Tour packages: Cheaper, more convenient

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

Holiday -- It is a magic word. It is a time to forget the demands at the office or annoying household chores; it is time to escape from the daily routine and to indulge in a new experience.

For most people, holidays means traveling. When there are few days off, they might just drive to a nearby holiday resort and spend the night there.

During a long holiday, people might travel around the archipelago with Bali as one of the favorite destinations. Indeed, the island of the gods remains popular among holidayers all over the world. Millions of people come to Bali every year to enjoy its rich culture and panoramic beauty.

Bali boasts many exotic resorts. One of the newly developed resorts is Ubud Hanging Gardens. The property is scheduled to open in early July, 2005.

Surrounded by ancient trees and gravity-defying terraced gardens, Ubud Hanging Gardens nestles on a hillside overlooking the Ayung river gorge, and truly deserves its unusual name.

Ubud Hanging Gardens features 38 villas available in three types: Deluxe Pool Villas, deluxe Suite Pool Villas and Family Pool Villas.

The breathtaking property's villas are all constructed in contemporary Balinese style with thatched alang-alang roofs. The villas are set high on wooden pillars with king-sized four-poster beds, indoor baths, outdoor showers and dramatic individual plunge pools with adjoining Bale.

Each of the villas has an infinity pool, a traditional pavilion for relaxing called a bale, an open-air shower, an interior bathroom and a huge bedroom with a four-poster bed and mosquito net.

For the true traveler, distance is no longer a constraint. Tourists travel across the globe, crossing the ocean to see things they do not find in their own country. The unique experiences leave unforgettable memories.

Traveling around the world is quite easy now, thanks to abundant travel agencies that are ready to arrange everything for you -- from the ticket to the hotel and even the visa. They also offer tour packages to various destinations, including ASEAN countries, as well as Hong Kong, China and Japan.

A tour package offers various kinds of benefits to travellers. By buying a tour package, you, for example, can save by about 25 percent pver the same trip on your own. Besides being less costly, buying a tour package also means peace of mind.

As part of the tour package, local travel agencies generally rovide an Indonesian guide for the group as well as a local guide from the foreign country.

Since the tour packages are offered for people who travel in a group, the number of participants is a key factor. A travel agent will cancel a trip if the number of participants is not sufficient -- the minimum number is usually 15. For some travel agents, however, 14 or even 10 will do. But if the number is fewer than 15, the travel agent might not send an Indonesian guide with the group.

Travel agents also have different policies regarding the price. Some include the visa, the meals and tickets for the various tourist attractions on offer, while others do not. Prices also vary depending on the airlines, the hotels and the meals, but joining a tour package in a group is usually cheaper than traveling alone.

Wita Tour, for example offers an eight-day Special Japan tour for US$2,560. If you take this tour, you will fly by Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, stay in five-star hotels and dine in fine restaurants.

"We will pay for the meals and you don't even have to worry about tipping," said Kurniadi of Wita Tour.

Among the attractions on offer is the Aichi Expo 2005, as well as the magnificent view of the Mount Tateshina and Shirakaba Lake.

The Japan Supersaver package is offered by Rotama Tour at $1,849. Those taking this package will fly by Philippine Airlines and stay in four-star hotels. The trip will last for seven days with visits to Osaka, Universal Studio, Kyoto, Toyohashi, Hamamatsu, Kawaguchi, Disneyland and Disneysea.

Both Rotama Tour and Wita Tour do not include cultural shows like Kabuki or other traditional performances.

"Well, Indonesians prefer to go to Disneyland and Universal Studio rather than watching such a show," said Olivia of Rotama Tour. "But of course, if you want to see Kabuki, for example, this can be arranged upon your arrival in Japan," she added.

Japan is a great place to see, but ASEAN countries or other places like Hong Kong and China are no less attractive. In fact, there are more people who join tours to these countries, especially because the trip is not that costly.

Dream Holiday, for example, offers a four-day tour to Thailand and Singapore for less than $500 while a seven-day tour to Malaysia and Singapore is about $650. You can also travel to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore for nine days for less than $800.

If you want to go to Hong Kong and China, there are several tour operators that offer a five-day package to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, located in Kwong Tung province, for about $800.

A travel agent, TIM, names its tour packages after the delicacies in the respective country. The tour to Hong Kong and China, for instance, is called Hot Dim Sum. Sweet Kelapa Bakar, a five-day tour to Bangkok and Pattaya, costs about $450, Amazing Teh Tarik, a seven-day tour to Malaysia and Singapore starts from $568 and Delicious Sushi Bulgogi, a 10-day trip to Seoul, Mount Sorak, Everland, Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Disneyland, Disneysea and Universal Studios, is about $2,000.

"Our theme is taste the world," said Erwin of TIM. "Therefore we bring our guests to a restaurant that serves traditional food."

Participants of the Hot Dim Sum tour will spend two nights in Shenzhen and two nights in Hong Kong.

"In Shenzhen, we will take you to the Window of the World, a miniature of the world in a park, and the China Folk Art & Cultural center, where you can watch cabaret performances.

"And of course, you will have time to go shopping," he said.

In Hong Kong, they will take you to The Peak, where you can see the town from above, and you can visit the Madame Tussaud Museum and Repulse Bay, which is famous for the statue of Kwan Im, a Buddhist goddess.

There is a wide variety of tours to China, which is not surprising considering it vast area with so many things to see.

Wita Tour has several packages, including the China Muslim Tour to Beijing, Yinchuan, Zhongwei, Xian and Shanghai, that lasts for 12 days and costs $1,760. During the tour, you will be taken not only to the tourist attractions, but also to the mosques, where you can pray and to restaurants serving halal food.

While KIA tours and travel offers nine packages starting from $988 for a nine-day China Experience tour covering Shanghai, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou and Hongzhou. The Great China tour, which lasts for 15 days, costs $1,649.