Let’s be honest…every single year there are new all-inclusive resorts opening in the Caribbean, especially in Mexico. The all-inclusive industry is booming and it’s absolutely here to stay. And don’t get me wrong… I still sell a ton of them and I love them for the right type of trip.
But here’s what I’m noticing more and more…
Many travelers who used to only do all-inclusive vacations are now choosing to travel abroad, especially to Europe. Since Covid, Europe has seen a huge surge in travelers, and honestly, I totally get why.
People are craving experiences now.
They want to see history, feel culture, walk old streets, taste local food, and truly immerse themselves and collect memories.
Lying on a beach for a week, overeating and drinking every single day can get old for some people. (Fun for a while—but not always fulfilling long-term.) The trips that stay with you forever are usually the ones where you’re seeing new places, learning, and experiencing real life in another part of the world.
Even when my husband and I were strictly all-inclusive people, we still made it a point to get out of the resort and explore. A perfect example…when we went to Curaçao last year, we had Sandals Royal Curaçao booked for a week… but before checking into Sandals, we stayed three nights in Willemstad.
We ate at local restaurants, toured the entire island, learned about the culture, the history, and how locals live. Those memories? Absolutely priceless. And they added so much more depth to our trip than just staying behind resort gates the whole time.
As a Luxury travel advisor, I now book a lot more tours—some self-guided and some fully guided with a concierge tour director. One of the best parts? You often meet other travelers doing the same journey as you. These kinds of trips are such an amazing way to truly immerse yourself into a destination… because you’re not just seeing the “touristy” spots—you’re seeing places that locals know and love.
Another amazing option is a FIT trip (Flexible Independent Travel). These trips are completely custom-built around you. You control the itinerary, your pace, your interests—whether that’s food, wine, history, beaches, shopping, or all of the above. They can be more of an investment, yes—but they’re tailored, personalized, meaningful, and designed exactly around how you want to travel.
There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to travel. All-inclusive will always have its place. But I truly believe that mixing in experience-based travel is what creates the stories you’ll talk about for the rest of your life.
At the end of the day, travel isn’t about the number of stamps in your passport or the resorts you’ve stayed at—it’s about the moments that change you. The meals you still talk about, the streets you wandered without a plan, the people you met who made you see the world differently. Years from now, you won’t remember what you paid for that trip… but you’ll remember how it made you feel. And that’s what I love helping my clients create—memories that last a lifetime.
If your heart is starting to pull you toward something more than just another resort getaway… let’s talk. Whether it’s your first time leaving the all-inclusive world or your next big bucket-list adventure, I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
Click reply to this email so we can start exploring morel and let’s start planning the trip you’ll remember forever.
