posted by Travel Cat on Jan 5
Which of these offers the better vacation? Well, in honestly, they are 2 totally different experiences and each has it’s good and bad points.
I have been on both types, and on numerous occasions. However, I would first determine what you want from your holiday before writing off one or the other.
Vacation Package: Pay - Fly - Blue Sky - Soft Sand - Relax.
This is the best form of ‘beach holiday’ you can get. You choose from one of the destinations on offer, pay the price, get to the airport - and that’s your hard work done.
Once you are on the plane - everything else is taken care of. No need to worry about cooking or cleaning - or even getting out of bed, there’s nothing for you to worry about except relaxing, getting a tan, sitting on the beach or swimming in the pool. Your most worrying choice will be what cocktail to try next!
Yes, they have a bad name in the ‘eco’ trade for polluting the world with the flight, funding companies that take all the money away from the local people and basically wasting resources, but they will always be popular with the people who work hard for a living and only get a few weeks holiday a year to themselves.
Some say that the vacation package is going into decline - but I don’t think it’s because they are ecologically unfriendly - I just think that people have changed their work-life balance so that they have different holiday options.
There are now millions of people who work from home and/or for themselves, so they can now choose longer trips. Technology has advanced to allow communication to be made between the boss of a small company and his workforce - freeing him up from being on call 24hrs - he can now organise things from some distance away. People can study or work abroad more freely now, and I don’t blame many for taking advantage of this.
Independent Travel: Research - Discuss Options - More Research - Pay For Flight - Research - Book Some Accommodation - Fly - Relax - Research Next Destination - Long Bus Journey With Screaming Baby - Book More Accommodation - Explore - Research…..
You can see where this is going! When travelling independently, be prepared for lots of research, changing plans, and one off experiences. All of which can make great stories when you get home, but if that was your only 2 weeks off all year, and your car broke down, you were stranded in heavy rain in the same town for nearly all the time you were there and then got bitten by a million insects as they didn’t have a mosquito net at your ‘temporary’ hotel - you won’t be best pleased.
However, independent travel can be great fun. You get to see life outside the resorts, see extraordinary things and can change you itinerary at a moments notice if you want. However, always set your expectations slightly lower than on a package tour. Not every room your book will be perfect - not every journey will be a pleasant one. As long as you remember that, you will still have a great time.
One thing to bear in mind is short notice can mean missing out on something, so to sample the best sights or hotels in your chosen vacation spots, you may need a ticket or hotel reservation. A letter or email in advance to a hotel or reserve/wildlife tour/etc may give you the best chance of a successful booking or visit. and won’t leave you disappointed.
Taking somewhere popular like Cuba for example, you may need to send letters to hotels for travel to the beaches of Varadero with the kids several weeks in advance as this is a popular time for Cuban families to take their vacations too. Also a trip to Havana in September is always popular for people from the UK as this is when all the kids have gone back to school, holidays are cheaper and resorts less crowded.
Travel to some locations may not be possible at all if booked too late, or not always pleasant! Due to this, it is always advisable to find out when tourists from other countries travel to worldwide destinations.
One example is when Cancun gets jam-packed with students on Spring Break. Noone from the UK is going to visit there at the same time unless they are also a student. Not only will the vacation cost more due to the popularity of the resort - but it will be overcrowded with noisy, drunken youths - and if that’s not your scene you could have a very unpleasant few weeks!
Of course, vacation packages can also ‘go wrong’ but you usually have someone to put things right if possible. Travelling by your own steam means that you can’t blame anyone but yourself when things don’t really go to plan. Well, you can try blaming that stray dog for eating your pack lunch on the beach, or that heavy rain for closing the main road - but you won’t get any compensation - just a great story to take away with you.
So, whatever option you choose - I’m sure you will bring back some great memories!
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