In Defense Of The Beach Vacation
The problem isn't the resort, it's how you spend your time there. Plus, a wanderlusty romcom, playlist and the next hot Mexican ingredient.
I still remember the first time I got the all-inclusive ick. I was walking back to my hotel room—a spacious suite I was sharing with my friend’s family on our spring back vacation to Hawaii—when I sparked a conversation with a staff member. I don’t remember how we got talking but I remember asking her, “are you happy working here?” A dumb (pre-journalist-career) question that she obviously could only answer one way while on the clock. But I asked because I got the sense she wasn’t. I left the conversation feeling sad for her, guilty for opting in to a mindless beach vacation, and itching to flee the gated resort.
75% of travelers believe staying at an all-inclusive resort is the best way to travel, according to a Wyndham study conducted in 2022. Yet, any time anyone in my life tells me they’re going to an all-inclusive, they say so as if they’re confessing a sin. I get the guilt and shame. I’ve always found the idea of staying in one resort for an …