Package Holidays
There’s a whole host of companies out there offering package holidays to destinations all over the world. These can run the gamut between simply arranging your airfare and hotel to the whole shebang: airfare, hotel, tours, guide, meals and more. Which you chose (or don’t) depends on your previous travel experiences and how comfortable you feel landing alone in a foreign country. We used Go-today twice to visit London and Pairs about 5 or 6 years ago and found it a great way to get an “approved” hotel plus airfare at a really good price. Now, we went to London in January and Paris in March, but we spent a week in each city and saved a ton of money.
Let’s start with Go-today. They offer a range of packages from simple airfare and hotel, to fly and drives which offer hotel, airfare and car rental to escorted tours which is a group holiday that includes hotel, some meals, some city tours and entrance fees plus a guide throughout the whole trip. What I like about Go-today is that you can make airfare optional, so I could hop a train to one of the destinations and still get a good deal.
European Destinations bills itself as for the independent traveler – offering self-drive and rail holidays. You can create your own itinerary and choose the holiday with or without air, hotel and car. They offer some set trips, which you can customize yourself depending on your interests.
If you are looking for a more guided experience, visit Friendly Planet Travel. They only offer guided tours, however the majority of their European destinations are cruises. Trafalgar Tours operates both First Class and CostSaver trips – they do have a city break option that’s independent but their other tours are escorted.
If you are specifically looking to go to the UK, there are many operators specializing in this region. One, Britain and Ireland Vacations covers England, Ireland and Scotland with both escorted and independent tours. The independent tours all come with a car rental so you are free to explore as you choose.
Have you traveled with one of these, or a different package tour company? Share your experiences and recommendations!
Photo Credit: Digiart2001@Flickr
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