9. Finding All-Inclusive Vacations and Vacation Package Deals
In this chapter, you’ll discover benefits of experiencing an all-inclusive vacation, as well as why it often makes sense to seek out package deals for travel to save additional money. You’ll learn
How and where to learn about all-inclusive vacations
What perks and drawbacks exist with all-inclusive vacations
How to save money when booking vacation packages or a travel bundle
An all-inclusive vacation, vacation package, or travel bundle can save you money and be simpler to plan and book. You can often find these using online travel services, such as AAA Travel (www.aaa.com/travel), AARP Travel (travel.aarp.org), Expedia.com, Kayak.com, Orbitz.com, Priceline.com, and Travelocity.com.
Read the Reviews
Just as you can read reviews of hotels on a service like TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com), you can also find reviews of all-inclusive resorts. Use these reviews to help you find the best option based on your wants, needs, and budget.
As the name suggests, an all-inclusive vacation typically allows you to pay one price that includes multiple components of a trip, such as your flights, hotel or resort accommodations, meals, drinks, and/or some activities. This type of vacation package makes it easier to anticipate overall trip costs, plus eliminate much of the planning that goes into creating the perfect trip.
Meanwhile, an all-inclusive resort is a full-service resort that offers accommodations, activities, and meals, all on property, so there’s seldom a need to leave the property during your stay. In some cases, flights to and from the resort, as well as ground transportation between the airport and resort, are included in the all-inclusive price.
Specialized online services can help you find, learn about, and book all-inclusive vacation packages. However, this type of vacation typically doesn’t offer a lot of customizability. Instead, you can create your own travel bundle by booking flights, accommodations, rental car, and activities at the same time, using the same online travel service. This allows you to choose each component of your trip separately. The more components of your trip that you book simultaneously, the bigger discount the online travel service will provide, above and beyond being able to take advantage of the lowest prices possible for each component of your trip.
A vacation package is a collection of travel components (such as flights, accommodations, ground transportation, activities, tours, and meals) that an online travel service or individual travel provider (such as an airline or resort) puts together at a deeply discounted price. Because the travel package has been pre-created, there’s typically less flexibility, but compared to booking each aspect of a trip separately, the savings are often significant.
Many online services, including AARP Travel, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Travelocity, continuously offer a selection of travel packages for destinations throughout the world. You’ll also find these packages promoted through online services and mobile apps operated by Groupon and Travelzoo.
Understanding the Drawbacks of All-Inclusive Vacations and Travel Packages
The biggest problem travelers run in to when booking an “all-inclusive” vacation package is how a specific resort operator defines the term. In reality, an all-inclusive vacation doesn’t actually include everything, so you should expect to incur additional charges.
Before booking an all-inclusive vacation, you should read all the fine print and determine exactly what is and is not included with the all-inclusive vacation you plan to book. The following are examples of what might not be included in the price of an all-inclusive vacation:
• Activities that require specialized equipment: The special equipment for any water-based activities—such as a boat rental, jet ski rental, parasailing, snorkeling or scuba gear, or fishing gear—typically costs extra, even if these activities are offered on the resort’s property.
• Dining at premium restaurants: Some resorts have a dining room that serves three meals per day that are included in the all-inclusive price. However, this might be buffet-style dining or more casual dining with a limited menu offered for each meal. For an additional fixed rate per person, per meal (ranging between $10 and $50), it’s possible to dine at one of the resort’s premium restaurants that offers a more extensive or specialized menu, full table service, better quality food, and a more elegant environment.
• Ground transportation between the airport and resort: Although the resort typically provides car or shuttle bus transportation between the airport and resort, you need to make arrangements in advance and often pay a per-person charge for this service.
• Off-property activities and tours: Anything you have to leave the resort to do costs extra, including organized tours that can be booked through the resort.
• Premium alcohol and specialty drinks: Some all-inclusive resorts promote unlimited alcoholic beverages, as well as coffee, tea, and soda, but this typically does not include top-shelf alcohol, specialty drinks, bottled water, or canned soda (as opposed to complimentary fountain soda that’s served by the glass).
