Author: Irina
Let's examine in detail the “composition” of the package tour, pay attention to the characteristics of the “small print” and analyze such nuances as: types of food in hotels, types of flights, and the main question - is a flight always included in a tour?
A package tour, or a tour package - as you like - is nothing more than the same voucher from a tour operator, providing a rest without hassle. The tourism market is developing at the speed of light, and in order to somehow stand out from competitors, travel companies offer many tempting offers, often make good discounts. Earlier we have already written an article on how to save money when buying a tour.
In order not to get confused in the multitude of offers and make the most profitable purchase, we usually use these services for the selection and booking of tours from all tour operators:
- Travelata
- Level.Travel
- Onlinetours
When buying, many people have a question: what is included in the price of the tour? Different tour operators have different services. What should you pay attention to first of all when buying, for example, a package tour from Moscow?
What is included in the tour price?
Air travel
It would seem logical that the tour includes a flight. But no, more than once we ourselves came across options with an attractively low price tag, and upon detailed study, a not very noticeable footnote opened up that we would have to get there on our own.
In principle, this practice really exists - a tour without a flight - but reliable tour operators have such offers separately, and they certainly are not sent by email in an attempt to lure a client (as in the case of dubious travel agency intermediaries).
To secure your future vacation, look for packages directly from tour operators. And so that a good price goes to safety as a bonus, look for special online search engines - Travelata and Level.Travel - here are collected offers from all trusted tour operators. The conditions of constant competition (and the services cooperate with 120 verified companies) contribute to the emergence of very interesting prices 🙂 It's all honest: both the flight and the fuel surcharge are included in the tour price.
Accommodation
The package price, of course, includes accommodation. To facilitate the search for an ideal voucher in all respects, you should decide in advance which apartment will serve as your home at the time of your vacation.
Advice: use the filters function in online search engines: immediately sort the options by the "star" level of the hotel or the number of meters to the beach! Personally, we try to take 3-star hotels everywhere.
Food
The package tour can consist of various food offers. If you are a gourmet, wanting to bypass all the cafes and restaurants in the city, or a fan of walking and long excursions, then you can stop at "breakfasts". Well, for those who do not want to bother about food, but enjoy relaxing on the beach, there is an all-inclusive service. Such tours are often found in Turkey, Greece, etc.
Insurance
Travel insurance primarily includes travel medical insurance for the duration of the trip. This gives the traveler the right to receive medical assistance abroad in the event of an emergency. Its cost is automatically included in the total price of the tour and depends in direct proportion on the host country, the duration of the trip, the number of risks and the sum insured.
Outside of the basic set, there is travel cancellation insurance, which allows you to return part of the money spent if necessary. There is also insurance against bankruptcy of the tour operator. In this case, the insurance company will cover your expenses for the unrealized vacation. But it makes no sense to take them, in our opinion - a waste of money.
This is interesting: the list of safe countries in the world (but this does NOT mean that you can do without basic insurance).
Excursions
Most often, excursions are not included in the price of a voucher from a tour operator. But there are exceptions, and if your well-priced tour comes with a couple of itineraries and a guide, then you're really in luck!
Photos from our trip to Barcelona
For those who did not get a guide from the tour operator, we recommend visiting Sputnik8 (it is much more profitable here if you book in advance!).
Transfer
The package tour from the tour operator also consists of a "transfer" service. Usually a group of 20-30 people is offered by default (each of whom hopes that it is not his hotel at the end of the driver's list). For an additional fee, you can order an individual one, i.e. directly from the airport to your room.
A separate point: is the visa included in the tour price?
No, visa is usually not included in the tour price. At your request, the tour operator can arrange it for a fee, incl. and online. When the reservation is confirmed, a list of documents required for a visa is sent to the post office.
However, no one forbids a tourist to make a visa on his own. That's what we do!
What is an all inclusive tour?
All inclusive at Water Planet
Almost all tour operators offer an all-inclusive tour service. By purchasing this program, you can enjoy your vacation absolutely free. Of course, this is meant figuratively, because free cheese is only in a mousetrap. In other words, you pay for the provided hotel services once.
However, you should familiarize yourself in advance with what is included in the all-inclusive tour, since there are no standards in this regard, everyone makes their own list of services. When buying a "pig in a poke", tourists are in for unpleasant surprises, and all because they bought a voucher without asking what is included in the voucher. Most often, this service is booked in Turkey, since it is more affordable at a price.
In most cases, the tour package includes: food, swimming pool, sauna, beach, sun lounger and umbrella rental, animation programs, entertainment area, etc. Excursions, diving lessons and other active types of recreation are not included in the price of the voucher. It should be noted that the larger the hotel, the larger the list of services and facilities included in the tour.
Benefits of package tours
Package tours from tour operators have a lot of advantages:
Convenience - the program includes basic services, which means that you do not need to independently study the air ticket sales market, book a room, order a transfer, etc.
Safety - thanks to insurance and the invisible presence of the "organizational hand", the tourist feels confident in a foreign country, no matter at which end of the map it is located.
