Package Deals

Unlike many places, Jamaica is not a big market for escorted tours where you're hauled around on a bus and looked after constantly by a guide. You can, of course, take locally guided tours once you land.

Package tours are not the same thing as escorted tours. With a package tour to Jamaica, you travel independently but pay a group rate. Packages usually include airfare, a choice of hotels, and car rentals, and packagers often offer several options at different prices. In many cases, a package that includes airfare, hotel, and transportation to and from the airport will cost you less than just the hotel alone would have cost. That's because Jamaican packages are sold in bulk to tour operators -- who then resell them to the public at a cost that sharply undercuts regular rates.

Tip: Ask Before You Go -- Before you invest in a package deal or an escorted tour:

• Always ask about the cancellation policy. Can you get your money back? Is there a deposit required?
• Ask about the accommodations choices and prices for each. Then look up the hotels' reviews in a Frommer's guide and check their rates online for your specific dates of travel. Also find out what types of rooms are offered.
• Request a complete schedule (escorted tours only).
• Ask about the size and demographics of the group (escorted tours only).
• Discuss what is included in the price (transportation, meals, tips, airport transfers, etc.) (escorted tours only).
• Finally, look for hidden expenses. Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes, for example, are included in the total cost -- they rarely are.

The best place to find a package tour is the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. Also check the ads in the back of national travel magazines like Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Liberty Travel (tel. 888/271-1584 to be connected with the agent closest to you; www.libertytravel.com) is one of the biggest packagers in the Northeast, and usually has a full-page ad in Sunday papers. Check out its Last Minute Travel Bargains site, (www.lastminute.com), with deeply discounted vacation packages and reduced airfares. Northwest Airlines (www.nwa.com) offers a similar service: Posted on Northwest's website every Wednesday, its Cyber Saver Bargain Alerts offer special hotel rates, package deals, and discounted airline fares.

Among the airlines themselves, your package options include those from American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/654-6559; www.deltavacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com). Contact the airline that services your hometown most frequently. In addition, Air Jamaica Vacations (tel. 800/LOVEBIRDS; www.airjamaicavacations.com) is affiliated with the national airline, and these folks know the country well.

The biggest hotel chains and resorts in Jamaica (such as Sandals) also offer package deals. If you know where you want to stay, call that resort about air-and-land packages.

What the Meal Plans Mean

• AP (American Plan): This plan includes three meals a day (sometimes called "full board" or "full pension").
• CP (Continental Plan): A continental breakfast (that is, bread, jam, and coffee) is included in the room rate.
• EP (European Plan): This rate is always cheapest, as it offers only the room -- no meals.
• MAP (Modified American Plan): Sometimes called "half-board" or "half-pension," this rate includes breakfast plus dinner or lunch.

For British Travelers

ITC Classics, Concorde House, Forest Street, Chester CH1 1QR (tel. 01244/355-300; www.itcclassics.co.uk), offers all-inclusive packages (airfare and hotel) to Jamaica and customizes tours for independent travel. It publishes two catalogs.

Other Jamaican specialists operating out of the U.K. include big Kuoni Travel, Kuoni House, Dorking, Surrey RH5 4AZ (tel. 01306/747-002; www.kuoni.co.uk), and Caribtours, Kiln House, 210 New Kings Rd., London SW6 4NZ (tel. 020/7751-0660; www.caribtours.co.uk) -- a small, very knowledgeable specialist.