Packaged deals
 

I've always thought it was cheaper to book a vacation as a packaged deal (accomadations as well as air). My friend seems to disagree with me. What do you think?

It depends on what you want to do, but, for the most part, I agree with you. I've just booked a Virgin-Atlantic week in London. With the non-stop flight, 6 nights in a deluxe 4*, two extra tours (costing about $175 total), taxes, and insurance (plus a few small extras thrown into the package by Virgin, the total is a bit over $1300. According to the web, that hotel itself would have cost me approximately $950. Without the package, the flight would have been $748, according to the web site. Insurance is about $70 (which I included in the $1300), but on my own that insurance would probably have been about $170. We're up to almost $1800, without the extras I've already included in the $1300 it's costing us. <BR> <BR>Having said all this, you can't always find this. The location may not be exactly what you want. Departures may not agree with what you want. And sometimes you just plain lose money going with a package. You have to do your homework before you decide which way to go.

Great explanation by the last poster. One thing a package will do is take some anxiety out of finding a hotel, for example. And in the example given it was a great deal. However the one "catch" in a deal is if you are going to share a hotel room (with your friend) then you are effectively paying double for the hotel room since the package is "each". Just something more to calculate in.

I find it is usually cheaper to book it myself. However, that may partially be due to the fact that I travel solo a lot and the package deals are not as good for one person. Also, I am willing to stay in smaller hotels without a lot of frills. I generally work on 2 star hotels for example in France which are not normally in packages. For luxury deals packages are proably better

From what I've seen it seems that the packages are more for regular tourist destinations and there are some really good deals available. We got a package similar to Linda's, but it's only $1040 pp. (Wife and daughter are taking the trip, I get to pay the bill!) I also got an AARP discount from Virgin. However, Virgin is discontinuing service from Chicago so the package operator changed them to United. (No change in price.) <BR>On our last trip we were able to get a good package for the London part of our trip to Scotland and England but we made some independent hotel and car reservations for Glasgow, Edinburgh, York and Bath. <BR>And now for my shameless plug...our trip report and pictures are at http://www.iconnect.net/home/rsumners or you can find the link for Ron & Kathy on Sally's fodorite web page.

I think packages can be cheaper if you want to stay in a 3-4 star hotel. YOu can probably do it cheaper on your own if you are good at getting reasonable air fares and wish to stay in a 2-star hotel. Also, packages are usually priced per person but you absolutely are not paying for the hotel room twice because the hotel price in the package will be based on half the double room rate and assumes double occupancy. Just compare the package price to the one for a single occupancy package (which will add on a "supplement" to account for the room cost not being cut in half) and you'll see.

Jack...As everyone else has said, "it depends". We've done both (booking everything ourselves vs. air/hotel packages) and just go with what seems best for us...which could be price, location, time schedule, season, etc. <BR> <BR>I think the air/hotel are best utilized for two people sharing one room. Friends who went with us to Paris using go-today.com took their son along who stayed in the same room. So they paid $2400 for air/10 hotel days/one room; as a couple we paid $1600 for same(it was $800 a person from Denver; no discount for children or triple rooms). <BR>So....it depends....

I was never a package traveller until last year, when a friend and I split a package to Paris. <BR> <BR>This year, that same package (5 nights, 6 days in Paris [in a three-star hotel]) is going for $369!!! (Yes, including airfare!!!)