”With lumps of long weekends holidays ahead in 2017, its time to visit all your dream destinations.”
2016 was the year that shattered most of our holiday dreams- making most of the vacations fall right on Sunday! That was too bad. But we still managed to cheat the weekdays and take trips to our favorite destinations despite the absence of long weekends Didn’t we?
And with 2016 gone, we can feel the punch 2017 is going to deliver. As I write this, most of the people have planned big for 2017. Goa, Kasol, Manali, Shimla, Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh- these are the few of those places that merged with euphoric atmosphere- chanting for the New Year. With most of you looking forward to trips in New Year, let us take a glimpse of what 2017 holds for the traveling souls in India. Here is a list of long weekends that can help you plan your trips in 2017.
JANUARY
| Date | Occasion |
| 26 January, Thursday | Republic Day (National Holiday) |
| 27 January, Friday | Take the day off |
| 28 January, Saturday | Losar (Sikkim, Ladakh and Dharamshala only) |
| 29 January, Sunday | Weekend |
Recommended Trips: Head to the wonderland Auli for Skiing vacation. Shimla received snowfall on Christmas after 25 years, add this in your list too. And you won’t mind flying to Dubai to attend the world renowned Dubai Shopping Festival that has started from 2016’s December 28 and will end on 2017’s 28th January. This long weekend might be a good idea for this trip.
FEBRUARY
| Date | Occasion |
| 24 February, Friday | Maha Shivratri (Gazetted Holiday) |
| 25 February, Saturday | Weekend |
| 26 February, Sunday | Weekend |
Recommended Trips: This can be best termed as the Maha Shivratri Weekend. Either you can head to the closest destinations like Himachal, Uttarakhand or Rajasthan OR just board a flight to attend the Goa Carnival that starts from 25th February (it’s a 3 day festival). You can also visit several unexplored beaches and even head to casinos in Goa.
MARCH
| Date | Occasion |
| 11 March, Saturday | Weekend |
| 12 March, Sunday | Weekend |
| 13 March, Monday | Holi (Holiday) |
Recommended Trips: Of course, Holi is mostly considered as a restricted holiday, and planning a trip to any part of the India is getting engaged with colors. But to experience the festival of colors at its fullest- visit Vrindavan and the surroundings towns. Celebrate the festival of colors in Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. You can also head to Velas Beach to attend the Velas Turtle Festival, where hundreds of Olive Ridley Turtles come for breeding.
NOTE: March 25 (Saturday), 26 (Sunday) 27 (Monday- but taking a day off shouldn’t be an issue), 28 (Tuesday- Ugadi) and 29 (Wednesday-Telugu New Year). Well, our friends from South and Maharashtra (Ugadi holiday) can head to North or Northeast regions on this long weekend. Or Srilanka
APRIL
| Date | Occasion |
| April 1, Saturday | Weekend |
| April 2, Sunday | Weekend |
| April 3, Monday | Bunk the office/ take leave |
| April 4, Tuesday | Ram Navami |
Recommended Trips: Ram Navami Weekend best describes these dates. With 4 days off (1 day leave), you might wish to head to Himachal or northeast India. It is recommended to attend Aoleang festival of Northern Nagaland’s Konyak tribe during the first week of April. And if you are in Kashmir for holidays, you would love to see Tulip Festival held at Siraj Bagh Chesmahsahi in Srinagar.
NOTE: April 13 (Restricted Holiday), April 14 (Friday: Good Friday-Gazetted Holiday). April 15 (Saturday) and April 16 (Sunday)- you might wish to get indulge in adventure sports in Rishikesh or fly to Phuket to attend Phuket Biking Week that takes place between April 11-17. One can also attend the 4th Mapro Strawberry Festival, Mahabaleshwar, where travelers can get eat tons of strawberries.
MAY
| Date | Occasion |
| April 29, Saturday | Weekend |
| April 30, Sunday | Weekend |
| May 1, Monday: | May Day |
Recommended Trips: We call it as the May Day, though the two days are borrowed from April, still it makes it a May Weekend. Head to Shillong, capture the panoramic view of the town and even visit the cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong. It is also recommended to explore the Nilgiri Hills at Ooty. Pay a visit to Botanical Gardens located on the slopes of the Doddabetta peak.
