Paying a little bit extra for that all-inclusive resort can be both a convenient and cost-effective way to enjoy your vacation. I mean, who doesn't want to feel like they're getting the most bang for their buck, right?
If you're looking for a trip with minimal stress that allows you to lay out and soak up some sun without taking on the extra task of researching where to enjoy food, drinks, and some activities, all-inclusive seems like the only way to go. But not all resorts that boast "all-inclusive" are created equal, nor is everything truly included. Let's break down 5 things you need to know before you book your next all-inclusive vacation.
Food
Resorts like these provide round-the-clock eating (for the most part). However, not all resorts provide late-night room service. For me, if I pay for an all-inclusive package, I want a snack available to me at all times! Also, depending on the price point of the resort, the food is mediocre at best (even at the on-site restaurants that require reservations).
I've stayed at all-inclusive properties in Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Barbados, and while there's nothing like being able to have access to decent food with "all-you-can-eat" privileges, nothing beats getting off the resort and eating like a local. Some of the best and most authentic food that you'll ever enjoy in another country will not be at your hotel or resort. My suggestion is to venture out at least once during your stay. Also, keep in mind that while the buffet might be included in your fee, there may be surcharges at the fancier restaurants on the premises that provide table-service.
Liquor
All-inclusive also gives you the luxury of drinking as much as you'd like during your stay. Whoo Hoo!! But many times (again, depending on the price point), the liquor is mid-level and not top-shelf (which is how you can drink all day and barely get a buzz). You may have to come out of pocket for the "good stuff". Be sure to read the fine print on the resort website or call the hotel prior to booking in order to get better insight into what's included in your fee. You may also have the option of upgrading your all-inclusive package so that top-shelf liquor is included.
Regarding safety, there have recently been reports of tainted alcohol (particularly in Mexico). Be sure to watch your drink while it's being made, do not EVER leave your drink unattended, and be mindful of drinks with ice in certain countries.
Activities and Spa Services
Sometimes activities on the premises like non-motorized sports, cooking classes, and yoga might be included in your resort fee. An off-site excursion is usually a la carte, and many of those activities aren't cheap! Ask the concierge to help you book excursions at a discounted rate upon your arrival or at some point during your stay. Sometimes they have relationships with tour guides and people who lead excursions and they might be able to help save you a few bucks.
Spa services are also many times not included in all-inclusive rates and need to be booked separately. Obviously, there are exceptions. Some high-end, five-star resorts pamper their visitors with spa services but you'll pay a pretty penny to enjoy a package with those benefits.
Tipping
Some resorts have a "no-tipping" rule because gratuity is included in the price. Be sure to look up the resort policy. But don't assume that just because you're at an all-inclusive resort, that you shouldn't make sure the staff is taken care of. Exchange cash before getting on the plane if you're traveling internationally so that you can tip the resort staff and your driver (i.e cab or airport shuttle service). Waiters and room service attendants should receive about 20% based on service, bellmen should receive $1 or so per bag and your driver should receive a tip of about $5 (but if they're knowledgeable and can suggest some great things do and places to eat that are unique to the area, I would suggest giving them a little extra).
The bottom line is, tipping should be a part of everyone's travel budget. So don't skimp!
Resort Credits
This can be a great way to get a few extra perks out of your vacation. Resort credits are basically offered as cash back that you can use on services that may not normally be included in the all-inclusive package. Your credits depend on the length of your stay and can be used for things like a spa service, a special romantic dinner on the beach, tours, or even a round of golf. They might be given to you in the form of a cash card or a coupon.
Be sure to read the fine print for restrictions. Reservations for activities and dinners need to be made in advance, many times spots are limited to certain times of the day and there could be a penalty if you're a "no-show". They also cannot be used on future stays. Popular chains like Hard Rock and Riu offer resort credits. Check with your resort to see if there is a promotion on your booking that you can take advantage of.
The most important thing when looking to book an all-inclusive resort is to do your research!
