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.
All inclusive holidays are a fabulous choice for a wide range of travelers. Are any of these you? Who are all inclusive holidays meant for?
Budget Travelers
Budget travelers like to stay on top of their finances, and all inclusive holidays allow you to know your total costs before you even board the plane. With all meals, drinks and activities included in the price of an all inclusive vacation, you don’t have to worry about going over budget while you’re away. Unless you go nuts with side trips and souvenirs, that is! All inclusive holidays
All inclusive vacations also represent excellent value for money. The cost may be higher at the outset when you look at hotels which offer room only rates, however once you factor in the cost of a self catering break (buying food and drink, and then also paying for entertainment), all inclusive breaks work out costing less. Will I enjoy an all inclusive holiday?
Everything is produced in mass, from the tours and entertainment to the food, and this keeps prices low. Many beach resorts will offer free use of surf boards, kayaks or quad bikes on the beach. Discounts and deals are common as tour operators don’t want empty seats on planes, and kids will often go free which really helps families achieve an affordable vacation during expensive times of year. Am I the kind of person who would enjoy an all inclusive vacation?
- With all meals, drinks and activities included in the price of an all inclusive vacation, you don’t have to worry about going over budget while you’re away.
- Escaping our all inclusive resort via Quad bike
Families & Groups
All inclusive holidays are ideal for families and groups – as mentioned above, these kind of vacations are budget friendly, and take away the stress of managing money while you’re away. There’s no need to deal with lots of foreign currency and you can completely relax and switch off, knowing that everyone is well catered for. Are all inclusive vacations good for families?
The chances are you’ll meet groups of like-minded people at the resort, and the kids can mix with new friends and you can all get together without worrying about an enormous bill. Who enjoys an all inclusive holiday?
Entertainment is also covered in the price. All inclusive resorts offer plenty of options for recreation, and organized activities run throughout the day for all ages. What kind of people take all inclusive vacations?
Children are well catered for with kids clubs, child only swimming pools and high ropes courses, and teens and adults have age appropriate activities set up just for them. For instance archery or joining in the organised pool activities such as aqua-aerobics, water polo or walking on water inside giant, inflated balls. What kind of people will I find on an all inclusive vacation?
- Another fantastic family beach, which is incredibly beautiful.
- Another fantastic family beach, which is incredibly beautiful.
- Facilities often include games rooms, swimming pools, tennis courts, crazy golf and a variety of local acts putting on a show for guests each night.
Luxury Travelers
There are all-inclusive holidays for everyone, and that includes the luxury traveler too. From beautiful infinity pools which overlook heavenly landscapes, to gourmet dining venues and world class spa’s, all inclusive vacations often offer the height of luxury, and most of the time this is affordable, too.
The First Time Traveler
If you’ve never traveled internationally before, planning your first trip can be overwhelming, and landing in your first foreign country can be as scary as it is exciting. Are all inclusive holidays good if I am traveling for the first time?
While independent travel may be the final goal, there’s nothing wrong with starting out slowly, and getting used to international travel with an all inclusive holiday which takes care of the majority of your planning and preparation for you. Are all inclusive vacations good for first time travelers?
Knowing that you’ll be comfortable and safe with plenty of options for food and activities, and plenty of support onsite, this goes a long way to alleviate the anxiety which can sometimes come with first time travel.
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Cruise Fantatics
Many cruise holidays are all-inclusive apart from drinks; a vacation which combines the price your transport, accommodation, activities and meals into one package deal, and which places every amenity and on-board activity imaginable right at your door.
Couples cruise for the romance, families for the stress free and family friendly environment for their kids, solo travelers to be social, and others to enjoy excursions in multiple exotic lands in one trip.
No matter what your reason for taking a cruise, there is always a reason to take one. If you’re among those considering a cruise for the first time but haven’t yet taken the leap, check out our post on 7 reasons why you should book a cruise.
Calculate Your Costs
Whether you’re a budget or luxury traveler, who is travelling alone or with a family/group, you can use online calculators to compare the costs of all inclusive v self catered to find out for yourself whether all-inclusive is the best option for you. Who should go on an all inclusive vacation?
Irish holiday company Falcon offers a fabulous all inclusive calculator which is interactive and easy to use. You choose which kind of holiday you would like, which destination takes your fancy, how many people are traveling, and how many weeks you need. You then choose which meals you want to include, how many drinks you think your group will have each day, and how many ice-creams you’re prone to eat! Should I go on an all inclusive vacation?
It recommends last minute deals, which properties will suit your needs, and how much you will save if you book an all inclusive vacation over a self catering holiday. compare costs of an all inclusive v independent travel.
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- Travelers suited to an all inclusive vacation.
- Travelers suited to an all inclusive vacation.

















11 Comments
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
I love all-inclusive holidays. They take the thinking out of booking a getaway and are great for last minute trips.
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? :-)
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.