JUNE
| Date | Occasion |
| June 23, Friday | Jumat-ul-Wida, last Friday of Ramadan |
| June 24, Saturday | Weekend |
| June 25, Sunday | Weekend |
| June 26, Monday | Id-ul-Fitr |
Recommended Trips: Eid is not just about peace, love and brotherhood, but it is time for Big Feasts. Transpost Wanderers recommend the fellow travelers to travel to Hyderabad or Lucknow to experience the charm of Ramadan Eid. Not just the sweet firni, get a taste of Mughlai food. Also, this is the best time to visit Leh and Ladakh to beat the summer heat.
JULY be like- SORRY Travelers MAY BE NEXT TIME***
AUGUST
| Date | Occasion |
| August 12, Saturday | Weekend |
| August 13, Sunday: | Weekend |
| August 14, Monday | Janmashtami (Restricted Holiday) |
| August 15, Tuesday | Independence Day (National Holiday) |
| August 16, Wednesday | Take the day off |
| August 17, Thursday | Parsi New Year (Mumbai only) |
| August 18, Friday | Take the day off. |
| August 19, Saturday | Weekend |
| August 20, Sunday | Weekend |
Recommended Trips: The month with the longest weekend ever!! The dream comes true for every travel souls. If you are an art lover or drama and music fanboy, this is a good time to take a flight to Austria for legendary Salzburg Festival that will start from 21st July and will last till 30th August. Also, one can experience 4-5 days trek in different regions of Himachal and Uttarakhand.
Note: August 25, Friday: Ganesh Chaturthi (Restricted Holiday), August 26 (Saturday) and August 27 (Sunday) – you might wish to visit Maharashtra, especially Karjat during the rainy month of August. The region gets quite picturesque at this time.
SEPTEMBER
| Date | Occasion |
| September 30, Saturday | Weekend |
| October 1, Sunday | Weekend |
| October 2, Monday | Gandhi Jayanti (Gazetted Holiday) |
Recommended Trips: This is the best time to take a flight to Andaman. Visit Ross island, North Bay island and Corbyn’s Cove beach. Enjoy snorkelling at the Elephant Beach. You might wish to leave on Friday itself. And if this does not suit your time, you can always explore the paddy fields at Wayanad. Hike through the Sahibkkunnu, Kurisumala Peak and Chembra Peak. And then time to pay homage to Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
OCTOBER
| Date | Occasion |
| October 14, Saturday | Weekend |
| October 15, Sunday | Weekend |
| October 16, Monday | Dhanteras/take the day off. |
| October 17, Tuesday | Take the day off. |
| October 18, Wednesday | Diwali (Gazetted Holiday) |
| October 19, Thursday | Balipratipada/take the day off. |
| October 20, Friday | Bhaidooj/take the day off. |
| October 21, Saturday | Weekend |
| October 22, Sunday | Weekend |
Recommended Trips: The Diwali Weekend isn’t just about crackers, diyas, sweets or relatives- one can skip (if you can) and head to Kangra valley and other regions in Uttarakhand and Himachal. Moreover, October is a good time to visit Rajasthan and Punjab too.
NOVEMBER be like: MAKING friends with JULY (Not much for travelers)***
DECEMBER
| Date | Occasion |
| December 1, Friday | Id-e-Milad (Gazetted Holiday) |
| December 2, Saturday | Weekend |
| December 3, Sunday | Weekend |
Recommended Trips: The beginning of December marks the celebrating Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, and if you love music then this is the best event to attend. Also, head to the hill stations to feel the chill and experience the winters. Here are the Top Gorgeous Places Where You Can Head This December.
Note: Time for Santa to enter!! December 23 (Saturday), December 24 (Sunday) and December 25 (Monday) of course its Christmas. Visit Goa for the ultimate beach vacation.
