80 terms

Travel jargon, decoded

The words on visa forms, airline tickets, hotel vouchers and tour invoices — explained in plain English, with examples from the trips Indians actually take.

Fact-checked 28 October 2026By the Elitech Travels editorial desk

Gpkp · CC BY-SA 4.0

Flights & airports (21)Hotels & stays (8)Insurance (6)Money & tax (8)Permits & fees (5)Tours & packages (11)Visa & passports (21)

A

Airside transitVisa & passports: Changing flights inside an airport's international zone without passing through immigration. You stay airside, so most hubs need no visa from you, provided your bags are checked through and both flights are on one ticket or partner airlines.
All-inclusive (AI)Hotels & stays: A hotel or resort plan that bundles all meals, snacks and a list of drinks, sometimes with activities, into one nightly price. It's common in the Maldives, Mauritius and Turkey, but rarely covers everything, so read the exclusions.

B

Baggage allowanceFlights & airports: The weight or number of bags your ticket lets you carry free, split into checked and cabin baggage. Indian domestic economy fares usually include 15 kg checked and 7 kg cabin; international allowances depend on the airline, route and fare.
BiometricsVisa & passports: Your fingerprints and a digital photo, captured when you apply for a visa or cross certain borders. For Schengen, UK, US and Canadian visas, Indians give biometrics in person at a visa centre, which is why these applications need an appointment.
Blackout datesTours & packages: Dates on which a deal, voucher, package price, card benefit or award redemption doesn't apply, usually around Christmas–New Year, Diwali, long weekends and local holidays. Check them before you count on a discount or a free night.

C

Child with bed / without bed (CWB / CNB)Hotels & stays: Package price categories for children sharing their parents' room. CWB (child with bed) means the child gets an extra bed; CNB (child no bed) means they share the existing bed at a lower price. Age bands, usually 2–11 years, are set by each hotel.
City tax (Europe)Permits & fees: A local tourist tax charged per person per night, or as a percentage of the room rate, by many European cities and resorts. The hotel collects it, usually at check-out, and Indian package prices generally exclude it. Most rates fall between €1 and €10 per person per night.
Codeshare flightFlights & airports: An arrangement where an airline sells seats, under its own flight number, on a flight operated by another airline. Your ticket might show an IndiGo 6E number while Qatar Airways flies the plane, so check-in, seats and onboard service follow the operating airline.

D

DeductibleInsurance: The fixed amount you pay yourself on each claim before the travel insurer starts paying, often USD 50–250 per claim. A higher deductible lowers the premium but means you carry small expenses yourself.
DigiYatraFlights & airports: India's face-recognition boarding system for domestic flights. You register once on the DigiYatra app using Aadhaar and a selfie, add your boarding pass, and then pass airport entry, security and boarding gates by face scan instead of showing ID and boarding pass at each point.
DMC (Destination Management Company)Tours & packages: A local ground operator in a destination that arranges hotels, transfers, guides, tours and events on behalf of travel agents elsewhere. When you buy a Bali package in Delhi, a Bali-based DMC usually runs it on the ground.
Duty-free allowance (Indian customs)Flights & airports: The value of goods you can bring into India without paying customs duty when you return from abroad. Under the Baggage Rules, 2026, it is ₹75,000 per eligible passenger arriving by air or sea, with separate limits for liquor, tobacco and jewellery.
Dynamic currency conversion (DCC)Money & tax: When a shop, restaurant or ATM abroad offers to charge your Indian card in rupees instead of the local currency. It looks convenient, but the rate is usually 3–8% worse than your card's own conversion. Always choose the local currency.

E

E-visaVisa & passports: A visa you apply for and receive online, without visiting an embassy or visa centre. You upload a passport scan and photo, pay by card and get a PDF approval to print and show at check-in and immigration.
Early check-inHotels & stays: Getting into your hotel room before the standard check-in time, usually 2 or 3 pm abroad and 12 noon to 2 pm in India. It's free only if a room happens to be ready; to guarantee it, you pay for the previous night.
ECR / ECNR passportVisa & passports: ECR means Emigration Check Required: holders need clearance from the Protector of Emigrants before taking up a job in 18 specified countries, mostly in the Gulf. ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) covers everyone else. Neither affects tourist travel.
EES and ETIAS (EU Entry/Exit System)Visa & passports: Two EU border systems. EES digitally registers non-EU travellers' face and fingerprints at Schengen borders, replacing passport stamps, and applies to Indians. ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals only; Indians who need a Schengen visa do not need it.
Electronic travel authorisation (ETA)Visa & passports: An online pre-travel clearance for nationalities that do not need a full visa. It is quicker and cheaper than a visa. Indians meet ETAs mainly for Sri Lanka and Kenya; for the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe, Indians still need full visas.
Emigration check (ECR)Flights & airports: Clearance under India's Emigration Act, 1983, required for ECR-category passport holders going to work in 18 notified countries, mostly in the Gulf. Travellers also loosely call the departure immigration counter at Indian airports 'emigration'.
eSIMFlights & airports: A digital SIM built into your phone, activated by scanning a QR code instead of inserting a plastic card. Indian travellers use a travel eSIM for cheap local data abroad while keeping their Indian SIM in the phone for calls and bank OTPs.
Excess baggageFlights & airports: Checked luggage over your free allowance, charged per extra kilo or per extra bag. Buying it online before you fly is usually much cheaper than paying at the airport counter on the day.

