Sub-titled: How to enjoy the benefits of an all-inclusive holiday but without putting on weight.
This is my entry to a competition by travel company First Choice about all-inclusive holidays. There’s a chance to win one of five mini iPads.
Let’s start with: How to book the perfect ski holiday
There are different ways to book a skiing holiday and I have tried them all.
1) Book everything separately and with different companies including fights, transfer, hotel, ski hire, ski lessons and buy food when you need it.
The outcome: Exhausting to book, hard to remember all the details of who you are staying, travelling, booked with when you actually go on the holiday. Although it looks cheaper on paper it generally ends up being more expensive. If one company goes out of business this can also spell the end of the entire trip.
2) Book basic flights and accommodation with one ski tour company and pay for meals, hire etc separately.
The outcome: You can usually get some good deals on flights and accommodation if you book far enough in advance or leave it to the last minute (this takes nerves of steel) but then there are three meals a day to pay for, ski hire and lessons etc and if you are taking the kids that ends up being costly.
3) Book cheap flights early on and then a catered chalet.
The outcome: You book the cheap flights as early as you can and then wait. But the flights might not tie in with the chalet booking schedule and then someone at work tells you they have the same week off and then there are the transfers to add to the cost and then the flights are delayed. This choice can be messy.
4) Book all-inclusive. Let someone else sort flights, transfers, accommodation, all food, ski hire and discounted lift passes.
The outcome: A super easy holiday with everything sorted and laid on for you (but more than a distinct possibility of putting on weight due to the all-inclusive food and drink.) .
How to combat the weight gain of all inclusive holidays
An all-inclusive skiing holiday is a thing of wonder. Everything is sorted for you ahead of arriving. You don’t need to think too much and so you can relax and enjoy being looked after.
Ski holidays require many added extras such as sport baggage on the plane, lift passes, extra ski hire, lessons, transfers etc. So a travel company that takes care of all this is a great find.
And then there’s the food and drink. I like to go on holiday and never think about cooking a meal. However, if you choose to eat out every day on a ski holiday you will quickly run up a bill that may match the cost of the flights and accommodation.
Worse still, in my opinion, is the idea of cooking and washing up on a a self-catering. I don’t go on holiday to do the cooking!
All-inclusive deals usually include breakfast, lunch and dinner and even an afternoon tea when you come off the slopes. In addition few glasses of local wine will normally be added in.
All-inclusive ski holidays are great for kids, too. There is often an option of an earlier meal for children and menus to suit their tastes and appetites.
With an all-inclusive deal you know what the set cost of your holiday is up front and you can relax and let someone else take care of all the cooking,
So, the chances are, you might end up putting on a bit of weight. But not if you choose to go on a sporty all-inclusive holiday.
My rule of all-inclusive holidays is to only choose them for sporty trips. So I have enjoyed an all-inclusive tennis coaching holiday, a learn to sail holiday and several skiing holidays.
Skiing every day from the moment the ski lifts open until they shut (I like to make the most of my time on the slopes) burns a lot of calories. It also creates a big appetite that is well served by all the meals included yet, thankfully, the calorie deficit is rarely outweighed by the food consumed.
I don’t think I ever eat as much food as when I am on a skiing trip, yet, brilliantly, I have never put on even a pound in weight.
Who knows? Perhaps self-restraint on a lazing-by-the-beach all-inclusive style holiday is also possible but I doubt I’d be good at that!
Why not enter the First Choice I Love all-inclusive competition, too?