All Inclusive Holidays

Parthenon, Athens, Greece

Parthenon, Athens, Greece
Photo Courtesy Onkel Tuca

Greek Children Independence Day Parade

Greek Children Enjoying Parade

The all-inclusive package holiday first became popular with British holidaymakers in the 1960s. Travel agencies offered hotel accommodation, meals, activities, and refreshments together with chartered flights to destinations such as Spain and Portugal at a bargain price, which brought foreign travel within the price range of average families for the first time.

An all-inclusive family package holiday will typically include pretty much everything you will need for an enjoyable holiday, including flights, hotel accommodation, car hire, activities, meals, and refreshments. Also, you will get access to a representative of the travel agency, who will be able to sort out any problems if they arise. Some travel agents, offer all inclusive holidays to resorts that are specifically aimed at families, with plenty of facilities and activities for children.

All-inclusive holidays tend to be a fair bit cheaper than other types of holiday once you have taken into consideration the costs of eating, drinking, and entertainment. Because the travel agents are in a position to throw huge amounts of business their way, they are able to negotiate much better deals with resorts, tour operators, activities centres, and car hire firms on your behalf.

While it can be good to have all your food, drink, and entertainment laid on by the travel agency, this reduces the amount of choice that you have to a certain extent. For example there is nothing stopping you visiting some of the other cafes and restaurants in the area that you are visiting, but if you already have a pre-paid meal waiting for you back at the resort, you will effectively be paying for the meal twice over if you visit an independent establishment. On the other hand, it can be reassuring to know that you will not have to pay for anything once you are there, especially if you are on a tight budget.

You can get an even cheaper deal on an all-inclusive package holiday if you are prepared to be flexible about the location and date of travel, as many tour operators offer heavily discounted last minute deals. These enable the travel agents to fill up the empty seats on planes and empty hotel rooms in resorts that they have either been unable to sell, or that arise due to cancellations. However, if you have to book your time off work a long time in advance, then you may not be able to take advantage of these deals.