• Private instruction: Although you might be able to play tennis or golf, snorkel, scuba dive, or participate in other sports for free as part of an all-inclusive vacation package (especially if you bring your own equipment), private or group instruction from a tennis pro, golf pro, or dive pro costs extra.
• Spa and salon services: Any spa or salon services, including massages, haircuts, manicures, and/or pedicures cost extra.
• Tips and gratuities: Some all-inclusive resorts include all tips and gratuities for the housekeeping, dining, concierge, front desk, and bell desk staff, but others don’t. Over the course of a 7- to 14-day vacation, these tips can add up.
• Wi-Fi Internet access: Wi-Fi Internet service is typically available throughout an all-inclusive resort, but an hourly or daily fee for accessing it may apply.
Pay Attention to Guestroom Details and Amenities
Every all-inclusive hotel/resort typically offers a selection of guestroom types or configurations, and each includes a different selection of amenities. As a whole, a resort will have a star-based rating, which has a direct effect on the cleanliness, size, configuration, comfort, and overall quality of the guestrooms and their amenities. What you should expect from a three-star hotel/resort will be inferior to what a four or five-star hotel/resort offers. In general, the higher the rating, the more you’ll pay.
Finding and Booking All-Inclusive Vacations
A few of the popular online travel services, including Expedia.com (www.expedia.com/All-Inclusive-Vacations), allow you to shop for and compare prices and offerings related to all-inclusive vacation packages and all-inclusive resorts located throughout the world. Using any of these services, you can typically choose whether to include round-trip flights as part of the package.
All-inclusive resorts tend to be popular throughout the Caribbean (including Jamaica, Barbados, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Croix, and the Bahamas), Mexico (including Cancun and Playa del Carmen), the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Panama, although you can also find all-inclusive resorts in other popular travel destinations, including within the United States (in Florida, for example).
Location Doesn’t Really Matter
Most all-inclusive resorts are designed for guests to spend their entire vacation on property because they’ll be sleeping, dining, participating in activities, and experiencing daily entertainment there. Thus, the location of the all-inclusive resort is less important than the service, cleanliness, amenities, level of luxury, and selection of activities that are offered.
Yet another option when shopping for this type of vacation deal is to visit, one at a time, the websites operated by all-inclusive resort operators to discover what’s being offered. Some of the popular all-inclusive resort operators include
• Beaches (www.beaches.com)
• Club Med (www.clubmed.com)
• Divi Resorts (www.diviresorts.com)
• Palace Resorts (www.palaceresorts.com)
• RIU Resorts (www.riu.com/en/posts/videos-youtube/all-inclusive-hotels-resorts.jsp)
• Sandals (www.sandals.com)
• Superclubs (http://superclubs.com)
Searching for All-Inclusive Resorts
To find individual all-inclusive resorts operated in a specific country, type all-inclusive resort, [insert location] in the Search field of any search engine (such as Google or Yahoo!). Click any of the search results to learn about a specific all-inclusive vacation option.
There are also many online travel services that focus exclusively on all-inclusive resorts and vacation packages, including the following:
• All-Inclusive Outlet (www.allinclusiveoutlet.com)
• All-Inclusive Vacations (www.all-inclusive.com)
• All-InclusiveResort.com (http://all-inclusiveresort.com)
• AllInclusiveResorts.com (www.allinclusiveresorts.com)
• Resorts and Lodges (www.resortsandlodges.com/resort-type/all-inclusive)
Another option is to check with vacation home rental services, such as HomeAway or VRBO, to determine whether either of these services has listings for all-inclusive resorts in the region where you’ll be traveling.
Use Expedia to Book an All-Inclusive Vacation
Expedia is one of the popular online travel services that allow you to find, learn about, and book all-inclusive vacations or all-inclusive resorts. Regardless of the service you use, the steps are pretty similar to what’s given here. However, with the websites operated by a specific all-inclusive vacation resort, the process of making a reservation is somewhat streamlined because you won’t be able to compare travel offers among resorts operated by different companies.
