Early on as you plan your Caribbean trip there is an important decision to make: whether to organise it yourself - possibly with the assistance of a Caribbean flight specialist or travel agent - or whether to go ‘flight inclusive’ and to hand the legwork over to a tour operator, who will package the whole thing for you.
FLIGHT INCLUSIVE - see here for the simple option...
A flight inclusive holiday booked direct with a tour operator has the advantage of being simpler - often it can be picked from a brochure - and it is generally cheaper than if you put the same components together yourself. Caribbean specialist travel organisers are also good at putting together a tailor made 'package' to suit your needs.
All the elements of your Caribbean trip - hotels, flights, transfers and a local representative - should be included. Also there is more security - European tour operators at least are legally bound to take care of you from the moment of departure until your return home and are bonded for your financial security. Finally, in the event of a natural disaster, failure of an airline or a dispute with one of your holiday providers, you will have to deal with just one organisation, which is based in your home country.
INDEPENDENT TRAVEL - see here for our advice on how to plan and book everything yourself...
There are certainly reasons for independent travel. It gives you the freedom to design your own trip, which is now easier than ever on the internet. Most importantly, some of the loveliest Caribbean hotels are too small to feature in brochures, so they have to be booked independently. Or perhaps you would like to use your Air Miles, or you have booked a yacht through a broker and need to arrange transport.
However you chose to travel, independently or on a flight inclusive package, DefinitiveCaribbean will help you to do it. For independent travellers, all the details you need can be found island by island under Accommodation, Flights, Car Rental, Local Organisers, Taxis, Travel Insurance and a whole host of other key elements you might want to add to make up a Caribbean trip to remember.
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