Package Travel Versus Independent Travel
When traveling on a budget, one of the most often questions is whether it is best to travel independently, making your own airfare, hotel and sightseeing reservations, or choose a package tour where everything is set up for you in advance. Go to Vacation Packages for further information.
There is unfortunately no easy answer to this question, as it is largely dependent on the location and the specific deals that are available.
For instance, travel to European destinations are often less costly to book on your own, especially when the airlines are running specials of European airfares in the off season.
On the other hand, travel to many exotic locations, like Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand and India, are often much less costly when booked through a package company or travel agent.
That is because these tour operators often have special deals with the national airlines of these companies, and with very nice resort hotels, to provide considerable discounts in exchange for a steady flow of business.
For instance, last year I traveled solo to Egypt from New York for a grand total of $1,100, including airfare, an excellent hotel, daily breakfast, airport transfers, and daily sightseeing tours, including guided tours of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
This is far less than I could have booked on my own, since airfare alone would have run me over $700. The key to this great deal was the relationship of the tour operator with Egyptair and the hotel at which we stayed.
