Love it or hate it, All-Inclusive holidays are becoming more increasingly popular with all types of travelers - couples, friends and especially families.
Speak to different people and you'll hear a wide range of pros and cons to all-inclusive holidays. The most common argument against all-inclusive is that you are restricted to one location. You spend all that time traveling across the world to tick a new country off your bucket list, but you don't see beyond the walls of the hotel. So why travel all that way? Why spend that money?
For us at Family Days Out, in a nutshell there is one answer to if all-inclusive holidays are great for families. Yes.
The biggest drawcard for us to all-inclusive really is leaving the wallet in the hotel room, and not even thinking about the cost on the menu until the day you head back to the airport.
Traveling with kids is expensive, and all-inclusive just takes that stress away. Want an ice-cream? Sure, have two! Want a soda? Of course, help yourself! Can't decide what you want for dinner? Get both options! Traveling with kids often ends up just constantly having your hand in your pocket and it starts to add up.
When it comes to seeing the country you are visiting, you can absolutely still do that and not feel guilty about leaving this already-paid-for-in-full resort. A good idea is to look what day trips the area might offer, and just choose one or two days to forgoe that buffet lunch and eat with the locals. Or head out for a morning, or afternoon so you can enjoy all your resort meals and still see the culture and sights of a new country.
Even if you venture out between meals, there's nothing stopping you grabbing a few bites of a local snack to eat like the locals eat!
Ultimately, every family should decide what works for them, but to do this you need to TRY the options. So if you haven't tried an all-inclusive before, absolutely try it - but make sure you do your research. What kind of holiday do you want? There are plenty of package tours that can take you to an all-inclusive resort where the food really just does reflect that of your own home town or country. Then you will find resorts that really offer you a range of restaurants and food choices so you can feel like you're really experimenting and trying something new and exciting.
Depending on the age of your children, make sure you look into what kind of child care they offer. Do they arrange kids clubs or activities for kids? Are you able to have a night off as kids enjoy back to back activities whilst you enjoy a parents night?
Outline what you want out of a holiday first, and then you will be sure to find an option that's right for you. All-inclusives are just an area that is going to get bigger, and definitely an experience you should try for yourselves to know what works for you.
But we are confident once you experience traveling with kids withoutworrying about putting your hand in your pockets every 5 minutes, you might just fall in love with it!
