Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Travel and outings with kids

All-inclusive resort

A resort where one price covers the room plus meals and drinks, and often some activities, instead of charging for each one separately during the stay.

What It Means

An all-inclusive resort is a hotel or resort whose price covers your room along with your meals and drinks, as Cambridge Dictionary defines it. Many also fold in some activities, though what's covered varies from one resort to the next. The appeal for a family is a cost that's mostly settled before you leave, which only holds if you know exactly what the price leaves out.

Try It: All-Inclusive or Pay as You Go?

Compare one all-inclusive quote with booking a room and paying for food and fun as you go. All numbers are examples.

All-inclusive total$3,000
Pay as you go total$2,800
Difference$200

The all-inclusive costs more on these numbers. It can still be worth it if the family would spend more than you've guessed once you're there.

How People Say It

  • "Drinks are included, so order whatever you want."
  • "Is the kids' club part of the package?"
  • "We're doing all-inclusive so nobody's adding up the bill every night."

The Breakdown

How to compare an all-inclusive (Buhata's suggestion)

  1. Get the full quote for your dates and the number of people, with taxes.
  2. Ask the resort in writing what the price leaves out: specialty restaurants, room service, drinks, activities, kids' programs, airport transfers, tips and any resort fee.
  3. Price the same stay pay as you go: a comparable room, a realistic food and drink figure per person per day, and the activities you'd actually do.
  4. Compare the two totals with the calculator above.
  5. Add the extras from step 2 that you know you'll want to the all-inclusive side, and compare again.

Short version to try today. Take one quote you're considering and write down three things it doesn't cover. If you can't find them, ask the resort before you book.

Pick it if the family eats and drinks a lot through the day, you'd rather not handle money on the trip, or the resort's extras (a pool, a kids' club, activities) are what you'd pay for anyway.

Skip it if you plan to spend most days away from the resort on outings, since meals you don't eat there are paid for anyway.

Good to Know

"All-inclusive" means different things at different resorts, so the resort's own list of inclusions and its terms are what count, not the word on the ad. If the resort has a pool or a beach, the Red Cross advice on Buhata's beach day checklistBeach day checklistA list of what to pack and do for a safe day at the beach with kids: sun protection, water, life jackets, a lifeguarded spot and an adult watching at all times. See more page holds there too: give children close and constant attention in or near the water, even with a lifeguard on duty.

FAQ

What does all-inclusive usually include?

At minimum the room plus meals and drinks, which is how Cambridge Dictionary defines it. Beyond that it varies, so check the resort's list for activities, kids' programs, premiumInsurance premiumThe amount you pay to keep an insurance plan, such as health insurance, in force, usually monthly, quarterly or yearly, whether or not you use any care. See more drinks and specialty restaurants.

Is an all-inclusive resort cheaper for a family?

It depends on how much your family would spend on food, drinks and activities otherwise. Compare the quote against a room-only price plus your realistic daily spending, as in the calculator above.

Do you tip at an all-inclusive resort?

It's up to the resort, so ask before you book whether gratuities are part of the price. If they aren't, add a tip amount to the trip budgetTravel budgetA plan for how much a trip will cost in total, split into travel, lodging, food, activities and a cushion, set before you book. See more so it doesn't come as a surprise.

Do It in Buhata

Goals (Plus), Budget

Make the trip a Goal (Plus) with the all-inclusive total plus the extras it leaves out, and track any spending at the resort in Budget.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Family vacation

    A trip taken together by a parent or parents and their children, usually planned around school breaks, the children's ages and a shared budget.

  • Travel budget

    A plan for how much a trip will cost in total, split into travel, lodging, food, activities and a cushion, set before you book.

  • Vacation planning

    Working out where, when and how a trip will happen, including what it costs, how to save for it and what paperwork it needs, well before you leave.

  • Travel insurance

    A policy bought for a trip that can repay prepaid costs if you cancel for a covered reason, and pay for medical care or evacuation while away.

  • Beach day checklist

    A list of what to pack and do for a safe day at the beach with kids: sun protection, water, life jackets, a lifeguarded spot and an adult watching at all times.

  • Points and miles

    Rewards earned from credit cards, airlines and hotels that can be spent on travel, worth whatever the program lets you redeem them for, often around 1 cent each.

Travel and outings with kids

Sources

Cambridge Dictionary, "all-inclusive"; Cambridge Dictionary, "all-inclusive resort"

Last updated .