16 Questions To Ask Your Travel Agent When Booking An All Inclusive Vacation.

I’m not a huge fan of all-inclusive vacations as I’m much more of a free spirit when I travel and being confined to a resort to enjoy take advantage of what I paid for, gives me a somewhat ‘trapped’ feeling. That said, come February when the temperatures dip below -20 C on a regular basis here in Southern Ontario and you dread even stepping out onto your porch to check the daily mail, such a vacation is most welcome! Sit by the beach (or pool), enjoy some tropical adult beverages as waves crash in the distance and dine to the point where you’re glad you packed that pair of track pants… alluring indeed.

I’m not a travel expert by any means, but I let commonsense guide me when researching and booking vacations, especially ones advertised as being all-inclusive. Here are some questions to ask when booking your next getaway to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and other tropical destinations:

• How much time will be spent in transit? This is important as it can result in you missing out a day or two, just in travel. So a 7 day vacation turns into 5 days vacation with 2 days of getting to and from the airport, flight times and that 3 hours you’re asked to be at the airport in advance of your flight.
• Is your flight and transfers from the airport included in the price? How about any children you’re flying with?
• Are you looking for an Adult Only or children/family friendly resort?
• If it’s Family Friendly you’re looking for, do they offer supervised activities for your children (verify age groups) and are there child care services in the event you’d like to go our for dinner or spend time as a couple.
• What activities and amenities are included with your booking? Maybe you like water sports, enjoy the spa, dining options, is there a gym, how about internet and cell phone service?
• What food and drink options are there? (this questions is most important when booking a Cuban vacation)
• Beyond the traditional buffet fare, are there ah la carte restaurants.. how many, are they included, are reservations needed and if you do need to make reservations do you do so on booking your vacation or while on the resort? Is there a cancellation fee.
•  Do you require a visa and are there additional fees like exit/departure taxes at the airport
• Currency conversion if necessary. Airport, bank or on the resort?
• What type of power supply do they use? When we visited Cuba a few years back we had to take power converters with us as the plugs and power supply were both different than what we had in Canada.

• Is there a concierge service available to book off-resort type activities, like snorkeling, catamaran sailing, swimming with dolphins, shopping, horseback riding etc…
• Does the resort have offsite partners they work with (reputable) for such activities?
• Beach.. is the resort on its own private beach or do you have a short walk to the beach/what about pools, sunbathing.. how many and are there lifeguards on duty.
• Peak season or Low season.. besides any price reductions, when is service, food, drink etc better? What about the weather and temperatures?
• Language and off-resort safety?
• Night Life?
• Medical emergencies.. what’s the procedure for health care for visitors?

These are just a few of the things I tend to look at when researching vacation hot spots in the Caribbean and Mexico, where there tend to be more all inclusive type vacation deals. But many of these questions can be applied to just about any vacation or trip you’re planning. Do you have some travel tips you’d like to share? Do leave some comments below.