Pros and Cons of All-Inclusive Vacation Holidays

All-inclusive vacations are appealing to families and people on a certain budget. Included in an all-inclusive package will be a round-trip airfare from a departure destination, transport between airport and your hotel, your hotel fee and all meals and drinks. This is a good deal if you have teenagers because you don’t have to worry about keeping them fed. All-inclusive packages will also normally include a couple of extras, such as a free tour or two, and on-sight recreation. All-inclusive means that once you get to your destination, you don’t have to spend any money except on souvenirs of your trip unless you go outside your resort. These vacations are a no hassle way of taking a vacation and being able to relax and enjoy it without figuring out how much your accommodations will cost and finding the right place to stay. Prices vary and depend on the time you plan to spend at the resort and what amenities you want or expect.

There are many advantages of an all-inclusive vacation package. The buffet-style food gives you a huge choice in what you want to eat, is easily available and will allow you to sample different varieties of food you normally wouldn’t try. The service is always helpful and you will find many activities included in the package. The all-inclusive trip that we took included two tours of our choice as well as snorkeling and other water activities. Many sights have pools, tennis courts, or golf courses. These activities are free and part of the package.

One of the best advantages in buy an all-inclusive package to a major theme park such as Disney World is they have so many activities that are included. For instance, water parks, miniature golf, canoeing, biking, and horseback riding. The best part is they have free shuttles back and forth between the different areas so you don’t have to worry about transportation. No need for the extra expense of renting a car.

If your family includes older children, you might enjoy an all-inclusive package such as a skiing adventure in the Rockies, or a trip to a “dude” ranch in Arizona. No matter what your tastes are, you can find an all-inclusive vacation to make everyone happy.

There are a few cons to an all-inclusive vacation. You should explore your destination on-line and sometimes that still doesn’t tell the whole story. We booked an all-inclusive vacation in Cancun that sounded like heaven. The resort was found on a reef just off a major island and not on the “strip” of hotels in the heart of Cancun. Sounds perfect right? When you are booking your all-inclusive vacation, be sure you know exactly what all-inclusive means. Some resorts offer low prices but you are subjected to sales pitches to buy time-shares. What you thought would be an ideal vacation could turn into a nightmare when you realize that in some places, though it advertises no tipping, the workers still expect it. If they aren’t tipped, your service will be affected. At least we found this to be true at the resort we stayed at. At our resort, there were tip jars everywhere and tips were absolutely expected. Some resorts ban all tipping and you need to find out ahead of time which type of resort you are going to.

Another downside to taking an all-inclusive vacation is that if you go off the resort you will pay for everything you do. In our case, our resort was small and had limited-access to other activities. What we thought would be a vacation to get away from it all, instead turned in to a vacation that was restrictive and more costly than we expected. For instance, the all-inclusive package included only one round-trip ferry ride to the mainland. That means, they got us to the resort and would get us back to the mainland for our trip home, and all other visits or excursions off our resort was our responsibility to pay for. The resort was beautiful, but we were expected to tip, we had to sit through a sales presentation, and it was restrictive on that particular resort.

All-inclusive has a nice sound to it, but be sure that where you are going is all-inclusive. Research on the Internet or ask for friends or family members recommendations.

Five Most Requested Vacations by Children

Deciding where to go on your next family vacation can be a stressful, divisive process. You want to go to Alaska, while your children are longing to get their hair braided in the Bahamas. By figuring out where kids really want to go on vacation these days, (even if your own kids don’t realize they have a preference), you can choose a kid-friendly destination that you will also enjoy.

Recent movies like “Madagascar” have children longing for adventure travel to exotic locales. While Madagascar itself may not be the most family-friendly destination, other options, such as Costa Rica or Kenya, can be surprisingly inexpensive and true cultural learning experiences. In Costa Rica, children can learn Spanish while exploring lush rainforests or erupting volcanoes, and parents can listen to calypso tunes while sipping on some of the best coffee in the world. Or in Kenya, the whole family can learn a bit of Swahili while watching and listening to the mass migration of the wildebeests in Kenya. Listening to the sounds of the rainforest or sleeping under the stars on safari is sure to be more interesting for both parents and children than a third trip to Disneyland.

Many children and adults also find trips to Eastern cities, such as Beijing, Seoul or Bangkok, true adventures, and travelers young and old are seeking the East in increasing numbers. Seeing the Great Wall or the Terracotta Warriors of Xian in person is ten times more memorable than a trip to Epcot, and children can learn about different cultures in person—experiencing first-hand different foods, different money, and a different way of life. Trips to the East can be surprisingly inexpensive with the airplane flight usually being the most expensive part of the trip. Entry to the country, however, may require passports or a visa, so planning your trip well ahead of time is critically important.

European locales, such as Italy, are popular, if increasingly expensive, trips for children. Wealthy and industrialized Western European countries will certainly offer more family friendly discounts and amenities than more exotic destinations, such as Kenya or China, but children will still enjoy the opportunity to experience a different culture. Families can explore Italy’s history in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy’s culture on a Gondola ride in Venice, or Italy’s mouthwatering cuisine with a sweet Gelato in a park in Florence. Some families of Western European ancestry enjoy trips to countries like Italy because of the opportunity it offers both them to explore their ethnic roots.

