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International · December 2026
Cheap International Trips from India in December 2026, Itemised
December is the best month for a lot of Asia and the most expensive month to fly. Here are underrated places at their best in December, three of them under ₹50,000 per person including flights, with every line itemised and the visa rule for Indian passports.
Photo: Dr.S.Rajivraja, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Three underrated December trips abroad come in under ₹50,000 per person for five days, flights included: Ella, Sri Lanka (about ₹38,200 from Chennai), Pokhara, Nepal (about ₹44,000 from Delhi) and Nan, Thailand (about ₹48,600 even at the top of the December fare range). Fly in the first half of December: Christmas and New Year week fares run 60 to 100% above normal.
Most December lists send you to Bangkok, Bali and Dubai, the three places every other Indian is flying to that month. The fares show it. The places below are in the same countries or next door, at their best in December by Trip Under's month-by-month data, and a fraction of the cost to stay in once you land.
The three under ₹50,000, side by side
| Place | Fly from | Flight, return | Getting there inside the country | 5 days on the ground | Total, one person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ella & the Uva Highlands | Chennai | ₹21,000 | Train, Colombo Fort → Kandy → Ella, return: ₹1,200 | ₹16,000 | ₹38,200 |
| Pokhara & the Annapurna Foothills | Delhi | ₹17,000 | Flight, Kathmandu → Pokhara, return: ₹12,000 | ₹15,000 | ₹44,000 |
| Nan | any Indian metro | ₹32,000 | Overnight bus, Bangkok Mo Chit → Nan, return: ₹3,600 | ₹13,000 | ₹48,600 |
Infographic · total for five days
December trip abroad, per person, flights included
Couples pay less each: the room splits.
1. Ella & the Uva Highlands, Sri Lanka: ₹38,200 with flights
Instead of: squeezing hill country into a rushed one-night Kandy stopover on the standard Colombo-Kandy-Galle tourist run. Best months: Jan–Mar, Jul–Aug.
Sri Lanka's hill country, minus the day-trip crowds and the tour-bus schedule.
Infographic · where the money goes
Ella & the Uva Highlands, 5 days, one person
Visa for Indian passports: Sri Lanka changed its entry rules for Indians in 2026. Check the official ETA site (eta.gov.lk) before you book.
See the Ella & the Uva Highlands page: day plan, stays and live weather →
2. Pokhara & the Annapurna Foothills, Nepal: ₹44,000 with flights
Instead of: the Everest Base Camp trek crowd. Best months: Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov.
Real Himalaya views, a fraction of the trek, a fraction of the price.
Infographic · where the money goes
Pokhara & the Annapurna Foothills, 5 days, one person
Visa for Indian passports: No visa for Indian citizens. Carry a valid passport or voter ID card.
See the Pokhara & the Annapurna Foothills page: day plan, stays and live weather →
3. Nan, Thailand: ₹48,600 with flights
Instead of: Pai. Best months: Jan, Nov–Dec.
A sleepy riverside town of Lanna temples and famous murals, with salt wells and a cloud-forest national park up in the hills behind it.
Infographic · where the money goes
Nan, 5 days, one person
Visa for Indian passports: Thailand approved a 30-day visa exemption for Indians in July 2026; it had to be published before taking effect. Check thaievisa.go.th before you fly, and fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
See the Nan page: day plan, stays and live weather →
Two more, if you can stretch
These two are at their best in December too and cheap once you land. We have not found a published December fare from India for either, so check live prices before you count them in.
| Place | Days | On the ground, mid-range | Shoestring | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kampot & Kep, Cambodia | 5 days | ₹12,000 | ₹6,800 | Check live fares |
| Tainan, Taiwan | 4 days | ₹10,400 | ₹8,000 | Check live fares |
Kampot & Kep: A sleepy French-era river town under a misty mountain, pepper farms in the hills, and a seaside crab market twenty-five kilometres down the road. Cambodia issues e-visas online (evisa.gov.kh). Land crossings from Thailand are suspended, so fly into Phnom Penh.
Tainan: A 1624 Dutch fort, Taiwan's first Confucius temple from 1665, and a street-food breakfast for under ₹200, all inside one walkable old town. Taiwan needs a visa or, for some travellers, an online travel authorisation. Check the Bureau of Consular Affairs site.
When to book, and when to fly
- Fly between 1 and 15 December. Fares are softer before the holiday rush; Christmas and New Year week runs 60 to 100% above the annual median, according to fare tracker HappyFares.
- Book now, not in December. The same tracker says booking by the end of October beats booking from 1 December by a wide margin for year-end travel.
- Compare the airline's own site. The Chennai–Colombo fare above came from the airline's page, not an aggregator.
- Check the visa rule the week you book. Thailand and Sri Lanka both changed their rules for Indians in 2026.
- Go as two. A shared room cuts the ground cost per person by about a fifth.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the cheapest international trip from India in December?
Of the underrated places at their best in December, Ella & the Uva Highlands (Sri Lanka) is cheapest at about ₹38,200 per person for five days including the return flight from Chennai.
Can I do an international trip under ₹50,000 with flights in December?
Yes. Ella in Sri Lanka (about ₹38,200 from Chennai), Pokhara in Nepal (about ₹44,000 from Delhi) and Nan in Thailand (about ₹48,600 at the top of December's fare range) all come in under ₹50,000 for five days.
Do Indians need a visa for Nepal?
No. Indian citizens do not need a visa for Nepal. Carry a valid passport or voter ID card.
Is Thailand visa-free for Indians in December 2026?
Thailand's cabinet approved a 30-day visa exemption for Indians in July 2026, which needed official publication before taking effect. Check the official Thai e-visa site (thaievisa.go.th) before you fly; if it is not in force, apply for an e-visa or a visa on arrival.
When are flights cheapest in December?
In the first half of the month. Fares for Christmas and New Year week typically run 60 to 100% above normal.
Sources and how we priced this
- Chennai–Colombo December fare: SriLankan Airlines, flights to Colombo (round trip 9–14 Dec 2026, seen 14 Oct 2026; fares collected within 48 hours and may change).
- India–Bangkok December fare range, booking and peak-week advice: HappyFares, cheap international flights from India in December and HappyFares, Christmas and New Year 2026-27.
- Delhi–Kathmandu typical return range: HappyFares, Delhi to Kathmandu flight guide 2026.
- Thailand visa status for Indians (July 2026 cabinet decision, pending publication): Wego and Zurich Kotak. Confirm on the official Thai e-visa site.
- Ground costs, routes inside each country and best months: each place's Trip Under page (linked above), built on our cost method.
Keep reading
Price your own December trip
Set your dates and group on any place page and see the beds, food and local transport add up.
Browse places abroad →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.