It is a good idea to interact with those who have already applied for personal loans to gauge their first-hand experience in dealing with various banks. These may either be people you know or through online sites which allow you to not only find reviews on various banks but also find and compare personal loan offers available in the market.
Besides the EMIs (Equated Monthly Intallments) that you will be repaying, you also have to take into account all charges and fees you will incur on the loan. A long-term loan takes a longer time to pay off and any disruption in your income can lead to late/non-payment of EMIs. The shorter the loan tenor, the sooner you can pay it off and reduce your debt outstanding.
Remember that if it is an unsecured loan, it ranks higher in terms of risk to the bank. The interest rates are therefore generally higher on personal loans. Be sure to first look at all your options to finance your requirement. If you can take a personal loan against an asset you own e.g against your bank deposits, at lower interest rates, it might be more prudent not to opt for a personal loan.
It is never advisable to take on debt unless absolutely required. Your needs should, as much as possible, be financed by own funds rather than creating debt, unless unavoidable, or if your own funds are tied up in investments that will earn you more returns even after taking a loan (instead of liquidating sound investments and rebuilding your corpus from scratch).
Whether applying for a personal loan to watch the Commonwealth Games makes complete financial sense depends on one’s perspective. While it may not be the most financially prudent decision to create debt to fund a vacation, personal loans are definitely a useful way to overcome financial constraints to fulfil your dreams.