Most of the tourists that take package tours for their trip to other places are to have their trip in a systematic manner, which also avoids wasting time in finding which places are the best to visit in a particular year. That is why they are called 'package' because they are paid all in one through a single travel agency and all their trips and places they are going to visit are planned ahead with a fixed schedule. A package tour is perfect for travelers who prefer to have their tours fixed. Most packaged trips are combined with meals, transport, accommodation and even a tour guide to lead and inform them about the local traditions and cultures. Package tours can either be a long or short trips expanding from a one day, one night trip or could last up to a month.
Below are the things which are commonly included in a package tour:
- Insurance
- Rental cars
- Cruises
- Tickets for various attractions or events
- First class accommodation including private facilities and twin share, depending what is specified
- All transfers or transportation from the station, harbor, airports or hotels.
There are many types of package tours because of the increasing demand of this kind of market but commonly broken into specific types. They can be for tours of special interest, regional tours, city tours, and adventure tours, fully escorted and group tours. For tours of special interest, this is a kind of tour that meet specific subject of interest such as history, arts, sport, agricultural and wine. This may include a special guide as well that is fitted for the specific subject. Adventure tours focuses on letting travelers engage in a lengthy tour which is more based on experiencing the place personally. Mostly this is composed of mountain climbing, skiing, cycling, horse riding and other activities related to adrenaline adventure. For city or regional tours it usually last for a day or lesser than that. It follows a fixed itinerary which will be visiting areas of particular interest such as cultural, religious, or historic. The same can be applied with group tours.
The advantages of packaged tours mostly outweigh its disadvantages due to the number of benefits a traveler can get from it such as travelers on a tight budget, time saving, time convenience and the quality of the service each traveler enjoys while on the trip.