Package Deals to Southeast Asia

I’m normally not one to encourage people to go on package tours, but sometimes the savings are so great that it is worthwhile. Take a 2-week trip to Laos, for example, that starts at $1,399 from the west coast of the U.S. or $1,499 from New York City.

Yes, of course it would be better to visit Laos on your own as part of a long extended journey, but for those who can’t make that work in their life, this is a screaming bargain. It often costs a grand or more just to fly over there and getting around is not always easy. Add in group discounts on hotels that probably make it cheaper than you can get on your own and this package is hard to resist. Two weeks is about right for little Laos, so it’s not as if you’re zooming around like a crazy person, as you are on many package tours.

The flight is on Cathay Pacific even–sweeeet. And here’s the best part: they say to “budget about $8 a day for meals.” If this were a trip to Europe, it would say “budget about $8 per afternoon for a cup of coffee.”

This one is just an example, but it’s a reminder to keep your eyes open if you’ve been thinking of going to Southeast Asia. Tickets from the U.S. get much more expensive in the summer, especially to Europe and South America, but prices to Asia stay grounded because it’s too far to go on a short jaunt. Watch for similar deals for Thailand, Bali (Indonesia), Malaysia, and Vietnam.