All Inclusive Vacations From Nashville

January 9, 1:07 PMNashville Budget Travel ExaminerDavid Smith

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Nashville Budget Travel Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Maybe it’s the winter weather or maybe it’s because I’ve got an idea for how big my tax refund will be this year, but I’m thinking about big vacations today. Of course, I’m also thinking about how I can get the most for my money. Enter the all-inclusive vacation. All-inclusive vacations fall in three categories: cruises, resorts, and escorted travel.

Cruises

Nashville is fortunate because we are within a days drive of major ports in Galveston, New Orleans, and Tampa. From here you can take a cruise through the Western Caribbean countries of Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. The value in cruising is in it’s simplicity. You buy your ticket and everything is included (except for tips). Your food, your accommodations, and lots of on board entertainment. You can even explore most ports of call without paying the excessive excursion fees by going out on your own with a good guidebook or hiring a local once you arrive.

Positive: Lots of destinations only one room, all food included

Negative: Destinations are overcrowded because of the thousands of people on your cruise ship

 

Resorts

Club Med was the pioneer in the all inclusive and now everybody is doing it. Almost every beach destination around the world has a hotel that, for a fee, will take care of your accommodations, food, and activities. Because of the variation in quality it’s always best to work with a travel agent who is familiar with the resort or check out an independent site like TripAdvisor for an unbiased view. These hotels take out the budget guess work of travel. You don’t have to worry about exchange rates, pricey restaurants, or overpriced activities. They’re all included! Some of Nashville’s favorite destinations are Cancun or Los Cabos, Mexico. In other words, any place in country music song.

Positive: Experience a foreign destination without having to worry about language, food, or other cultural differences

Negative: Lack of an “authentic” experience

Escorted Travel

Escorted travel varies from the over the top European capital hopping tours where you are shuttled from one tourist landmark to another and then to your hotel all the way to small locally guided tours where you stay in local accommodations and go off the beaten path. Any escorted tour will take you through a region spending time at several destinations while exploring the surrounding area. They are usually organized around a theme. Globus offers comfortable escorted travel where a guide busses you from one sight to the next, ensuring everything is comfortable to an American standard. Intrepid is more my style. They give you the ease of an all inclusive guided tour while still helping you to experience the culture of the lands your visiting. Of special interest to the large Christian population in Nashville is escorted travel through the Holy Land. Check with your local church for any tours your denomination or church might be sponsoring.

Positive: More experience of the real culture of a place

Negative: The constant packing and unpacking can be wearying

Ahh, the big vacation. Now I just have to wait for my tax refund. . . .