budjet travel experience to Yercaud and looked a hotle which costed less, after knowing it has the basic comforts… however when we came to the hotle we were depressed, there was no one to greet us or guide us on how to go about siteseeing and we were weary of the scavenger auto guys. We had nothing to complain with the hotle expect the soul lacking, because when we went out we found no decent place to eat etc… we tried to save money by asking and going to a site seeing place nearby but it turned out far to walk especially since we had been travelling around since morning. In the long run one day got wasted, because no guidance, did not no what to do, so that day we decided next day we would hire a auto who approached us before and avail his services for siteseeing paying the money needed as we can’t waste time that way. Second day turned out awesome… somewhere people, relationships, exploration make things interesting. There was an excellent homestay maybe costlier but seems like they take care of you perfectly, and anytime that would have been far better!!…More on this… if I find someone has done a good service, I tend to tip him because of happiness in general in bearing treated and guided well. Anyway… got lots of misadventures this trip to talk about, infact it happens in every trip we make till now):… but also am grateful for the guidance from strangers in a new place that made our day!!… good and bad.
It is not actually about having the cheapest, it is more about getting the right value for what you spend.