All for the Price Of Admission.(International Edition; SPECIAL REPORT: TRAVEL)(all-inclusive holiday package)

Byline: Elisa Mala

Tired of being saddled with extra charges, travelers are rediscovering the allure of the all-inclusive holiday.

Extra charges are the bane of every traveler. Buying a plane ticket these days pretty much guarantees only a seat and oxygen to breathe; everything else--checked bags, in-flight snacks, headsets, pillows--will cost you. The same is increasingly true of hotels, where in addition to exorbitant minibar and Internet-access charges, guests are sometimes saddled with mysterious tax, room-service and even extra-pillow fees on their bills.

But there is one way to escape all that: take an all-inclusive paid holiday. For one predetermined price, travelers get accommodations, meals,

activities and, sometimes, even alcohol and transportation. Club Med didn't invent the concept, but it was a formidable pioneer beginning in the 1960s, establishing resorts all over the world, in places as far-flung as Senegal, Mauritius and Guadeloupe. Some Club Med resorts are fancier than others, and some cater to families or couples, but they tend to have several things in common: a beautiful setting, comfortable lodgings, reliably good food, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages and a full schedule of activities--all for a flat fee. The model seems to work: even as the travel industry struggles, the company's first-quarter revenue for 2009 rose nearly 2 percent over the first quarter of 2008.

No wonder so many places are adopting it in today's economic climate. Even countries that have traditionally steered clear of all-inclusive deals have now begun to offer them, in the hope of attracting new customers who have an appetite for luxury but not necessarily the bank account. The London-based travel agent Thomas Cook offers new package tours to Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt. A seven-night package from Birmingham, England, to Hurghada, Egypt, on the Red Sea coast, costs roughly $1,200 and includes lodgings at the Sofitel Hurghada (thomascook.com).

In the Caribbean, ground zero for the all-inclusive bargain, new opportunities are also cropping up. While deals can generally be found in the Bahamas, Aruba and Puerto Rico, islands tied to the euro and the British pound--like Martinique and the Caymans--tend to be fairly pricey. At the Almond Resorts in Barbados and St. Lucia, water-skiing and banana-boating are included in the room price, along with tennis, cooking classes and nightly shows (three-night packages from $300; almondresorts.com). In Jamaica, the adults-only Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios offers packages that include three a la carte meals, access to golf, tennis courts and nonmotorized sports, and beachside butler service. In-room service carries extra fees (from $215 per person per night; royalplantation.com). Many Caribbean resorts have been able to cut costs, thanks in large part to the temperate climate, which provides fertile ground for growing ...