With a decline in the economy these past couple of years, there’s been a lot of talk about daycations, staycations or palidays (staying with friends) as a better option for those who are strapped for cash.

But despite these new types of holiday fads, 2012 could still be the year of the all-inclusive holiday for families, and those with babies are no different.

Paid in full

All-inclusive summer holidays are ideal for families or groups who want to banish those credit crunch blues. The idea is that you choose your destination and hotel and then pay for everything upfront, (which includes flights, accommodation, food and drink, so you won’t have to fork out any extras for dinner or snacks). And it doesn’t end there; most all-inclusive holidays such as Club Med all inclusive Turkey holidays will include your flight costs and hotel activities and entertainment. So, from the time you land till the day of your departure, you can treat your holiday as one big buffet where you can indulge as much as you like, safe in the knowledge that everything’s already been paid for.

Just think about it. If you’re keen to give your wallet a break, an all-inclusive family holiday is a friendly way to budget your holiday and to stick to it. Then you’ll be more in control at the outset, knowing how much you’ve spent and what it includes. What’s more, with currency rates fluctuating at the moment, you won’t have to worry about about the pound losing value during your holiday as everything’s already paid for.

Great for kids

Having everything paid for means it’s easier to spoil the kids. Snacks, ice-cream, pool-side drinks? Paid for already. But it isn’t just the abundance of food that will have them smiling, many package holidays offer a huge range of activities for kids to enjoy. And for younger children, there are crèche facilities while babysitting services cater for children from as young as four months. With package holiday providers often offering ‘kids go free’ deals, an all-inclusive holiday really can be a perfect fit.

Things to watch out for

It’s important before you pay for your holiday that you know exactly what you’re paying for and what’s not included. Often with all-inclusive holidays, providers only offer local drinks, so if your favourite drink is a brand and you want to stick with that over the local version, then you can expect to pay an additional charge for your request. So check the small print before you hand over your money.

One downside of going for an all-inclusive deal is that you and your family will be confined to drinking and dining in your resort and / or hotel, so if it’s not your thing to venture in and around town to explore the local attractions, this could be ideal. If not, beware that you will have to pay for your own meals, while losing out on all the ‘free’ food waiting for you at your resort / hotel.

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