Are All-Inclusive Holidays Worth It?

Many people wonder if all-inclusive holidays are really worth the money. The answer is that it depends. You will need to do some research and know what things cost in order to determine if you are better off all-inclusive, or “a la carte”. You will also need to watch out for any hidden fees.

It is also important to note that all-inclusive holidays vary considerably depending on type of holiday, time of year, and destination you are traveling to.

Air, Hotel and Car Rental Combinations

It can be really convenient to book all three of these with just a couple of clicks, but the price you see on the screen is not always the price you are going to pay. There can be all sorts of surcharges, airport fees, insurance on the car, gas surcharges, and more.

Price the holiday separately and together. Look at the different choices of accommodation available. You might do better with cheap airfare and an Airbnb property. Watch out for car rental versus public tran

sportation. If the area you are going to has a good public transportation system, you probably won’t need the car. If it is more isolated, get the car.

Check the meals with the hotels. Some offer breakfast every morning, and some offer free happy hour and early bird dinners. If you like to eat early and/or have kids, the early meals can be ideal.

Coach Holidays

Coach holidays provide transportation, accommodation, sightseeing and meals all in one package. Someone else does the driving for you, so all you have to do is hop on and off to enjoy the various destinations and the meals provided.

The hotels and rooms can be of varying quality, as can the meals. You might do the math and decide it is better to just drive yourself. Or, you can take a bus or the train, and stop off at certain locations to enjoy the sights. Greyhound offers cheap travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and special casino excursions.

In Europe, bus and train passes are available, as well as extensive public transportation, so a coach holiday is really only worth it if you are nervous about being abroad and don’t speak the language – though these days, you can always find someone who speaks English. They are also good for those with disabilities, but do check for accessibility at the accommodations listed.

Resorts

Resort holidays became popular with the advent of Club Med, but these days, all-inclusive does not mean the same as it once did. For example, the drinks might only be local rather than international brands, otherwise you have to pay a surcharge. Any extras like spa treatments can come with a hefty price tag. Therefore, it is important to read the fine print and make sure you know what extras you will need to pay for.

If the resort is very isolated, check for transport from and to the airport, and what excursions are available and included in the price. If not included, are the prices reasonable, or are there other options?

Check out the food. The buffet may sound great for the first day or two, but if you are going to be there for a week, it might start to get dull. There might be other restaurants on the property, but you might have to pay a fee for the privacy of a more intimate setting than a huge dining hall.

Check out the equipment and activities and facilities for the children. Make sure there is lots to do and watch out for hidden fees like childminding fees, lesson fees, and equipment rental.

Cruises

Cruises should be all-inclusive, but watch out for port fees and taxes, service fees at bars and restaurants, excursion fees and equipment rental fees.

Holiday compensation: Rest and restitution
Things don’t always have to go that far, there are methods of applying and gaining compensation for a holiday that has not lived up to expectations, or to the advertised standard without taking out full legal actions. Holiday compensation falls into three main categories, its best to know what it is that youre looking for before you start trying to get compensation.

Loss of Value

You will be granted the amount of money that is the difference between the value of what was promised and the value of what you received. There is likely to be a difference between your perception of the loss of value and that calculated by the travel agent. If the problem only started when you reached the resort for example you probably wont be able to claim compensation for the full package cost of the holiday as flights tend to make up about 60% of a holidays cost.

Loss of Enjoyment

Loss of enjoyment is slightly more difficult as it represents compensation for disappointment and inconvenience and is likely to be a relatively small sum. It is difficult to put a price on disappointment, particularly one that the travel agent will agree with.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Out of pocket expenses are when a change to the holiday may have led to you having to pay for transport, food or accommodation that you shouldnt have had to pay for. You will struggle to get compensation for this unless you keep the receipts of everything that you feel you shouldnt have had to spend money on. If you did keep the receipts include copies of them in your correspondence to substantiate the amount that youre claiming.

If at the end of the compensation process you dont feel like you have received a satisfactory response from your travel agent then you can use the ABTA arbitration service. ABTA is the association of British travel agents and the arbitration service is operated independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the result is binding. As a very last resort you can consider court action.

If your complaint is that the holiday was wrongly described, and the tour operator must have been aware of the misleading description or turned a blind eye to it, report the matter to the Trading Standards department of your local authority.

Lastly is the importance of purchasing decent insurance to cover the cost of resolving problems that may occur on your holiday. Hopefully, of course, there will be no need for any compensation if you get a package holiday but it is best to be prepared just in case something goes wrong.