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Just like everything in life, there are both pros and cons to taking an all inclusive holiday. Some people love them, some people are vehemently against the thought, and the rest tend to fall somewhere in the middle.

But when it comes down to it, there is no right or wrong way to travel, and an all inclusive holiday could genuinely be for you. Even if you are a traveler who generally prefers to explore a destination thoroughly, go sightseeing every day, eat street food, meet locals, and discover locations off the beaten path which put you well away from your resort or hotel.

    11 Comments

  1. We enjoy travel.of all kinds including immersing ourselves with locals in a quaint village, but we also love a good all inclusive. We frequent the Mayan Riviera, and absolutely love the ease and relaxation of not lifting a finger! Great post.

  2. These are such great points, I never really considered looking into or doing an all inclusive trip because I had this preconception that these were really expensive. I think it would be fun to at least try it once to see if it’s something we can see ourselves doing from time to time. Alot of work goes into travel plans, so it would be nice to have a small break from that with the all inclusive deal as well as not worry about your budget because everything has been set in the fixed cost! What was your favorite all inclusive trip?

    By the way love the cover image!

  3. Great points! So true.
    I think all-inclusives (and cruises) are also great for large groups because no one has to make a decision on what you are doing for the day, when and what is for dinner (and who is going to cook it), how you are going to get from point A to point B, etc. Like the finances, most everything is decided for you with a few options when you get there. All-inclusives are also great for girls’ trips – especially moms! – because of the aforementioned reason of what are we going to eat/who is going to cook it and get the groceries . . . and who is going to clean it up. Moms are busy making decisions for other people all the time; when they vacation, they want a vacation from that too.

  4. Very good comments Megan, and having travelled to around 90 countries both as an independent and on all inclusive tours, you make some valid points.
    When we did an all inclusive 12 day tour “Switzerland by Train”, I checked out the cost to do this by ourselves staying in some of the top hotels on the tour, and found that we would be paying up to $800 per night, and calculated that tour company must be paying around $300 per night, (probably because they get a bulk discount), so it was much more economical to take the tour.
    Have also done the calculations with many other trips, and found we could not do trip as an independent for the same price.

  5. I have been traveling all over the world and so far I have always thought I can save money if I do everything on my own which means spending lots of time researching and booking on my own. Now after reading this blog I must say I am intrigued and will be doing more cost comparisons for this all inclusive thing. Thanks for writing it up so clearly and making the case for never ruling anything out.
    Last time I was in Europe (http://europeimages.blogspot.com) I went way over budget so this time I will look into all options :)

  6. I’ve never quite enjoyed the concept, but I like the breakout. The more busy I get with my 9 to 5 job, the more appealing these are as they aren’t as time intensive of a chore to plan every detail. You provided great reasoning why so many people today enjoy this travel style.

  7. Earlier I used to think that booking everything on your own saves $$, but nope. I found that booking tours is way more cheaper and you get more. But sometimes I am not interested in taking part in all the activities offered by a tour. But still booking all inclusive trips are a good way to experience more for less.

  8. This is true and I agree. i would also add a person who just wants to relax. Sometimes you end up needing a vacation from your vacation from all the running around you have done. Doing nothing but relaxing is great at an all inclusive.

  9. I love all-inclusive holidays. They take the thinking out of booking a getaway and are great for last minute trips.

  10. I’ll be honest, I’ve never taken an all-inclusive holiday. I can see its appeal, but I think planning, going out around town, meeting locals and trying different activities at my leisure – things I believe I won’t get in an all-inclusive.

    But hey, we never know what tomorrow will bring, right? :-)

  11. Fascinating piece about all-inclusive vacations – it might be surprising to some that they can be for everyone. But they are all sorts of all-inclusives.

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