F

Fare class (booking class)Flights & airports: The letter code and fare brand behind your ticket price, such as booking class Q or a saver fare. It decides change and cancellation fees, baggage, free seats and frequent-flyer miles, so passengers in the same cabin can hold very different tickets.
Fare rulesFlights & airports: The conditions attached to an air ticket: cancellation and change fees, refundability, baggage, validity and whether stopovers or name changes are allowed. They depend on the fare class, so two seats on one flight can carry very different rules.
FIT (Free Independent Traveller)Tours & packages: A trip built for one person, a couple, a family or a small group on their own dates and route, rather than a seat on a scheduled group tour. In package quotes, FIT means arrangements priced individually for your party.
Fixed departureTours & packages: A group tour with set dates, itinerary and price on which individuals and families book seats, usually led by a tour manager from India. They're popular for Europe, Japan, Australia and Kashmir, especially in May–June and around Diwali.
Forex cardMoney & tax: A prepaid travel card loaded with one or more foreign currencies before you leave India. You lock the exchange rate when you load it, then pay in shops or withdraw cash abroad. It is safer than carrying large amounts of cash.
Forex markupMoney & tax: The margin added to the exchange rate when you buy foreign currency or spend abroad on an Indian card. It is the gap between the interbank (mid-market) rate and the rate you actually get, plus any card fees and GST.
Form A2Money & tax: The application-cum-declaration form you sign when buying foreign exchange or sending money abroad under LRS. It records your PAN, the purpose, the amount, and a declaration of what you have already remitted that financial year.

G

GIT (Group Inclusive Tour)Tours & packages: A tour sold to a group travelling together on the same dates and itinerary, with flights, hotels, meals and sightseeing bundled at group rates. Fixed-departure tours, wedding parties and company incentive trips are all GITs.
GST on tour packagesMoney & tax: Goods and Services Tax charged by Indian tour operators on holiday packages, usually 5% of the full package value. On overseas packages, 2% TCS is collected on top. You can claim the TCS back in your ITR; individual travellers cannot recover GST.

I

IATA codeFlights & airports: The three-letter code for an airport or city, such as DEL for Delhi or BOM for Mumbai, and the two-character code for an airline, such as 6E for IndiGo. Set by the International Air Transport Association, they appear on tickets, boarding passes and bag tags.
ImmigrationFlights & airports: The passport check at which officers decide whether you may leave or enter a country. Leaving India, you clear immigration after check-in; abroad, officers check your visa, return ticket, hotel bookings and funds before admitting you.
Income Tax Return (ITR) for visaVisa & passports: Copies of your filed Income Tax Returns, usually the last two or three years' acknowledgements (ITR-V), submitted as proof of stable income. Many embassies ask Indians for them, especially self-employed applicants who have no salary slips.
Inner Line Permit (ILP)Permits & fees: A travel document Indian citizens from other states need to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur. Each state issues it, mostly online, for a fixed period, and it is checked at entry gates.
International roamingFlights & airports: Using your Indian mobile number abroad on a partner network, billed by Jio, Airtel or Vi. A roaming pack bought before you leave keeps costs predictable; using data abroad without a pack can run up a large bill.

L

Land packageTours & packages: A tour package that covers everything on the ground, typically hotels, airport transfers, sightseeing and some meals, but not flights. You book the air tickets yourself, or ask the agent to add them.
LayoverFlights & airports: A connection between two flights on the same journey, usually under 24 hours on international routes. You wait at the transit airport, normally without passing immigration, and then board the next flight to your destination.
Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS)Money & tax: The RBI scheme that lets a resident Indian send or spend up to USD 250,000 abroad each financial year for travel, education, medical treatment, gifts and investment. Holiday forex, forex card loads and overseas tour payments all count towards it.