From your computer, launch your favorite web browser and type www.expedia.com/All-Inclusive-Vacations in the address field.
From under the All-Inclusive Vacations & Resorts heading, scroll through the listings of all-inclusive resorts and all-inclusive vacation packages currently being offered by Expedia.com. Continue to the next step to customize your all-inclusive vacation package. Alternatively, click the Mexico & Central America or Caribbean tab to narrow the listing by region, and then skip to step 13.
Choose either Hotel Only or Flight + Hotel.
Enter your home city or the closest major airport.
Enter the date when you’d like to depart.
Enter your desired destination. You see a list of countries and regions where all-inclusive resorts and vacations are offered. Click your choice. Alternatively, enter one of these places manually into the Going To field.
Enter a returning date.
Use the pull-down menu to select how many rooms you require.
Enter how many adults, seniors, and/or children will be staying in each room.
Click the Search button to view a list of available all-inclusive resort and all-inclusive vacation options that meet your criteria.
Scroll through the list to find an offer that looks interesting, click on the listing for more information, and then skip to step 13. Alternatively, further narrow your search options by continuing to step 12.
Use the Filter Results tools to narrow your search. For example, you can choose all-inclusive resorts with a specific rating or that offer specific amenities and accessibility options.
Compare Prices with Other Services
In the right margin of the Expedia.com web browser window are buttons that let you compare rates with other travel services using the same criteria you’re using on Expedia.com. Click any of the buttons for other services, such as Hotwire.com or Travelocity.com. Choose the service(s) you want to do a price comparison with, and then click on the Search Now button.
From the listing of all-inclusive resorts or all-inclusive vacations that meet your criteria, click a listing to view more details about the offer.
You can view photos of the resort, details about the resort’s average rating from Expedia, and quickly access reviews of the resort from TripAdvisor.
Scroll down on the screen to select a specific offer within the selected resort. From here, you can choose the room type and style you want (which may affect the price). Click the Select button associated with a room type to select it, or scroll down to read more about the resort and view a full list of amenities and activities offered.
Look for Extra Costs
When viewing a listing on Expedia.com for an all-inclusive resort, scroll toward the bottom of the description to view a comprehensive listing of the services, amenities, activities, and dining options that are offered. As you review this listing, pay careful attention to what’s included and what costs extra at each particular resort. Also, be sure to review what’s described below the Fees and Optional Extras heading to learn more about what will definitely cost additional money.
Select your flight options. Notice that some flight options cost less and some cost more than the rate that’s already been quoted. Unless otherwise noted, all flights are for Economy class seats.
Use the Filter Results tools displayed in the left margin of the browser window to narrow down your flight options. (Not shown.)
Click the Select button associated with the flight you like. In some cases, you might depart and return on different airlines to secure the lowest rates possible.
Review your flight details, as well as the details you’ve selected related to the all-inclusive resort. Pay attention to rates listed, as well as cancellation or change fee policies that are described. (Not shown.)
Scroll down to review options you can pre-book related to your trip, including a rental car, optional shuttle transportation between the airport and resort, and/or offers for independent activities and tours in the area. All of these options require an additional per-person fee. Click the Add to Trip button for any options you want to include.
Before you proceed with step 21, if you have any questions, call the toll-free number that’s displayed on the screen. Many reservations cannot be changed and are nonrefundable, so you must be certain you have all the details before you book the vacation.
Click the Continue Booking button to make and pay for your reservation.
Enter the traveler information for each person you’ll be traveling with, and then click the Continue Booking button. (Not shown.)
Decide whether you want to include travel protection (for an extra fee), and then enter your payment information.
Carefully review all of the trip information. Click the Complete Booking button to finalize the reservation. (Not shown.)
You will receive a confirmation email in a few minutes that outlines all the details and costs associated with your trip and that provides separate confirmation numbers for your flights, resort reservation, and any other optional services or activities you booked. (Not shown.)