Your resort should basically encompass your personality and vacation plans. Do you want an adults-only resort or do you mind children running through the halls? Do you want a resort with foam parties and spring breakers who dance until dawn? Or are you okay with everything closing at 10 P.M.? Check Trip Advisor for reviews and photographs on the cleanliness of the resort. Find out if they cater to patrons with food allergies. Look into the area where you'll be staying. Is it safe? Or has there been a recent spike in crime? Also, research off-peak times of the year when you might be able to save money. But keep in mind that you get what you pay for at a ridiculously cheap all-inclusive resort.
Sometimes it is better to splurge for comfort's sake!
Featured image by Shutterstock
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Ding. Ding. DING.
A life coach by the name of Thomas Leonard once said that “Clarity affords focus” and, believe you me, when it comes to dealing with other human beings, if you don’t get clear on where you stand when it comes to your interactions with them, you can very easily find yourself “focusing too much” on those who don’t deserve it and too little on those who absolutely do. And y’all, this lil’ PSA couldn’t be more relevant than when it comes to what I call “casual friendships.”
Let’s dig — and for some of us, dig our way out of — what it means to have a casual friend, so that you can get clear on if you really need those in your life…and if so…why?
Article continues after the video.
It Can’t Be Said Enough: Always Remember What “Casual” Means
GiphyThere’s a reason why I decided to share two videos by mental health coach Isaiah Frizzle at the top and bottom of this article. It’s because a lot of what he shares in both of them complements a piece that I wrote for the platform last year entitled, “This Is Just What Purposeful Relationships Look Like.”
It’s the author M. Scott Peck who once said, “Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it” and please believe that the older (and hopefully more mature) you get, the more you tend to see just how valuable — and fleeting — time is; and that is what plays a huge role in motivating you want to only involve yourself with people, places, things and ideas that will honor your time — and when something is casual? In my opinion, it’s highly debatable that it’s worth much of your months, days, hours, or even too many of your minutes.
The main reason why is addressed in an article that I wrote back in the day entitled, “We Should Really Rethink The Term 'Casual Sex.'” The gist? When it comes to relationships, “casual” is certainly not a favorite word of mine because I know what it means. Have mercy — why would you want to invest your time, energy, and emotions into something that is, by definition, apathetic, indifferent, careless, lacking emotional intimacy, and/or is without purpose?
I don’t know about y’all but that sounds like a complete and total crap shoot to me — especially if you are going to go so far as to consider this type of dynamic a true friendship (check out “Ever Wonder If A Friend Is Just...Not That Into You?,” “6 Signs You're About To Make A Huge Mistake In Making Them A Close Friend,” “5 Signs Of A Toxic Friendship That Is Secretly Poisoning Your Life,” “12 Friend Facts That Might Cause You To Rethink (Some Of) Your Own,” and “Less & Less Of Us Have Close Friends These Days. Why Is That?” ).
To me, when you decide to call someone “friend,” it means that they are loyal, reliable, consistent, trustworthy and willing to be there to support you to the very best of their ability — even if it’s inconvenient to do so sometimes (check out “Life Taught Me That True Friendships Are 'Inconvenient'”). How in the world can you expect that from something that has the word “casual” in it?
And you know what? That actually segues into my next point about casual friendships pretty darn well.
Ponder the Purpose “Casual Friends” Serve in Your Life
GiphyA couple of years ago, Verywell Mind published an article entitled, “How the 4 Types of Friendship Fit Into Your Life.” The four that it listed were acquaintances (which I actually don’t consider to be friends; check out “6 Differences Between A Close Acquaintance And An Actual Friend”), casual friends, close friends, and lifelong friends. After reading the piece, I think they consider casual friends to be the “pleasure” friends that I mentioned in the article, “According To Aristotle, We Need ‘Utility’, ‘Pleasure’ & ‘Good’ Friends.”
And although I certainly get that, I think my “cause for pause” is calling those people “friends” when they probably should be called something like an associate or possibly even a buddy instead. Why do I feel this way? Well, I’ve shared in other articles that I think social media has jacked up vocabulary words and their true meaning on a billion different levels.
Take “friend,” for example. Facebook had us out here calling everyone we connected to on their platform “friends” when some of them, we’ve never even spoken to before — and I personally think that influenced, affected and perhaps even infected our psyche to the point where we will call folks, both online and off, “friend” even when they haven’t earned it and/or who possibly don’t deserve it.
