Savvy travelers continually look for ways to lower costs. Packages and bundles are a great way to streamline your vacation while bringing the total bill down. One way to save – well, a bundle – is by purchasing travel components together. Learn how to save money when you book flight, hotel and car together.
Pros and Cons of Booking Travel Packages
While vacation packages can simplify your trip, they’re not for everyone. Let’s take a look at the advantages and drawbacks of bundling:
Pros of Booking Travel Packages
- You can save a lot. When you bundle flights and hotels or other combinations, you can spend less than purchasing them individually.
- Great if you wait until the last minute. Airlines and hotels need to fill unsold spaces and drop prices. You can find some good deals on flight and hotel packages within a few weeks of traveling.
- Convenience. You can navigate many sites to get the best deal when you piece together a trip. Bundling allows you to click once for your entire booking.
- Pay over time. The payment for flights only is usually due at the time of purchase, while most packages allow you to spread the cost in installments.
Cons of Booking Travel Packages
- Limited lodging choices. Most bundles only involve large hotel chains, so smaller hotels and specialty lodging may not be available.
- Canceling is harder. When you book your flight, hotel, and car through a third party, you may find stricter cancellation requirements than booking direct.
- Fees can increase your price. Sometimes, you may pay additional cancellation fees or encounter hidden fees at your destination. It may be in the fine print, but you’ll need to look carefully.
Different Combinations
When you go on a site like Kayak or Expedia.com, you will see several packages with different combinations of travel features. Your travel package can include:
- flight + hotel
- flight + hotel + car
- hotel + car
- flight + car
Additionally, you can find unique packages like all-inclusive bundles with flights and theme park/hotel packages.
Best Websites to Book Hotel, Flight, and Car
You can find several websites that offer customizable vacation packages, including Expedia, Kayak, and JetBlue Vacations. If you are looking to book flight, hotel, and car bundles, check out these sites:
Expedia: Expedia vacation packages can be time-saving and lower your total costs significantly. Its user-friendly platform allows you to play around with the package combinations to find the right one. Some customers complain about poor customer service with vacation packages and unfair cancellation policies.
Kayak: Kayak offers an intuitive and powerful site to help you find the ideal bundle. Its Kayak Packages tool shows when to find the best deal for specific destinations, and the site highlights the lowest prices. Cons include no direct booking and the inability to earn points and rewards.
JetBlue Vacations: JetBlue Vacations offers an easy way to save money, as you only deal with one airline. They guarantee the best price and refund the difference if you find a better deal. However, destination options are limited, and many included hotels don’t offer any perks.
