All-inclusive holidays have a reputation for making life easy and can be seen by certain snobbish individuals as “a bit of a cheat” when it comes to foreign holidays. On the surface, it’s easy to see why. Meals are taken care of, the pool is never far away and the biggest decision of the morning might be whether to choose a lounger in the sun or the shade.
We often choose self-catering apartments and villas for our holiday but actually do all-inclusive breaks too. You may remember when we went to Lanzarote and discovered the active sports area that Millie & Dermot loved.
Less organising can mean more exploring
Independent travel can be enormously rewarding, but there’s no denying that it can involve a lot of admin. Finding restaurants, working out transport, budgeting for every meal and planning each day can take up more time than expected.
With many of those basics already organised, all-inclusive holidays that make exploring easier can free travellers to concentrate on what they actually want to do. Rather than spending the morning calculating how much is left in the holiday budget, you might be more inclined to book a walking tour, hire a bike or head off to explore somewhere beyond the beach.
Try something you wouldn’t normally do
Resorts can also provide a relatively gentle introduction to activities that might otherwise feel intimidating. Paddleboarding, kayaking, yoga, snorkelling and fitness sessions are often available close to where guests are staying, while coastal destinations may offer opportunities to try diving with professional instruction. Next summer, the youngest of our gang will be finding out what beginner scuba experiences involve on the trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica. We are so pleased that she is brave enough to try something new.
There’s something reassuring about trying a new activity when your room, pool and familiar surroundings are only a short walk away. You can spend an energetic morning learning to paddleboard and still be back beside the pool by lunchtime if your newfound sporting career proves short-lived.
Step outside the resort
An all-inclusive holiday doesn’t have to mean spending seven days inside the same complex. Organised excursions can make venturing further afield considerably less daunting, particularly in a destination you haven’t visited before.
A guided trip might introduce you to historic sites, local food, wildlife or communities you wouldn’t have encountered beside the hotel pool. Choosing thoughtfully run experiences can also help ensure more of your spending reaches local people and supports the places you’re visiting. Looking for experiences connected to local communities and culture can add considerably more depth to a holiday.
Stretch your comfort zone without leaving it
Being adventurous doesn’t have to involve trekking into the wilderness with everything you own in a backpack. Sometimes it simply means doing one thing you wouldn’t normally consider. The security of an all-inclusive base can make that easier. You might try scuba diving for the first time, join a local cookery workshop, hike somewhere spectacular or explore a nearby town knowing you can return to somewhere familiar afterwards.
That may be the most overlooked advantage of all-inclusive travel. Removing a few uncertainties doesn’t necessarily make a holiday less adventurous. For some travellers, having the comfortable bits taken care of is precisely what gives them the confidence to venture a little further.
