No Decisions Required
Travel Gets Even Easier With All-Inclusive Vacations
The Signal - Business Section, June, 2005 

Keep it simple, right? When it comes to all-inclusive travel, that’s exactly what the vacationer ordered.

From cruise ships to resorts in Cancun, all-inclusive travel is the ultimate experience in simplicity. You plan ahead, book and pay for your holiday in advance, and show up with a good book and sunscreen in hand and head straight to the lounge chair. Contrary to the advertising slogan, we actually want to leave home without our credit cards, cash and checkbook. Meals, sunshine, room and tax are all taken care of before you even print out your boarding pass to fly to these destinations. Sounds liberating doesn’t it?

Worry-free travel is the name of the game. The less we need to reach into our wallets, the better the vacation. Tapping into this popular way of thinking is what destinations like Cancun and brands such as Club Med, Sandals and others have done by brilliantly packaging travel throughout the globe. By providing travelers with food, entertainment, shops, pools, fitness centers and more in the exclusive setting of a beach resort or mountain retreat, all we have to do is show up. And remember to pack our toothbrush.

Could it be any easier people? Vacations are almost coming to you thanks to these well-planned travel packages. As Southern Californians, we like to go south and Cancun, Mexico is among the leading destinations booked for all-inclusive vacations. Great weather, easy proximity and fun nightlife are the draw here. With an entire coastline filled with choices from high-end resorts to budget-conscious hotels, travelers have almost limitless opportunity to test out the all-inclusive concept.

So perhaps I over-stated the no-decisions needed aspect of all-inclusives just a bit. You actually do need to make at least three decisions every day while on vacation – what to eat and where? Okay four – pool or beach? But back to the food, which is an area of growing options for many inclusive destinations. In Cancun, the near camping approach to going to the dining room for meals has been replaced by an international host of restaurants. These inclusive travel-package communities in Mexico now feature Italian, French, American, and yes, Mexican, restaurants for travelers’ dining pleasure.

Surrendering control is a good thing. When cruise ships introduced the all-inclusive concept to travelers, we loved it for ease and simplicity. Then wholesalers wanted to stake claim to their piece of the beach, and began offering inclusive packaged pricing. Club Med was an early adopter of this, eventually earning a reputation for a lively singles scene, then moving into family vacations and couples travel, all with the same overall value of all-inclusive travel.

As travelers, many people feel safer traveling in groups when visiting places perceived as “foreign,” undeveloped or dangerous. All-inclusives have addressed this by taking us to faraway places and cocooning us in their safe, fun travel communities. This way, travelers are able to see new destinations in a controlled environment that falls within their comfort zone.

Maybe the plane ride home will be full of travelers wearing the same novelty Cancun t-shirt from the only on-site gift shop, but so what. Talk about keeping it simple, it doesn’t get much easier than this to travel.

Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..

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contact Nicole Stinson, Public Relations
(310) 312-3368