More than 300 million people go abroad for their holidays each year,
and most of them prefer spending less on food and clothes than on
holidays. Choosing the ideal holiday is not always easy, but today there
is a wide range of choice, and it is easy to find something to suit your
taste and pocket.
Some people like planning their holiday independently. Others find
making arrangements on their own difficult, so they prefer to book a
package tour. It depends on where you are going, how much money
you have and whether you are travelling alone or with friends and
family.
The obvious advantage of a package holiday is that it is simple to
organise. You book the holiday through a travel agent, and transport
and accommodation are all arranged for you. You don't have to worry
about how you will get there or where you will stay. All you have to do
is pay the bill. If you take an independent holiday, on the other hand,
you can spend a lot of time and money checking complicated timetables,
chasing - looking for - cheap flights and trying to make hotel
reservations in a language you can't even speak. In addition, package
holidays are often incredibly cheap. For the price of a good dress, you
can have a fifteen-day holiday in a holiday resort abroad, including
accommodation, meals and air travel. A similar independent holiday can
cost you much more.
However, planning your own holiday has several advantages. You
are free to choose where and when you want to go, how you want to
travel, and how long you want to stay. You can avoid the large holiday
resorts which are often crowded with holidaymakers on package tours.
You can eat the food of the region at reasonable prices at local
restaurants instead of the international dishes that they serve in holiday
resorts. Moreover, although package holidays are usually cheap, they
are not always cheaper. If you are willing to take a little trouble, you
may be able to save money by organising a foreign holiday yourself.
