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Urbanites plan vacations months ahead
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Indonesian travelers are among the most proficient in utilizing applications for traveling purposes. (Shutterstock/Africa Studio)
I
t is just the first week of 2019, but some urbanites have already planned their vacations by adjusting their annual leave to public holidays.
Indonesia will have 20 public holidays this year, which already includes four mandatory collective leave days as stipulated by a joint ministerial decree signed on Nov. 2, 2018, by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri, and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Syafruddin.
Soon after the announcement was made, private company employee Dessita Chairani started planning her annual vacation.
The Padang-native from West Sumatra went to Japan in August last year and this year, she has decided to take a three-day trip to Singapore at the end of February.
The brief getaway may not coincide with any public holidays, but Dessita insisted on taking advantage of an offer for discounted plane tickets.
“At first I wanted to have a solo trip to Bangkok, but then I got an offer for cheap tickets to Singapore. Then, my friend followed suit and we plan to meet there and enjoy Singapore together,” the 26-year-old said. “I always count the public holidays to decide where I want to go for my vacation, for how long, how many leave days I would have to take and whether I will go back to my hometown for Idul Fitri.”
Dessita has been an avid traveler since she started working three years ago. Every month, she sets aside a portion of her salary to save up for a trip abroad.
“I prefer to splurge on adventures. I can sleep in a decent hostel as long as it has a clean bathroom,” Dessita said.
Here's the list of public holidays in 2019 to help you plan next year’s vacations #jakpost pic.twitter.com/iqY2rjtA3i
— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) November 22, 2018
Similarly, Adeline Tashya has also marked her 2019 calendar for a trip with coworkers. She plans to go to Bali for a week.
“I’ll take five days leave, which will be added by two days off [for the weekend] and public holidays in April,” she said, pointing out that the month would have two public holidays: Ascension Day of Prophet Muhammad
on April 3 and Good Friday on April 19.
“I’ll need at least Rp 1.3 million [US$90] for a plane ticket and will look out for vouchers for a comfortable hotel. We want to go to Ubud to find peace and meditate, then to some beaches and have fun,” she said with a laugh.
After the Bali trip, Adeline plans to go to Magelang in Central Java to meet her family and her boyfriend’s extended families. She said she was not worried about leaving her work because she still had 12 leave days from the previous year.
“This will be a tough year as I have to save up for my wedding. But [vacationing] is exciting.”
With more people opting to travel during holidays, online booking platforms are taking advantage of the trend by offering discounts and installments for various travel packages
Traveloka, for example, has been promoting the country’s public holidays on its website, along with popular vacation spots and special prices for flights and hotels.
The platform’s corporate communications manager, Busyra Oryza, said Traveloka users tended to use public holidays to travel.
“Especially the ones that are close to the weekend or can potentially be hari kejepit,” he told the Post on Thursday, referring to days that fall between a weekend and a public holiday. “They use such holidays to travel out of town. Those who choose to stay in the city usually take a staycation.”
According to Traveloka data, Jakarta, Surabaya in East Java and Bali are the top three most popular domestic destinations for its users. The most popular international destinations are Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Meanwhile, tiket.com is offering discounts on hotel rates and domestic flights.
With so many discounts coupled by the ease of making travel plans offered by online booking platforms, Depok resident Septika Almira from West Java has organized a series of trips this year.
She plans to go to Bandung in West Java, Malang in East Java and Bangkok.
“Considering the public holidays, I plan to go in February, April and July or August. I’ve been planning the trips since October [2018] to better prepare for them, especially when it comes to budgeting,” Septika said.
A public holiday will fall on Feb. 5 for Chinese New Year, while there are two national holidays in August, namely Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) on Aug. 11 and Independence Day on Aug. 17.
“If I get the chance to travel in other months, I’d be very happy,” Septika said.
This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Jan. 4, 2019, with the title "Urbanites plan vacations months ahead".
