| A
package tour is a combination of travel services (hotels, land
and/or air transportation, meals, gratuities, sightseeing tours,
etc.) that have been combined for the convenience of the traveler.
They are usually offered at an all-inclusive "package price."
Package tours are designed and marketed by wholesale tour operators
then sold by travel agents to their customers.
What is the best reason to choose a package
tour? Simple-to save money. Savings can add up to several
hundred dollars per couple (it's always cheaper to travel
with someone or be willing to double up with someone else
traveling with the tour). By contracting in bulk for hotels,
transportation, sightseeing, and other services a tour operator
can achieve substantial savings. Travelers buying everything
for themselves individually at the retail rate would end up
paying much more.
Also, there are times, especially during
peak periods, when tour operators can guarantee reservations
and space that is very difficult for individuals to obtain
without planning far in advance. Tours save on planning and
organizing and are especially helpful to someone who has not
experienced international travel and does not speak a foreign
language.
Some people still think a package tour means
a regimented, highly scheduled, overly planned vacation. This
is no longer the case. The fact is that tours encompass a
tremendous spectrum of tastes, interests, and travel styles,
from the most meticulously preplanned escorted tours to free-wheeling
spontaneous fly/drive holidays. The choices in tours are as
varied as there are places to go.
Web Sites of Tour Operators and Travel Agents
American
Society of Travel Agents
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