Where Did The Package Holiday Go?

The question is not to which geographical place has the package holiday gone, but where is the package holiday at all?

There are two main engines driving the demise of the package holiday, and they are the no-frills economy airlines, and the multi-headed being called the internet.

Before the budget airlines, the whole concept of holiday bookings was far too complex for the man in the street, and most had to rely on the offices of travel agents to bridge the mighty gaps between home and the beckoning resorts in the travel brochures.

Airlines such as Ryan Air, or Easy Jet, have honed the skills of the most ardent technophobes into putting the once fearsome procedure of arranging flying into the hands of almost anyone.

Booking something so far out of the main stream modus operandi was something that only travel agents could possibly be capable of, who would perform their alchemy and produce airline tickets and plans for your transfer from airport to resort.

Today, the greater proportion of us are able to control (to a greater extent) our holiday destinies, on a whim, or turn of curiosity. We can choose a destination, find out which airline flies from where, to there, or somewhere near it, compare prices and choose to pay, or not, as the case may be.

The package holiday, has been the bearer of the traditional one or two week summer holiday, and this too is an increasingly shrinking custom, in would appear.

Families, restricted by school vacation times often find it is easier to take a package than book individually for a number of themselves. The all-inclusive package has maintained a place in the market for some, possibly those who need to strictly budget, and can forecast and cost their holidays very accurately.

The internet has changed many people’s perceptions of holidays, and many now take multiple short breaks, instead of the annual trip, mostly courtesy of cheap flights and the control that the internet can give, for instance, where you want to find a hotel or other place to stay, booking the flight and accommodation separately, to suite the personal budget, and not having to budget round the tour operator.

Do-it-yourself holidays are now the major part of the industry, as more and more people have the confidence to set their own agenda, and build their own getaways to their own exact requirements.

Stand back all terrestrial holidays, the next popular concept apparently is to holiday in space, what price an intergalactic package?