M

Meal plans (EP, CP, MAP, AP)Hotels & stays: Hotel codes for the meals included in your rate: EP is room only, CP adds breakfast, MAP adds breakfast and one main meal (usually dinner), and AP includes all three meals. Indian rate sheets often add AI, as in CPAI or MAPAI.
Medical evacuationInsurance: Travel insurance cover for emergency transport to the nearest suitable hospital, or back to India, when local care is inadequate. It can include air ambulances, helicopter rescue and a medical escort. Costs run into lakhs, making it one of the most important parts of a policy.
MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions)Tours & packages: The travel trade's term for business group travel: meetings, incentive trips, conferences and exhibitions. Think of a 60-person dealer meet in Bangkok, a sales-team reward trip to Vietnam or a delegation to a trade fair in Dubai.
Multi-city ticketFlights & airports: A booking with three or more flights between different cities, such as Delhi–Singapore, Singapore–Bali and Bali–Delhi. On one ticket, changes, baggage and disruptions sit with one airline, but it isn't always the cheapest way to fly the route.

N

No-showFlights & airports: Failing to turn up for a flight, hotel stay or tour without cancelling in time. Airlines usually keep most of the fare and cancel the rest of the itinerary; hotels typically charge at least the first night.

O

Open-jaw ticketFlights & airports: A return ticket where you fly into one city and back from another, such as Delhi to Zurich and Rome to Delhi. You cover the gap between the two cities yourself, by train, road or a separate flight.
OverstayVisa & passports: Staying in a country beyond the date your visa or permitted stay allows. Even one day can bring fines, detention, deportation, entry bans and refusals later. Indians should count days carefully, especially under the Schengen 90/180 rule.
Overwater villaHotels & stays: A villa built on stilts over a lagoon, usually with a deck and steps straight into the water. They're the signature room type in the Maldives and typically cost noticeably more than a beach villa at the same resort.

P

PAN for forexMoney & tax: Your Permanent Account Number, which banks and money changers must record when you buy foreign exchange or pay for an overseas tour under LRS. It links the transaction to your tax records and decides your TCS rate. An inoperative PAN means higher TCS.
Peak seasonTours & packages: The period when demand for a destination is highest, so flights, hotels and tours cost the most and sell out early. For Indian travellers it's mainly the May–June school holidays, Diwali week and Christmas to New Year.
PNR (Passenger Name Record)Flights & airports: The six-character booking reference, such as K7XQ2M, that an airline or booking system creates for your reservation. You use it to check in, change or cancel, track the flight and manage seats and meals. It is not the same as the 13-digit ticket number.
Police clearance certificate (PCC)Visa & passports: An official certificate stating you have no criminal record in India. Indian citizens get it through the Passport Seva system for ₹750. It is needed for work, study, long-stay and residence visas and immigration, rarely for short tourist visas.
Port of entryVisa & passports: The airport, seaport or land border where you first pass through immigration in a country. For Schengen trips, it is usually your first Schengen airport; for Bhutan, Paro or Phuentsholing. Some visas and permits restrict which ports you may use.
Pre-existing disease (PED)Insurance: Any medical condition you had, or were diagnosed or treated for, before buying a travel insurance policy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. Many overseas policies exclude PED-linked claims or cover them only in life-threatening emergencies.
Protected Area Permit (PAP)Permits & fees: A permit foreign nationals need to visit sensitive border areas of India, such as all of Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Sikkim, Ladakh, Himachal and Uttarakhand. OCI cardholders count as foreigners for this rule. Indian citizens use an Inner Line Permit instead.

R

Red-eye flightFlights & airports: An overnight flight that leaves late at night and lands early the next morning, such as Delhi to Bangkok departing around midnight and arriving at dawn. It saves daylight and sometimes a hotel night, at the cost of a proper night's sleep.
Resort feeHotels & stays: A compulsory daily charge some hotels add on top of the room rate, typically for Wi-Fi, pool or gym access. Most common in the US, it's usually paid at the hotel and often left out of package prices quoted in India.

