A Guide to Package Holidays
What is a package holiday?
Traditionally, a holiday package consists of a flight tickets to and fro the selected locations, and a week or a fortnight’s accommodation. Aiming to minimize the cost per head ratio, the tour operators manage hotel beds and flight seats at maximum occupancy, thus making the holiday packages very cost effective.
Legally, a holiday comprises at least an overnight stay and a prearranged combination of the following elements — air tickets plus accommodation or rental car — the holiday package being sold at an inclusive price for above. This definition here is important, as it provides holiday makers and service providers with considerable legal protection.
Don’t want to be part of a crowd full of strangers? Think again!
Granted, holiday packages can may not be suitable for everyone, especially with popular packages such as holiday packages to India and Greek Island holiday packages. However, before turning away, one must consider the advantages of package holidays. The first and the most important advantage being the convenience and ease of booking. People seldom have enough time to browse through internet to find the perfect hotel and resorts, trawl through flight timetables and guide books, to find and book the right flights at right time.
Secondly, if you choose to pay upfront for the air tickets, accommodation, conveyance, and meals, the total cost would certainly be much more from the outset.
The tour operators and holiday makers usually exercise a huge financial buying power, and this is especially true for large Mediterranean resorts, included in Greece holidays packages. Which means they can offer the best hotels that too at competitive prices.
Also, holiday packages tend to provide a worry-free travel experience. The holiday companies are obligated to deliver what has been promised. If the brochure presents you with swimming pools, sports facilities, and children’s club, then it must be delivered. Generally, there are local representative of holiday companies present, whom you can call on to help with hiring cars, excursions, or any other problem.
Why is there a trend towards DIY holidays?
One major problem with package holidays is that it tends to be too rigid: the dates, hotel, and prices might still be suitable, but it’s the flight timings or the departure airport that causes inconvenience. There are some large scale tour operators who say they would be introducing a more flexible packages, while also claiming that they have been able to keep the costs of holiday packages so low till now because of these flight timings and set departures. It allows them to maximize the hotel beds and flight seats occupancy, hence lowering the cost.
How to book tailor-made packages?
There are two ways of doing it. First, you can book each components separately, i.e. air tickets, accommodation, car rentals, tours, and travel insurance. There are several websites across the internet that can provide you with best offers for one component or the other. Second, you can make use of websites that offer service known as “dynamic packaging.” These websites allow you to build you own personalized package and book all the components from one source.