Finding and Booking Vacation Packages
Most of the popular travel services offer vacation package options that include a variety of trip components gathered together and offered at a discounted price. Some of these vacation packages include round-trip flights, whereas others include a meal plan, ground transportation, and/or activities and tours. When visiting any travel website, click the Packages (or equivalent) option on the home page.
Individual hotel/resort operators or chains, airlines, some credit card issuers, and independent services—such as AAA Travel, AARP Travel, Groupon, and Living Social—offer vacation packages. Travelzoo also seeks out the best deals for vacation packages and publishes its findings via its website and mobile app.
Vacation Packages Might Not Be All-Inclusive
There is a difference between an “all-inclusive vacation” and a “vacation package,” so make sure you understand what you’re booking. A vacation package includes a group of trip-related components that are bundled together and offered at a special price. Additional fees will apply if you add components to the trip. Vacation packages typically do not include a meal plan, for example.
One Advantage to Vacation Packages
Compared to booking your flights, accommodations, and rental car separately, a travel package bundles everything together and saves you time in researching travel opportunities. You often save money compared to booking the individual components of your trip separately.
When comparing various travel packages, make sure you pay attention to what’s actually being offered in terms of individual travel components (flights, accommodations, and so on). For example, one travel package that costs significantly more than another may be offering Business class or First class flights and/or four-star accommodations while another package includes Economy class flights with three-star accommodations.
Vacation Packages Through Airlines
Almost all major airlines have a special vacations department that specializes in creating and offering discounted vacation package deals and travel bundles with their promotional partners. One perk of booking a vacation package through an airline is that you earn bonus frequent flier miles, especially if you use the airline’s credit card to pay for the trip.
The easiest ways to find these deals is to visit the website for your favorite airline and select the Vacations (or equivalent) option in the main menu.
Some of the popular airlines that offer vacation packages include the following:
• American Airlines Vacations (www.aavacations.com)
• Delta Vacations (www.deltavacations.com)
• JetBlue Getaways (www.jetblue.com/vacations/deals)
• Southwest Vacations (www.southwestvacations.com)
• United Vacations (http://vacations.united.com)
Find a Vacation Package Using Kayak
This example shows you how easy it is to find, learn about, and book a vacation package using Kayak. Using another service, the information you need to provide and the steps to follow are similar, although the package offerings and prices may vary dramatically.
What Is Kayak?
Kayak is an online service that lets you search across many other online travel services to find the best deals. When you select an offer, you’re transferred to the specific online service that’s promoting that vacation package.
Using your computer, launch your favorite web browser and type www.kayak.com in the address field.
Click Packages.
Enter your home city or airport.
Click the Enter Destination field to see a list of popular destinations where vacation packages are currently available. Click one of these options or manually type your desired destination.
Click on the Depart Date and Return Date fields, one at a time, and choose your desired departure and return dates.
Select how many people you’ll be traveling with.
Click Search.
You see a list of available travel packages that meet your criteria.
Search for offerings from other services—such as Apple Vacations, BookIt, CheapCaribbean, Delta Vacations, and Travelocity—by adding a check mark to the check box that’s associated with each service listed below the Compare Sites vs. Kayak heading. When applicable, a separate web browser window opens to show search results from each service you select.
Narrow your options using the Search Result Filter tools. The results list is automatically updated when you change the criteria.
Click the Select button associated with a listing that looks appealing. Notice that each listing briefly describes whether Flight + Hotel is included in the displayed price.
Kayak redirects your web browser to the online service that’s offering the listed vacation package. You then follow the booking procedures for that service. (Not shown.)
Pay Attention to Change and Cancellation Policies
The change and cancellation policies, as well as the booking procedures, for each service will vary, so read all of the information that’s displayed carefully before confirming and paying for a vacation package. Pay close attention to the ratings and reviews that are listed with each offer, but determine the source of the ratings and reviews that are displayed, so you know how much credibility they have.