S

Schengen AreaVisa & passports: The group of 29 European countries that have removed passport checks at their shared borders and issue a common short-stay visa. It includes most EU members plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, but not the UK, Ireland or Cyprus.
Schengen travel insuranceInsurance: Travel medical insurance that meets Schengen visa rules: at least €30,000 cover for emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation, valid across all Schengen countries for your whole stay. It is mandatory for the visa application.
Schengen visaVisa & passports: A short-stay visa (type C) that lets you visit the 29 European countries of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Indian passport holders apply to the consulate of their main destination, usually through a visa centre.
Schengen visa cascade (for Indians)Visa & passports: An EU rule for Indian nationals that steps up Schengen visa validity. After two Schengen visas obtained and lawfully used within three years, you can get a two-year multiple-entry visa, normally followed by a five-year one.
Self-transferFlights & airports: Connecting between two flights booked on separate tickets. Neither airline is responsible for the connection, so you collect bags, clear immigration if needed, check in again and bear the cost if a delay makes you miss the second flight.
Shoulder seasonTours & packages: The weeks between a destination's peak and off-season, when the weather is still good but prices and crowds ease. For Europe that's usually April and September–October; for Indian travellers it also means dates away from school holidays and Diwali.
SIC transfer (Seat-in-Coach)Tours & packages: A shared transfer or tour in which you ride in a coach or van with travellers from other hotels on a fixed schedule. It's the cheapest way to get around on most packages; a private transfer costs more but runs on your timing.
Six-month passport validityVisa & passports: A common entry rule: your passport must stay valid for at least six months beyond the date you arrive (or, for some countries, the date you leave). Airlines check this in India and refuse boarding if you fall short.
Sponsorship letterVisa & passports: A signed letter in which someone else, such as a parent, spouse, employer or host abroad, confirms they will pay for your trip, with their proof of income attached. Embassies need it when the applicant's own finances don't cover the travel.
StopoverFlights & airports: A planned break of more than 24 hours at an intermediate city on an international ticket. Unlike a layover, you leave the airport, clear immigration and stay at least one night before flying on to your destination on the same ticket.
Sum insuredInsurance: The maximum amount a travel insurance policy will pay, usually stated in US dollars or euros on overseas plans. Medical cover is the headline figure; baggage, delay and cancellation have their own, much smaller limits.
Sustainable Development Fee (Bhutan)Permits & fees: A per-night fee Bhutan charges visitors to fund conservation, healthcare and education. At the time of review, Indian tourists pay ₹1,200 per person per night, children aged 6–12 pay half and under-6s are exempt. Most other nationalities pay USD 100.

T

Tatkal passportVisa & passports: India's fast-track passport service. You pay ₹2,500 over the normal fee, and the passport is usually dispatched within one to three working days of your appointment, with police verification done after issue in most cases.
TCS on foreign travel (Tax Collected at Source)Money & tax: Advance income tax collected by the seller when you buy an overseas tour package or send money abroad under LRS. Since 1 April 2026, overseas tour packages attract 2% TCS from the first rupee. It is not a final cost: you claim it in your ITR.
Tour managerTours & packages: The escort who travels with a group tour from start to finish, usually from India, handling hotel check-ins, coaches, meals, timings and problems along the way. A tour manager is different from a local guide, who explains one city or site.
Tourism Dirham (Dubai)Permits & fees: A Dubai government fee charged per occupied room per night, for up to 30 consecutive nights, collected by the hotel at check-in or check-out. It ranges from AED 7 to AED 20 a night depending on hotel category and is usually not included in package prices.
Transit visaVisa & passports: A visa that lets you pass through a country on the way to somewhere else. An airport transit visa covers changing planes without leaving the international zone; a full transit visa lets you clear immigration for a short stop.
Travel historyVisa & passports: Your record of previous international trips, shown through old passports, visa stickers and entry stamps. For Indian applicants, a clean travel history, with visas used and rules followed, is one of the strongest factors in Schengen, UK and US visa decisions.
Trip cancellation coverInsurance: Travel insurance cover that reimburses non-refundable prepaid trip costs, such as flights, hotels and tour deposits, if you must cancel for a covered reason like serious illness or a death in the family. A change of mind is not covered.
Triple sharingHotels & stays: Package pricing per person when three adults share one room, usually a double or twin room with an extra bed or mattress added. It's a little cheaper per head than twin sharing, but the room doesn't get any bigger.
Twin sharingHotels & stays: Package pricing quoted per person, assuming two adults share one room. It describes occupancy, not beds: a couple and two friends pay the same rate. A solo traveller pays a single supplement for having the room alone.

V

VFS GlobalVisa & passports: A private company that runs visa application centres for many embassies in India. It accepts documents, takes biometrics and returns passports, but has no say in whether your visa is approved. That decision stays with the embassy or consulate.
Visa cover letterVisa & passports: A signed one- or two-page letter to the embassy explaining who you are, why you are travelling, your dates and itinerary, who is paying and why you will return to India. Schengen, UK and several other visas expect one.
Visa on arrivalVisa & passports: A visa issued at the airport or land border when you arrive, rather than applied for in advance. You usually pay a fee, show a return ticket, hotel booking and funds, and get a short tourist stay, often 14–30 days.

W

Web check-inFlights & airports: Checking in online through the airline's website or app before you reach the airport. Indian airlines usually open it 48 hours before domestic flights, and most international flights open 24 hours ahead. You pick a seat, download the boarding pass and only queue at bag drop.

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