There’s nothing like a hefty price, a delayed approval, or a last-minute rejection to dampen vacation plans. With demand for visas solely rising—and appointment slots, paperwork and processing occasions getting no simpler—being strategic about the place, when, and the way you apply can save each money and time. From choosing the proper Schengen gateway to benefiting from a hard-won stamp, listed below are 5 ways to journey smarter in 2026.
Apply for a Japan visa earlier than April
If Japan is on your bucket checklist this 12 months, it’s price making use of sooner somewhat than later. Visa charges are set to rise sharply in the brand new monetary 12 months, with prices anticipated to enhance by 500–900 p.c. The price for altering visa standing or reissuing a visa alone is probably going to bounce from ¥6,000 (roughly Rs3,430) to ¥40,000 (round Rs22,875). Japan is nicely linked to India with direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi, making it a handy long-haul choice. A legitimate Japanese visa can even make journey extra versatile, because it permits entry into seven other countries, together with Singapore, the UAE and Mexico.
For decrease charges, apply for a Schengen Visa by way of these nations
The Schengen visa, which opens doorways to 29 nations, comes at a value of Rs9,100 (EUR90) for adults and Rs4,600 (EUR45) for youngsters aged 6 to 12. But whereas the bottom price is uniform for all nations on the checklist, the true price of a Schengen visa will depend on one thing far much less apparent: the service fee. Virtually all purposes should undergo websites like VFS Global or BLS International, making this price obligatory. The quantity varies barely relying on the nation you apply to, and may nudge journey prices both means. At the decrease finish of the dimensions, Slovakia’s service charges had been simply Rs402, adopted by Italy at Rs571 and Norway at Rs815. A Romania visa can solely be utilized to by way of the Embassy of Romania in India, and never by way of VFS, due to this fact, there is no such thing as a service cost relevant.
If you’re travelling to the Schengen space, search for nations with low rejection charges
According to the European Commission’s 2024 State of Schengen report, Indians submitted 1.1 million visa purposes in 2024—so competitors stays stiff. While 2025 numbers have nto but been printed, they’re solely anticipated to have elevated. To save effort and time, it is sensible to take into account which countries approve a higher number of visa applications. The report reveals that Switzerland issued probably the most Schengen visas to Indians in 2024, 1,91,162, adopted carefully by France with 1,65,564. Sweden rounded out the highest 10, granting 28,109 visas out of 32,939 purposes. When it comes to approval charges, considering the variety of candidates, Switzerland stays in the highest place with an 87% acceptance fee, adopted by France and Germany. — Navya Verma
Look past the Schengen space and the US
While Europe and the US have a tendency to be prime of thoughts when it comes to journey, there are many different locations that Indian travellers might take into account. The Republic of Palau started providing Indian passport holders visa-free entry into the archipelago for a short-term go to final 12 months. The Philippines additionally up to date its visa-free entry laws for Indian travellers providing them common visa-free entry solely for tourism for a interval of up to 14 days. These two locations joined a for much longer checklist of visa free nations final 12 months together with Bhutan, Mauritius, and Thailand. Other nations provide Indians visas on arrival together with Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, in February 2025, South Africa made it doable for Indians to obtain a visa in simply three days by way of choose tour operators.
If you lastly get your visa, benefit from it
Scoring a Schengen or US visa isn’t the top of the story. In truth, these visas open up alternatives for extra journey. Indian passport holders can go to 42 countries with a sound US visa, together with Taiwan, Malaysia, Dubai, Qatar and Türkiye. As many as 38 countries—together with Oman, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Mexico and the Bahamas—will give Indian travellers entry in opposition to a Schengen visa. Don’t miss out on benefiting from the visa you have got.