As always, before finalizing your reservation, compare rates from three or four different sources, including other travel services and/or the website for the vacation package provider.
Creating Your Own Travel Bundles
All the popular travel services enable you to manually create your own travel bundles by booking flights, accommodations, rental car, and/or activities/tours from the same service at the same time. Regardless of which service you opt to use, click the Bundle Deals or Flight+Hotel main menu option that’s listed. Alternatively, you might be given the choice from the service’s main menu to highlight which trip components you’re looking for, and you might be able to add a check mark to all that apply (such as flights, hotel, rental car, activities, tours, and so on).
Remember, the more trip components you book simultaneously with the same service, the bigger the discounts you’ll receive. Creating your own travel bundle often gives you more flexibility and options than booking a pre-created travel package.
Use AARP Travel
This example explains how to create and book a travel bundle using AARP Travel, although the process is similar regardless of which online travel service you use (providing that service offers this option).
Using your computer, open your favorite web browser and type travel.aarp.org in the address field. (Notice that the domain extension is .org, not.com.)
Click either the Book Travel Online or Contact a Travel Agent areas.
If you’re booking online, click each trip component you’re interested in booking. Your options include Flight, Hotel, Car, Cruise, and Activities.
Based on the trip components you selected, additional fields are displayed to collect the necessary information, such as where you’re leaving from, where you want to travel to, your desired departure date/time, your desired return date/time, and, if applicable, the number of rooms you’ll need. (Not shown.)
Enter how many adults, seniors, and kids you’ll be traveling with.
Click Search.
Special Discounts
At AARP Travel, all the content, including destination guides and travel tips, is available to anyone, but the special AARP discounts are available only to AARP members.
What’s Included in the Price?
If you requested flights as part of your bundle, the prices are for Economy class airfares. Also, taxes and fees are already included in the displayed price, although additional fees may be added later (such as a daily hotel resort fee).
You see a list of personalized travel bundles.
Narrow down your search results by using the Filter Results options.
Click a listing to view more detailed information and potentially make a reservation.
If accommodations are part of your travel bundle, you’ll be asked to select a specific guestroom configuration or room type, which could impact the cost of the trip. Click the Select button associated with the option you want.
Flight Options
In some cases, different airlines might be suggested for each segment of your flight to save you money.
If flights are a part of your travel bundle, search through the flight options and select departing and return flights, keeping in mind that some flight options will impact the travel bundle price. Click the Select button to choose each flight option. Additional Filter Results tools are available to help you narrow down your flight options.
If a rental car is part of your travel bundle request, select a car type. Click the car offer that you want to add to your travel bundle.
Review each component of your trip and, if necessary, make any additional selections that are required. At the bottom of the screen, be sure to click the Review Full Rules and Restrictions option to read details about each component of the trip, keeping in mind that some or all of the components might not be refundable or changeable.
You see the total price for your travel bundle.
Click the Continue Booking This Package option or Accept This New Price and Continue Booking option (whichever is applicable).
Indicate whether you want to add trip protection for each component of the trip. You can add this option through AARP Travel Center (Expedia.com), or later buy travel insurance for the entire trip separately from a company like Travel Guard or Travelex. (Not shown.)
Click Continue Booking This Package. (Not shown.)
If you haven’t already done so, sign in to your AARP Travel Center powered by Expedia account, or create a free account by clicking the appropriate option.
It’s also possible to complete your booking as a guest of AARP Travel, although you’ll ultimately need to provide the same information to finalize your booking as you would to create an account. When you create a new account, all of your personal information will be remembered so you won’t have to reenter it when you use the site in the future.
Follow the on-screen prompts to enter details about the individual travelers and your payment information. What information is requested varies based on which trip components are part of your travel bundle. Be sure to include your AARP membership number when it’s requested, to receive the maximum discounts you’re entitled to.
Getting Help Before You Confirm
Before confirming the reservation(s), be sure to call the toll-free number that’s displayed on the screen if you have any questions.
After you finalize the reservation, you receive a confirmation email. (Not shown.)