That said, do I think that we all could use lighthearted interactions that don’t go very deep and are filled with not much more than fun? Sure. However, if we were to move this over into a sexual thing — those types of people would probably be called a sneaky link, and there is nothing significant or substantial about ‘em. In fact, if anything pretty much automatically comes with an expiration date, sneaky links would have to be it.
And that’s kind of the point that I’m trying to make about a casual friend — so long as you know that the word “casual” is being used to describe them, while you may enjoy the people who fit that bill, they aren’t really anything that you can or even should fully rely on. Instead, take them for what they are and don’t really expect much more than that. Otherwise, you could be in for some profound levels of disappointment. And who wants that?
Final point.
How a Casual Friend Can Become a Huge Red Flag
GiphyI’m telling you, y’all gonna quit clowning Tubi. LOL. To me, the best way to describe it is it’s the Cricket of current streaming apps. What I mean by that is, back when Cricket (the cell phone service) first came out, people, like me, who used it service got incessantly clowned because it was seen as a bootleg provider. Now it’s owned by AT&T, and as someone who has rocked with them since I was in my 20s, I don’t have one regret for doing so. Cricket has always been good to me, chile.
And Tubi? Well, when you get a chance, check out CNBC’s article, “CEO at 33, Tubi’s Anjali Sud on success hacks she learned at Amazon, IAC on way to top of Fox streaming” — take note of the moves the streaming app is making and the quality of programming that is transpiring in real time.
Anyway, I find myself bringing up Tubi more and more in my content because it helps to amplify some of the points that I like to make. This time, it’s a movie that’s (currently) on there calledRight Man, Wrong Woman. If you haven’t seen it before, I don’t want to give too much of the film away. What I will say is that the main female character, she had a casual friend and then she had a close friend.
That casual friend—the one who liked to kick it all of the time—was a lot of fun; however, dealing with her came with a ton of semi-unforeseen consequences. Meanwhile, the close friend? She’s what the Aristotle article (that I mentioned earlier) would call the “good friend” because she tried her best to hold her friend accountable.
And really, it shouldn’t be a shock that the casual friend turned out to be a plum trip because if someone is loads of entertainment and pleasure and yet they are indifferent towards you, they make careless decisions around you and/or they don’t really make known the purpose for you being in their life other than to pass some time — where really do you and that person have to go past drinks after work or dinner on a rooftop restaurant from time to time? And if that is all that the two of you are doing, again, why are they deserving of the word “friend”?
Hmph and don’t get me started on the lack of reciprocity that typically transpires when it comes to dealing with people like this because, while they won’t mind you spending your coins on them, taking their calls in the middle of the night or listening to all of their issues — when it comes time for them to show up for you, they very well may gaslight you into thinking that you are being dramatic, clingy or “doing the most.” Why? Well, it’s mostly because the two of you never really established what the hell the both of you are to one another.
And so, while you’re somewhere taking them seriously, they are out here seeing you casually, and as much as it might hurt to hear, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily make them a bad person. You shouldn’t expect much where no clarity is involved. After all, casual is just that: CASUAL.
____
I’m hoping that you can now see why I entitled this piece in the way that I did. It’s because a red flag is pretty much a warning, and to me, a casual friend is about as big of an oxymoron (again, to me) as casual sex is. Friends and sex are both too intimate to be seen or treated casually. Oh, but if you step out and take that risk, you could find yourself getting far more involved than the other individual ever wanted to go, because casual is how things have always been. “Friend” was simply to get you more mentally and emotionally invested. SMDH.
American columnist Walter Winchell once said, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” A wise person once said, “One good friendship will outlive forty average loves." Former President Ulysses S. Grant once said, “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.” Does any of this sound casual to you? Yeah, me neither.
Again, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have people in your life who aren’t on deep levels. I’m just saying that you might want to consider putting them into another category than friend, because what friends do for people? There ain’t nothin’ even remotely casual about it, sis. Not even a lil’ bit.
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