Economy Class: All Inclusive Trips
— -- All-inclusive vacations come in various forms. Each has its fans and its detractors.
Club Med (and its all-inclusive resort descendants) offer some great bargains. You can spend as little as $1,000 per person — sometimes less — for roundtrip air travel, a week’s accommodations, meals, drinks, tips and activities. You can even get your all-inclusive feet wet with three- or four-day packages, a good idea for those who haven’t yet experienced all-inclusive resorts.
Perhaps the biggest bane of all-inclusive resorts is the fact that you’re limited to the resort, unless you want to spend more money on outside meals and activities. To be sure, most offer so many ways to eat, drink and be merry that the entire week can pass before you even begin to wonder what’s on the other side of the palm trees.
Crafted Tourist Locale
Some people like this low-hassle mode of rest and relaxation. They don’t feel the need to act as on-the-scene reports for the Discovery Channel. Others would rather see more of the place they’re visiting than a carefully crafted tourist locale. The choice is yours — just be aware that you’re making it.
Cruise travel is another (almost) all-inclusive favorite. All but a few top-tier lines have some added costs. This year in particular, and likely to extend throughout 2001, rates are very low. Many new ships have come into the market and the cruise lines have yet to attract the new customers they are relying upon.
Cruise travel is traditionally and predominantly the province of those who have cruised before. This is a testament to its popularity. You unpack one time and your ship serves as a sort of floating hotel, taking you to interesting places.
Seven-night cruises can be purchased for as little as $399 (a current Big Red Boat special). Other choices run the gamut from Cunard transatlantic crossings from $995 — including one-way airfare — to discounted Asian, Alaskan and South Pacific itineraries.
A downside to cruise travel (for all but the most stringent penny pinchers) is the money you will spend for shore excursions, souvenirs and on board expenses from sodas to casino play to tips. Add a few in-port meals (at “They see you coming” prices) and you could end up paying almost as much for your “incidentals” as you paid for your cruise.
A current all-inclusive offer lets you see more than the average tourist, while almost totally eliminating the need to bring your credit card or cash. In addition, it has a “$9-plus” feature that will save you a great deal of money without tempting you to go broke on extras.
European River Barges
Higher-end, six-night European river barge cruises generally go for about $2,000 per person this time of year, and they usually sell out. The barges are small but the appointments and cuisine are top drawer. Travelers can feel pampered without feeling removed from the people and places they’ve come to enjoy.
The itineraries steer clear of the places that try to get you to buy so much “duty free” that you’re handing over a week’s wages to Customs once you arrive back home. You won’t see spectacles of shopping bag toting tourists.
The special covers November departures for a France Burgundy Canal luxury barge cruise. Pay $9 above the usually $1,999 rate and you also get roundtrip air travel to Paris from your choice of over 100 U.S. gateway cities. You also get two nights in Paris, at a boutique hotel (not a palace, but certainly not a garret), daily continental breakfast and transport to the cruise.
Paris will be your only temptation to spend extra, unless you count the duty free shops at the airport. Arrange your days around some of the many free or low-cost activities, begin to unwind at low-priced bistros and sidewalk cafes, and your budget is home free.
The cruise travels between Dijon and Vandenesse in the Ouche Valley. All meals are included and they are prepared by a master chef — a designation not taken lightly in France. The rate also includes all bar drinks, wine with lunch and dinner and sightseeing in Dijon, Beaune, Chateauneuf-en-Auxois and Clos de Vougeot. Options include hopping on a bicycle (provided by the barge) and exploring on your own.
Departure from the U.S. are November 3, 10, 17 and 24 (for barge cruises departing the next day). The $1,999 price is based on two people sharing a twin cabin. The single supplement is $570, refreshing news for solo travelers who are also socked with “single supplements” of up to 100 percent.
Tom Parsons is editor of Best Fares Magazine.