Holiday in Kerala is known for the tranquil backwaters,   elephants, elaborate temple festivals and boat races. This coastal state is rich in distinctive traditions and culture and lush unspoiled tropical beauty which is the reason because of which places in Kerala is well known all over the world. The pace of life is slow, making Kerala the perfect place for a leisurely vacation. If you’re going to be one of the millions heading to Kerala, make the most of your time by avoiding these  common Kerala Trip Plan mistakes.

ALSO SEE – What Kerala Is Famous For?

 

Kerala Trip Plan Mistakes-11 ways to ruin your holiday

1. Paying More Than Necessary when you book directly with hotels and OTAs

India has a GST  tax structure and Kerala  has luxury taxes. Same Kerala holiday can cost more when you book hotels yourself than through a tour company. Tour operators typically charge 5% GST on the total value of domestic tour packages, without input tax credit. Hotels, however, must levy 5% GST on rooms up to ₹7,500 and 18% on higher tariffs under the new GST 2.0 structure as per the official Government notification on the GST website. So travelers often “pay more for what they could get for less” inside a tour package.

Here’s how it plays out with simple numbers, assuming current GST rules:

GST on hotel rooms:

Rooms up to ₹7,500 per night → 5% GST (no ITC)
Rooms above ₹7,500 per night → 18% GST
GST on domestic tour packages: flat 5% on total package value (no ITC).

Example 1 – ₹4,000 room (mid-range hotel)

Direct booking: ₹4,000 + 5% GST (₹200) = ₹4,200
Via tour operator (net rate + margin example):
Hotel sells/ contracts to operator at ₹3,500; operator sells at ₹3,800.
GST @ 5% on ₹3,800 = ₹190 → ₹3,990 to the guest.

Example 2 – ₹8,000 room (premium hotel)

Direct booking: ₹8,000 + 18% GST (₹1,440) = ₹9,440
Via tour operator (bundled Kerala package):
Hotel sells/ contracts to operator at ₹7,500;
Operator bundles that hotel at an effective ₹7,500/night in a package.
GST @ 5% = ₹375 → ₹7,875.

So the same 8000 room can effectively cost about ₹1,565 less per night inside a Kerala tour package purely because of the tax structure.

ALSO SEE – How many days for a Kerala Trip? Planning Tips and Guidance

2. Booking Point to Point taxis from hotels for a multi-day trip

Booking point-to-point taxis from each hotel for a multi-day Kerala trip looks flexible, but it’s usually the most expensive and inconvenient option. Every ride is treated as a fresh booking, so you keep paying minimum charges and hotel/vendor margins again and again.

You also lose the advantage of collective kilometers. On some days you naturally travel less, on others you travel more. With one dedicated driver and vehicle for the whole trip, the total kilometres usually average out to a better per-day cost. With point-to-point taxis, you pay the minimum slab on low-distance days and extra per kilometre on high-distance days – so you almost always end up paying more overall, with no continuity of driver or responsibility for your full trip.

ALSO SEE- How to book Taxis from Cochin Airport (COK)

3. Heading to Munnar  from the airport after taking an afternoon flight to Kochi

When you visit Kerala, visiting Munnar is a must.  Munnar Tourism is renowned for its sprawling verdant tea plantations. The Kundale Tea Plantations, which surrounds a picturesque lake, offers the best opportunity to see the tea being picked and processed and to try fresh tea straight from the gardens. The area is blessed with the natural beauty of winding lanes, misty hills, and forests full of exotic plants and wildlife. Adventure enthusiasts can trek to Anamudi, the highest peak in south India, explore Eravikulam National Park, or go rock climbing and paragliding to make the best holiday in Kerala.

ALSO SEE – 25 Best Places To Visit In Munnar, Kerala, With Map

However, if you want to enjoy Munnar to the full, you have to plan the visit in 2 days and start from Kochi early in the morning. If you are arriving by an evening flight it is better to stay in Kochi – preferably in a hotel near the airport and then proceed to Munnar the next day with at least 2 days devoted to the Munnar experience. One day for the journey to visit Munnar as you may not want to miss out on the waterfalls on the way to Munnar and other attractions as well as getting sufficient rest before starting with the sightseeing in Munnar.

