Advantages of Independent Travel

Advantages of Independent Travel
There is a changing tide in the travel industry.
Traditionally massive package holiday companies have block
booked villas, hotels, flights, tours and coach transfers
from and to the airport. Every detail of ones holiday was
catered for by the tour operator. Two weeks in July with
bacon and eggs by the pool. The situation is however
changing and the trend is towards independent travel.

The independent traveler is on the scene and with the
arrival and growth of the internet individuals no longer
need accept a tin sardine holiday. Low cost airlines have
made it possible for individuals to make huge savings on
flights especially by booking mid week and at least two
weeks in advance. We have seen a huge increase in the
purchase of one way tickets. The modern traveler wants more
flexibility and will often extend or shorten their trips
depending on how much they are enjoying themselves.

The package holiday companies placed massive burdens on the
infrastructure and environment of summer holiday
destinations such as Majorca and the Algarve. Their
ability to monopolise the accommodation market and dictate
pricing has not only created ghost towns that are virtually
deserted for most of the year, it has also conned thousands
of people with misleading real estate opportunities and
created a housing bubble and surplus as well as
unnecessarily spoiling miles of coastline.

Taking an independent holiday and renting holiday villas
directly from the owner of the property has major
advantages over the package holiday trap. There are fewer
middle men taking their hefty commissions for renting the
villa, apartment or hotel room to you. Often these savings
are passed on meaning your holiday can be cheaper. You get
to choose exactly which property you are renting. Instead
of finding yourself in a murky hotel room with a leaking
sink or a green swimming pool you have the freedom to
personally speak with someone you can trust and who takes
pride in providing a service of a higher standard and
better value for money.

You have more freedom to roam, to stay in more than one
rental property or to travel around and discover rural
hotels and get off the beaten path. The trend towards
independent travel has colossal benefits for the
environment and local economies. Instead of profits being
siphoned off into the already inflated bank accounts of
mammoth corporations, small businesses and the local
economy get a bigger slice of the pie. The season is
extended as independent travelers take advantage of lower
prices and less competition in the shoulder and low seasons.

Independent travelers travel to a greater variety of
places. Instead of large concentrations of people arriving
in a single location in July or August the independent
traveler will venture elsewhere reducing the environmental
footprint and helping the economies of more rural economies.

In the traditional package holiday situation tradition and
culture were at best artificial spectacles such as a
flamenco night in Tenerife and at worst local people have
felt exploited and tourists unwelcome. The mammoth
companies keep sending the tourists and in locations such
as Majorca where the package still rules restaurant
proprietors needn't worry about reputation or providing
value for money because tomorrow a new load of pale faced
tourists will be arriving.

With independent travel one is free. Free to choose, free
to move, free to travel onwards, to follow ones intuition,
to enjoy and interact with the local people, to see the
real culture and to travel in a more environmentally
sustainable way that benefits the local people and their
economy.

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Martin Thompson writes online travel guides and independent
travel information for holiday makers to Spain and
Portugal. His website offers villas to rent in Portugal and
a detailed guide to the Algarve so visitors can enjoy their
holidays to the max. Find out more at:
http://www.holiday-villa-rental-algarve.co.uk/