Economy - booking hotels and air tickets on your own often rises in a larger amount than buying a ready-made tour. Especially in such countries of mass beach recreation as Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Greece. Therefore, package tours will be a good option for an economical trip.
This can be confirmed by our personal example: we flew to Barcelona 2 times, on tour and on our own. A ten-day voucher for one person with accommodation in a hotel with breakfast cost 23,000 rubles. Traveling on their own, only tickets - 12,000 rubles - and a hostel reservation (much lower in class, and even without food and transfer) cost a couple of thousand more expensive.
Conclusion: it is more profitable to buy a tour package to typical resort countries! To Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, etc.
The price is indicated for one person when buying a tour for two
What is cancellation insurance?
The voucher has been paid for, the suitcases are almost packed, and you are in anticipation of the journey of your dreams, but suddenly, due to circumstances that do not depend on you, all your vacation plans collapse like a house of cards. How, in this case, to get back the money spent?
In this case, travel insurance will help the tourist. Usually a voucher is sold without taking into account this service, i.e. the tourist decides for himself whether to add it or not.
Travel cancellation insurance is most suitable for those travelers who are planning a vacation in the Schengen countries. Sometimes life presents such surprises, for example, you have already paid for a tour, purchased tickets, booked a hotel, when an agent calls you and announces the sad news that a visa has been refused. Everything will not be so sad if you have travel cancellation insurance in your documents. You will be able to partially refund the amount of expenses, minus the penalty.
What does the cancellation insurance include?
- Ticket prices
- Payment for accommodation
- Visa processing costs
- Payment for tour operator services
- The cost of excursions (if included in the voucher)
How much does cancellation insurance cost?
Insurance from the tour operator, in case of cancellation, must be arranged in advance, about two weeks before the departure date. To save even more money, carry out this procedure also directly through the tour operators. The insurance price depends entirely on the cost of the tour, but usually it ranges from 1 to 5% of the price of the tour package.
Transfer from a tour operator - how does it work?
Transfer from the tour operator Teztour
One of the most popular services provided by a travel company is transfer. It involves meeting a tourist at the airport and subsequent escort to the hotel and back. There are two types of transfers: group and individual.
By default, the package price includes a group transfer. It offers tourists to get to the hotel on a comfortable bus with a capacity of 20 to 40 people. The plus is the savings on the travel budget. Minus - in the duration of the move (imagine if you live in the same 40th hotel on the list? 🙂)
A private transfer awaits you at an additional cost. In this case, the tourist arrives at the destination by car with a capacity of up to 4 people. The advantage is that there is no queue, so you can go straight to the hotel from the airport. The main disadvantage is the high cost of the service, but, as they say, you have to pay for all good things!
Types of food in hotels
All hotels are united by the international food designation system. When buying a tourist voucher, especially on your own, you need to clearly know the decoding of the following abbreviations.
RO (room only) - no meals. This type is provided by small hotels, as well as by accommodation in villas. And it seems that here it is, saving on an off-budget hotel menu, but if you calculate how much money is spent on lunch and dinner in a cafe, then the benefit will clearly be exaggerated.
BB (bed & breakfast) - breakfasts. This type is typical for hotels in Europe and Asia. It is very convenient because in the morning you can have a thorough breakfast, and, without being tied to the time of the meal, spend the day exploring unfamiliar spaces.
HB (half board) - half board. This type of food means a combination of breakfast and dinner, or breakfast and lunch. Alcoholic drinks will be provided at an additional cost.
FB (full board) - full board. The price includes breakfast, a nutritious lunch and a hearty dinner. The menu is varied, but alcohol is not included in the price.
AI (all inclusive) - good old "all inclusive". The name speaks for itself: 5 meals a day and local drinks await you.
UAI (ultra all inclusive) - "ultra all inclusive". The same varied food, but with imported alcoholic beverages.
Types of flights
Regular flight from Fly Dubai to the UAE and charter from Royal Flight to Greece
For a tour package, airlines offer two types of flights: charter and regular.
Basically, a package tour from a tour operator includes charter flights. The main advantage of this choice is the cheapness of the tour, because these flights are seasonal, and you do not overpay for possible vacant seats (as in regular flights), because they are fully redeemed by tour operators. But the disadvantage is the possibility of postponing the charter departure time by the air carrier.
Good advice for those who live in the regions: when buying a package tour with a departure from Moscow, do not rush to buy a ticket to the capital. Provide all options for changing the date, otherwise your ticket will simply burn out. Take either with a margin of time per day or more from the departure time or take a train (in this case, you can always return them).
Regular flights are also found in tour packages. They are carried out regardless of the seasons, according to the schedule. If you prefer only such flights, please indicate when making a package tour. True, you will have to pay a certain amount, and the voucher will cost more. Regular flights are served by more comfortable liners, service is higher, food is better, etc.
We usually search for and buy regular flights through Skyscanner or Aviasales (it is convenient to compare prices).
