Package Tours for Kentucky Derby: Are they really deals?

Vacation packages seem like the perfect solution to the busy person who still wants to have a holiday – and when they center around an event that you really want to see, all the better. Or is it?

It won’t take much searching online to find Kentucky Derby vacation packages, each one claiming they offer the best deals and lowest prices. There’s no doubt that they offer convenience – they are, after all, letting you book everything you’ll need for your trip with one click. But the question of whether they actually save you money is one that’s a little harder to answer.

Unless you’re rolling in money, you really need to do some research to figure out whether those Kentucky Derby vacation package trips are the great deal they say they are. And if they’re not, you may have a little more work ahead of you in order to book everything separately – but you’ll be saving money, so it’s worth it.

Here are the things you need to keep in mind when you’re looking at Kentucky Derby vacation packages.

>> The 2012 Kentucky Derby is on May 5

Break Down Package Deals to Know What’s Included

Undoubtedly the most important thing to do first when you’re checking out any vacation package is to find out what’s included. Does it cover airfare? If so, is it from any airport, or is your home airport an extra fee? Does it cover accommodation? Is the hotel near the race track? If not, does it cover transportation back and forth? Does it cover transport to and from the airport? What about meals? Tickets to the race?

Obviously, some of these things are things you’ll need to arrange for, regardless of whether you buy a vacation package or not. But some of them are extras you may not be interested in paying extra money for – not to mention that some of them may be found elsewhere for less money. If you really don’t care about things like seats in the grandstand, a spot at a “welcome reception,” a special souvenir provided by the tour company, or a lanyard to hold your ticket, then you really want to read closely to make sure you’re not paying extra for those things.

Dust Off that Calculator, Sharpen that Pencil

Okay, the calculator and pencil thing might be a bit old-fashioned – chances are you’ll be doing the math on your computer or iPhone or something, but you get the idea. The point here is that after you’ve figured out what is included in the vacation packages for the Kentucky Derby that you’re considering, then you need to see what the individual components might cost you if you bought them separately.

Using our tips for finding cheap airfare to the Kentucky Derby, see what the best price is that you can find on a flight. Then look for hotels that suit your needs and see what the price range is on a stay for the duration of your trip. Add those costs together. Whatever the price difference is between those two things and the cost of the vacation package, that’s what you’re paying for all the “extras.”

If those extras include things you’d spend more money on – a rental car, transfers to and from the airport, breakfast every day in the hotel, tickets to the Derby – then perhaps it’s still a good deal. But if anything you’ll need to arrange for is not included in the package, it means you’ll be spending extra money on that stuff, too.

The bottom line is that you just need to know how much you’re paying for everything but the travel costs in order to make sure a Kentucky Derby travel package is really a good deal or not.

photo by Velo Steve