Whether planning a family vacation or a romantic getaway, many people often wonder about the pros and cons of forgoing detailed planning and individual charges and simply booking a vacation package instead. When booking a vacation package, travelers are faced with primarily two options: the all inclusive vacation package and the Air-Hotel vacation package. 

 

 

The all inclusive vacation package is popular among many travelers because it eliminates the majority of out of pocket expenses once you arrive at your destination. An all inclusive vacation package allows you the luxury of booking and paying for almost your entire vacation before you leave the comfort of your own home. Airfare, ground transportation, activities and even meals are included in some vacation package offerings at certain all inclusive resorts. 

 

The pros of a vacation package like this are:

The only real downside of an all inclusive vacation package is that your options for restaurants can be limited. If an all-inclusive resort only has two restaurants, yet thousands of guests are staying there, then meal times can be a bit crowded. And since you’ve already paid to eat dinner there you might not want to leave the resort and pay to eat somewhere else just to avoid the crowds. One way to avoid this is to plan to eat about an hour before the dinner rush. If you can beat the crowds at meal times, then there really isn’t a downside to booking an all inclusive vacation package. 

 

 

For those looking for more planning flexibility, but still wanting to find a great deal on prices, the air-hotel or air-hotel-car vacation package options might be right for you. With a vacation package like this, airlines and popular hotel chains (and in some cases rental car companies) work together to offer you discounted rates if you book different elements of your vacation together. Some companies even allow you to book discount activities along with those packages. Typically, these vacation packages can save you hundreds of dollars on trips to popular destinations.

 

Certain resort hotels that don’t offer all-inclusive vacation package benefits have begun to rethink their strategies. In addition to partnering with airlines for air-hotel vacation package options, they now offer meal plans that can be purchased at booking or upon arrival to help eliminate the need of having cash or trying to go offsite to meet your needs. 

 

 

For all-inclusive romantic destinations, Sandals Resorts are a popular choice. These exclusive couples only resorts offer exotic destinations, fun in the sun, beautiful white sand beaches and a variety of dining options. Their counterpart for families, Beaches, offers the same type of experience only geared toward families with children. Club Med offers the same type of family centered experience. In addition to food, travel and meals these resorts offer plenty of fun activities like snorkeling, kayaking, or even guided tours of popular tourist attractions.  

 

The Walt Disney World resorts in Orlando, FL and the world famous Atlantis Resort in the Caribbean aren’t fully all-inclusive but they are starting to offer meal plan options and partner with airlines to give travelers the option of booking a complete vacation package with them. 

 

And, of course, one of the oldest vacation package options is booking a cruise. Meals and some activities are included in a cruise vacation package and other excursions can be added for a small fee.