Is it more cost effective to book a vacation as a package or book everything separately?

Answer 1

That is a very good question. Most of the time it's better to book a package. But sometimes those airlines have great specials and you book separate. You really need to research both ways.
I have seen where Spirit airlines have these cheap flights $29 from a Florida airport to the USVirgin islands. You can't beat that.
Than again sometimes the cheap flights have 1 or 2 stops on the way to your destination.

Do research, it's fun and you may find the bargin of a lifetime.

Good Luck and have a great trip

Answer 2

Like Stella39 said do research. If you live in the USA and are traveling within the USA, then package in general are good deals. Europe probably the same. For asia tour packages have some great deals especially to China and Japan. If you traveling to a country or area like Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, the hotel packages are limited. Though expanding. I found that Orbitz and Expedia have a limited number of hotels to choose from.

Here I find that booking the flight separately from the hotel, is when I get the best deals. I have been using lately www.asiarooms.com and they have good rates for most of Asia.

You cannot find an all-in-one site because what has happened is that the sites evolve. I still check Expedia for my asia trips and I occasionally get a good airfare to Bangkok.

You do have to keep in mind that those airfares you get with packages are promo rates, now you have the added cost of travel insurance. Now how much have you saved? It all starts to balance off. You book directly with the carrier and you make sure you 6 months or 1 year to use the ticket, you feel more comfortable in making the reservation. There are trade offs.

When you cancel a hotel reservation either there is no cost to you or maybe a USD 15 to 25 service fee.

You can also try www.kayak.com or www.sidestep.com for the best hotel rates and airfares.

Good luck

Answer 3

Cheaper as a package deal. Lots of places will allow you to make changes in the package that better suits your needs.