Soaking up the sun, playing in the sand, and swimming in deep blue water, such activities hold immense appeal for many families. Reachable by either plane or ship, the Caribbean offers a number of island vacation options that will have sun, sand and water in blessed abundance. Jamaica, for example, possesses a natural beauty that can be breathtaking in its grandeur and magnitude. From white sandy beaches to black volcanic mountains to deep red sunsets that fill the sky, the island’s aesthetically pleasing nature and laid-back attitude appeal to a multitude of tourists, both young and old. Children can swim and hike to their hearts’ content, while parents can listen to reggae and sip rum. Jamaica’s national motto is “Out of Many, One People,” and tourists to the island revel in the unique personality of the Jamaican people and Jamaica’s environmental diversity.

American’s fiftieth state, Hawaii, also offers sun, sand and water in abundance, and tourists young and old flock to the islands every year to sample some of the natural abundance. Hawaii offers every imaginable summer sport or water activity from surfing and scuba diving to whale-watching and swimming with the dolphins. Hawaii’s unique volcanic geology offers both an educational experience for children and a breathtaking sight for the whole family; for example, families can hike on Kilauea Volcano and watch molten lava pour into the sea. Kids can even take some volcanic rock back home for a souvenir.

Wherever you decide to go on your next family vacation, don’t limit yourself to the tried and true. Find a destination that will be stimulating and fulfilling for both you and your children. Finally, remember that even the most fascinating locale can be stressful or boring without proper planning, so do your research.

Warm up in winter - Five Top Holiday Destinations

Warm up in winter - Five Top Holiday Destinations

When your toes turn purple and your eyelashes sprout icicles, you know it’s time to head south for the winter. The birds do it, so why shouldn’t you? Stop, now, before you break your back from shoveling one more pile of snow, and consider some exotic locales for winter getaways where the only mounds of white you’ll being seeing are of the hot, dry, and sandy variety.

Speaking of white, sandy beaches, a trip to Antigua, or its neighboring island Barbuda may be just what you need in order to restore feeling to your toes. Every water sport lover’s dream, the Caribbean nation boasts of at least 365 beaches surrounded by clear blue waters with an average temperature of 80 degrees. Trade your snow boots for fins, and snorkel through spectacular coral reefs, maybe even catching a glimpse of the wreck of the merchant ship Andes, which has rested on the bottom of Deep Bay since 1905. If you’d rather not get your feet wet, you can enjoy all that the charming capital St. John’s in the northern part of the island of Antigua has to offer. Purchase colorful local artwork while strolling down Market Street or fortify yourself with sweet black pineapple (which isn’t really black) and some local rum. Watch a spectacular sunset over English Harbour on the summit of Shirley Heights while tapping your feet to the rhythms of a steel band. If you would prefer to watch birds instead of people, then head north to the tiny island of Barbuda, which has only a single village of 1100 people but is famed for its frigate birds and huge rookery.

If Antigua’s cricket-playing and English-speaking ways bring up unpleasant memories of Britain’s colonial imperialism, perhaps its time to head to Rio de Janeiro for a little taste of the party-loving legacy of Portuguese imperialism in Brazil, the largest country in South America. Lying on the Bay of Guanabra, the city, which is most well-known for its pre-Lenten festival of wantonness, “Carnaval,” also prides itself on 75 miles of coastline. Do words like Ipanema or Copacabana ring a bell? Yep, they’re both in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilians in the city party hard and pray hard. After dancing all night at a samba club, look into the sky and enjoy the slightly surreal sight a 128 foot, 1,000 ton statue of Christ the Redeemer hovering over the city proudly at the top of Corcovado Peak.

If Rio’s religious version of the Statue of Liberty has you feeling faintly guilty for deserting your home country in the midst of winter, perhaps Perth, Australia will provide the English-speaking taste of home (with an exotic flair) that you need. Kick back and ride the waves in the Western Australia’s isolated capital, nestled between a blue, blue ocean and a dry, sandy desert. Getting there is half the adventure, consisting of a 4000 km car ride from Sydney or a long and winding train ride on the Indian Pacific. Explore the Swan River and the 400-hectare King’s Park in the south, magnificent nineteenth-century buildings constructed using convict labor in the city center, or perhaps travel north to swim with the dolphins at Monkey Mia.

If Perth leaves you feeling a little isolated, perhaps a trip to the modern island city of Singapore, with a population of approximately 4.5 million, will help alleviate your winter doldrums. With not one but four official languages—Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English—the country offers a delightful blend of ethnic influences. Enjoy a bowl of hot noodles followed by your favorite curry. Buy a sari in Little India on a Sunday evening or sip on herbal tea in Chinatown. Or perhaps enjoy the sights on a cable-car ride to Sentosa Island, the sight of a thrilling amusement park.

If Sentosa Island puts you in mind of childhood yearnings for the Magic Kingdom, perhaps a trip to the sub-tropical Sunshine State may be just the cold remedy you are looking for. The Magic Kingdom isn’t the only amusement park in central Florida. Choose from the likes of Universal Studies, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, or Cypress Gardens, all within a short drive of each other. Florida is all about the tourist industry, and travelers can find some great winter travel deals if they shop around. Wherever you decide to go this winter, don’t forget to pack sunscreen, a bathing suit, and your favorite book. Warmth and relaxation wait just a few thousand miles away.