THE BEACH | MAGAZINE
G
one are the days of
air-adventure when
one could go to
an airport and get
on the ‘last minute’
cheapest flight destination whereever...regardless of weather, culture
or language! That was an adventure.
Nowadays with more people
holidaying several times a year, the
romance has decreased but the
comfort has increased.
Package
holidays
essentially
involve air-travel; the flight being
the most expensive part of the
holiday. Though people are often
quite capable of booking their own
accommodation and transfers over
the internet, they often find that it is
cheaper to buy ‘a package’ and shun
the accommodation for some or all
of their stay if necessary.
HOW DOES A PACKAGE DEAL WORK?
Your holiday is simple to
organise since the Tour Operator
provides flights,
transfers and
accommodation. All you have to
do is to get yourself and family to
the airport with a small amount of
currency of the country you are to
visit. You know that you do not have to
worry about any financial problems
the travel company may have since
ABTA/ATOL consumer protection
is included in the package. (Thus if
the holiday company collapses predeparture you receive a refund or if
while you are abroad you complete
your trip.
Always check this especially if your
deal with the company involves
something different from original
package). On arrival a tour ‘rep’
awaits you. He/she will settle you
into your accommodation, deal with
all you queries and persuade you to
go on the excursions organised by
the Operator. Many package deals
now include full board or are ‘all
inclusive’. This means that whatever
you eat and drink at the hotel is so to
speak...free! This may persuade you
to eat and drink too much for the
first few days and prevent you from
venturing farther affield. However
your children will love the freedom of
exploring the complex, and helping
themselves to a cold drink.
For those who have a busy career life
and small children this type of all-inone arrangement is often ideal since
the larger complexes have creches
and supervised adventure areas for
children. You can ‘lose’ them for long
periods. But you will travel home
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with the same families that you came
with since packages are generally
offered on a standard break of one or
two weeks.
Most package deals go to popular
tourist destinations. So even if visiting
privately you may suffer a culture
shock of lurid cocktails advertised in
English, or find menus only in Russian.
This is all part of ‘globalization’
whereby western standards go east.
It is just to make the visitor feel at
home!
More seasoned travellers who shun
the ‘package’ will need to spend more
internet hours seeking out cheap
flights and suitable accommodation.
If you wish to spend two weeks
in a resort but choose your own
accommodation you will need to
book the flights a year in advance for
a really cheap deal.
DIY is the better choice if travelling
alone, since nearly all package deals
do insist on the one passenger
paying a percentage of the empty
bed! It is also the only way to reach
less popular destinations or travel
round staying in different places.
THE GLOSSARY OF THE WORDS USED
*Babadag: the peak (1969 metres) of the Babadag range
(formerly known as Mount Cragus) which stretches 55
km from Fethiye in the north to the
Patara sands in the south.
*Gunluklu: “Gunluk” is the Turkish name for Liquid
Ambar Orientalis – a relic-endemic tree of the area
between Fethiye and Marmaris. The resin is used in
cosmetics and the bark as incense.
*Calis (pronounced as Chalish) – beach resort of Fethiye
– 5 kms north of the centre – reach by dolmus or canal
boat.
*Kokorec (pronounced as kokorech) is the charcoal
grilled intestines of milk fed lambs served on a bread a classic Turkish street food.
*Dolmus (pronounced as dolmush) a public transport
system of minibuses which can be hailed anywhere
along their route.
*Uzumlu: a small town in an historical setting in the
foothills 30 km from Fethiye. It is renowned for its fine
spun cotton and homemade wine.
*Goc: migration locally applied to the biannual
movement of herds from winter to summer pasture
lands.
glasses at a very reasonable price.