Packaged to go: know what your vacation deal really includes. (Travel Wise).Valerie Mitchell and her husband, both advertising executives in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , wanted a hassle-free vacation, establishing the costs right up-front. "Our goal was to get a handle on the total cost of our trip before we left for vacation," she says. They focused on all-inclusives and vacation packages, deciding on an all-inclusive resort An all-inclusive resort is a holiday resort that includes all meals, soft drinks, and most alcoholic drinks in the price. Many also offer a selection of sports and other activities included in the price as well. They are often located in warmer regions. in Antigua. Vacation packages and all-inclusives are great travel options for saving money, but there are differences. ALL-INCLUSIVES All-inclusive resorts usually cater to a specific clientele: honeymooners, singles, or families. They do not often include airfare but can offer great value by including much more than your meals, such as spa services, land and water sports water sports Urophilia, see there , cocktail parties, and room service. VACATION PACKAGES Newspapers have tons of ads that read six days/five nights to Paris including roundtrip airfare for $489 dollars, or seven nights in Tahiti with airfare for $799. In its most basic form, a vacation package usually combines airfare and hotel, or airfare, hotel, and car rental. Meals, recreational activities, and incidentals are out-of-pocket expenses out-of-pocket expenses n. moneys paid directly for necessary items by a contractor, trustee, executor, administrator or any person responsible to cover expenses not detailed by agreement. . You can save as much as 40% on vacation packages, but you should always check the accommodations to make sure they are to your standard and liking. Some destinations are promoted as "special interest," such as casino packages to Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. or Atlantic City Atlantic City, city (1990 pop. 37,986), Atlantic co., SE N.J., an Atlantic resort and convention center; settled c.1790, inc. 1854. Situated on Absecon Island, a barrier island 10 mi (16. , and there are ski and golf packages, too. Contus offers a number of golf packages. Their Hawaii Prince Hotel Package for five nights includes airfare, oceanfront accommodations, and three rounds of golf for two, plus one hour of golf instruction per person for $191.50 per day. Airfare would average between $600 and $800. Check the legitimacy of these packages with the United States Tour Operators Association (www.USTOA USTOA United States Tour Operators Association .com) and your local Better Business Bureau or attorney general's office. "The USTOA requires member companies to have been in business for at least three years under the same ownership," says Linda Kundell, spokesperson for the USTOA, "and all members must take out a [USTOA] $1 million Consumer Protection Plan to protect consumers in the event of a bankruptcy or closure." |
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