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What can you expect from a vacation package? Well, it has to be comprised of accommodation, travel connections and at least one meal. Some people prefer the stripped down version which supplies a continental breakfast so vacationers are forced to explore the local scene and discover the local arts and crafts. Other people demand the all inclusive vacation packages where their entire day is organized for them. The first vacation packages was created by Cookes Travel Services of London for the affluent classes. They would undertake the Grand Tours of Egypt and India. The package would include uncompromised travel aboard the Orient Express and splendid elephant rides to the five star palaces and marbled hotels. This is where the term POSH was first created. It stands for Port Out Starboard Home. In this way you would have a luxury room on the port side of the ship on your way out to India and a starboard luxury room on the way back. In this way you wouldnt have to be discomforted by the blazing sun on your cruise. It was many years later that the vacation packages we now demand came into being.

So how do you select cruise vacation packages? Oops, I made a postulate there. A few years back, you would collect a return air-ticket, arrive at your destination, grab a cab and say take me to a good hotel that isnt too expensive! Those were different times. Today, during holiday season, that question will elicit in the cabbies mind the word easy mark. You just stated that you have cash in your pocket, you dont now what you are doing at this location and you are prepared to blindly hand over your holiday spending money. And he will expect a ample tip for divulging this local insight. We hope those times are gone. Nowadays people to not want to take any risk with their limited and precious time. They want a vacation PACKAGE. People would rather not concern themselves with exchange rates, if the water is safe to drink and where they should eat. They want all-inclusive vacation resorts that ensure them the fundamentals of any quality vacation. They want to have it assured that there is transport to take them to and from their self-catered apartment and that the pool can be accessed directly from the hotel lobby. They also want to understand that the suite has a safe in which they can place their valuables while they are eating in the restaurant.

Even though vacation packages have matured way beyond a weekend fishing at the local lake, the expanding holiday market suggests this is only the beginning. The seats on the first Virgin Tours to outer-space have already sold out several years ago. The new class of aircraft will be called Skylon and will fly in outer space without staging. It will not discharge parts while in flight and will return to land with all equipment that it left with. So in all probability Christmas cruises may be an anachronism something to tell your children about. So, next stop Pluto and beyond!