ALSO SEE – Munnar Tour Packages

4. Trying to complete Munnar sightseeing in 24 hours.

Would like to spend more time travelling over windy hills and hairpin curves with a vomiting sensation rather than enjoying your sightseeing experience in Munnar? If not, you should try to avoid a Munnar visit in 24 hours. If you plan to complete the visit to Munnar in one day, you may not enjoy seeing all the places in a hurry and the travelling may be too tedious. You may end up the whole day travelling with less sightseeing which is like eating a hurried meal without enjoying it fully. So our advice is to make most of the time and enjoy your holidays by devoting at least 2 days to Munnar.

ALSO SEE – Munnar Itinerary for 2 Days-Must-Visit Places, Tips & Local Experiences

What any guest will enjoy more about Munnar will be the verdant hills and the awesome tea garden views and you need time to enjoy these and  take your time to enjoy the same rather than practising “hurry burry spoils the curry.”

5. Booking by suggestions of a random friend from Kerala who knows only what he knows

You have a friend from Kerala (everyone knows someone from Kerala). Booking based on that one random friend from Kerala is how many great holidays turn into “What a Crap” trips. 😄

Your friend knows only what he has seen: his favourite biryani shop, the one beach he went to on a college tour, and his cousin’s homestay that “is very famous” (translation: his aunt will be happy). So you end up in a town that shuts down by 8 PM, in a resort with “river view” that’s actually a drain, wondering where all those Insta-worthy places disappeared. Local tips are great—but treat them as inputs, not the entire Kerala trip plan. Cross-check with TripAdvisor reviews, maps, and real itineraries unless you want your friend’s nostalgia to become your regret. Even if you ask a question to your friend on which is a better destination for a houseboat trip, Alleppey or Kumarakom, friend may not know

ALSO SEE- Alleppey Or Kumarakom: Which Is Best For A Kerala Houseboat Cruise?

Always take help from an approved Kerala Tour Operator or Govt of India approved tour operator. List of the approved tour operator in there in Kerala Tourism Website and Indian Government website

6. Booking your houseboat tour on the first day of your arrival

A highlight of any holiday in Kerala is the time spent cruising the Kerala backwaters on a houseboat, or a rice barge. These converted rice barges or “Kettuvallams” sail along shallow, palm-fringed lakes and narrow canals where coconut and cashew are loaded onto dugouts. You pass villages built on narrow spits of land, stopping to visit local markets or to marvel at craftsmen engaged in centuries-old boat-making tradition. The boats offer one or two cabins with a small sitting room and a crew of 2 staff and a chef.

The food is authentic Kerala cuisine, purchased fresh along the way. For most of the journey, the boat is poled, sailing only between dawn and dusk. The Kerala backwater cruise is an unforgettable experience- This is what you read before you book the tour and if you want to experience the same it is better to ensure that you reach the houseboat before 12 noon.

ALSO SEE – 60+ Kerala Houseboat Packages (Updated)

If you book the tour in such a way that you reach houseboat only by afternoon the most popular reasons being the flight was late, there was a traffic jam in Kochi etc then you may miss out on once in a lifetime experience in a Kerala houseboat.

ALSO SEE – Choosing Alleppey Houseboat Cruise-Price, Packages and Timings

7. Taking an early morning flight from Kochi and missing out on Kochi sightseeing

Cochin Tour Packages offers visitors Forts, palaces, museums, old churches, cool backwaters, palm-fringed lagoons, beaches and the practicality of a contemporary metro and if you take a morning flight from Kochi you may miss out on all these on your holiday in Kerala. It is better to opt for an evening flight from Kochi and devote the last day to Kochi sightseeing without staying in Kochi for a single night. If you plan this with a previous night stay in a houseboat with the checkout at 9:30, then it would be really great to maximise your experience.

ALSO SEE – 4 Airports in Kerala- How to Choose for your holiday?

8. Overpacking your itinerary with Central Kerala, North Kerala (Malabar) and South Kerala with too little time

Trying to “do” Central Kerala, North Kerala (Malabar), and South Kerala in 4-5 days is like trying to watch an entire Netflix series during the ads of a cricket match. 😄 On paper it looks amazing: Kochi backwaters, Wayanad hills, Bekal fort, Varkala cliffs, Kovalam beach… in reality you spend more time inside a car than outside enjoying Kerala just because all these destinations are far apart.

ALSO SEE – Best Time to Visit Kerala-Summer, Winter or Monsoon?

 

Every day becomes: wake up early, 6–8 hours of driving, quick photo stop, rushed dinner, repeat. You’ll start recognising highway tea shops more than tourist spots. Instead of tasting Kerala, you just sample it like free mall snacks. It’s much better to pick one or two regions and go deeper – fewer check-ins, more experiences, and actual memories that aren’t just “nice road, good driver, long journey.”

Kerala is an all season destination and each of the three regions in Kerala – Central Kerala (Around Kochi Airport), North Kerala  & Wayanad  (Around Kannur Airport) and South Kerala (Around Trivandrum Airport) requires there own sweet time for doing a memorable visit and plan accordingly for a memorable holiday

9. Booking with a non approved tour operator and falling for tourist taps

If you look only at the lowest package rate and ignore the hotels, activities, and inclusions, your Kerala holiday can quietly turn into a tourist trap. Many travelers switch operators for a difference of just a few hundred rupees, forgetting that you always pay for what you get.

A low budget hotel in Munnar without a view will naturally be cheaper – but will it be memorable? Often, these “bargain” packages use non-approved hotels and unlicensed houseboats sold by unapproved tour operators who are not listed on the official Kerala Tourism website of India Government website. In chasing the lowest price, you risk compromising on safety, comfort, and the overall experience of your Kerala trip.

ALSO SEE – Chinese Fishing Nets Fishermen Show- Tourist Trap

Choosing an unapproved tour operator in Kerala can quickly turn your dream holiday into a stress fest. Many lure travellers with unrealistically low prices, then cut corners on hotels, transport, and safety, or push them into commission-driven tourist traps instead of authentic experiences, leaving you frustrated, short-changed and disappointed later.

10. Booking only a driver for the trip  and booking hotels directly

Many travellers in Kerala try to “save” money by hiring only a driver and managing everything else themselves. Do note that booking directly may cost you more money as elaborated in the first point.  This sounds flexible, but can backfire badly. If the vehicle breaks down in a hill station like Munnar, you may be stranded with your luggage, child, or elderly parents and no backup car.

 

When something goes wrong with the vehicle, you’re on your own. The car can break down in a remote ghat section, with no quick replacement and hours lost waiting for repairs. An AC failure in Kerala’s heat can turn a long drive into torture, especially with kids or elders. A minor accident or puncture can derail the day’s plan if there’s no backup vehicle. If the driver falls sick or is too tired to drive safely, your entire itinerary is suddenly at risk.

 

Anything happens to driver midway through the trip, there’s often no replacement, and your entire plan collapses. In both cases, a good tour operator would normally step in with alternatives.

11. Trying to do too much in too few days

Travellers want an all-in-one solution for seeing the tea plantations in Munnar, as well as riding elephants, backwater trips and Ayurveda massages. This sounds fun, but there are better ways to experience Kerala. An all-in-one trip doesn’t afford any true exposure to what Kerala has to offer.

It is better to tackle these activities separately to maximise the experience, provided you have enough time. Split your time between 2 days in Munnar and a Kerala backwater trip. Avoid Thekkady if you have only 3 days. If you have less time don’t even think about Kovalam. Plan your trips in such a way that you maximise the experience for the time spent in Kerala. Please remember that you can always come back.

If you think this post has helped you, please comment on any other questions you may have about your Kerala Trip Plan.