Getting There

Before you start your search for the lowest airfare, you might want to consider booking your flight as part of a travel package such as an escorted tour or a package tour. What you lose in adventure, you'll gain in time and money saved when you book accommodations, and maybe even food and entertainment, along with your flight.

Package tours are not the same thing as escorted tours. With a package tour, 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, had you booked it yourself. That's because packages are sold in bulk to tour operators-who resell them to the public at a cost that drastically undercuts standard rates.

One good source of package deals is the airlines themselves. Most major airlines offer air/land packages, including American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations.com), US Airways Vacations (tel. 800/455-0123; www.usairwaysvacations.com), Continental Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.coolvacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com).

Vacation Together (tel. 800/839-9851; www.vacationtogether.com) allows you to search for and book packages offered by a number of tour operators and airlines. The United States Tour Operators Association's website (www.ustoa.com) has a search engine that allows you to look for operators that offer packages to a specific destination. Travel packages are also listed in the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. Liberty Travel (tel. 888/271-1584; www.libertytravel.com), one of the biggest packagers in the Northeast, often runs full-page ads in Sunday papers. Or check ads in the national travel magazines such as Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Condé Nast Traveler.

To save time comparing the price and value of all the package tours out there, consider calling TourScan Inc., P.O. Box 2367, Darien, CT 06820 (tel. 800/962-2080 or 203/655-8091; fax 203/655-6689; www.tourscan.com). Every season the company gathers and computerizes the contents of about 200 brochures containing 10,000 different vacations in the Caribbean, The Bahamas, and Bermuda. TourScan selects the best value at each hotel and condo. Two catalogs are printed each year. Each lists a broad-based choice of hotels on most of the islands of the Caribbean, in all price ranges. Write to TourScan for their catalogs, costing $4 each, the price of which is credited to any TourScan vacation.

Other options for general independent packages include:

Just-A-Vacation, 2910 Hamilton St., Hyattsville, MD 20782 (tel. 800/683-6313 or 301/559-0510; fax 305/675-0979; www.justavacation.com), specializes in all-inclusive upscale resorts in Puerto Rico.

AAA Tours, 1759 Pinero Ave., Summit Hills, San Juan (tel. 787/793-3678), offers some good packages ranging from 2 days to 2 weeks.

Packages for British Travelers

Caribbean specialist operating out of England is Caribtours, Kiln House, 210 New Kings Rd., London, SW6 4NZ (tel. 020/7751-0660; www.caribtours.co.uk), a small, very knowledgeable organization, specializes in Caribbean travel and will tailor itineraries, including to Puerto Rico.

Although Australians are welcome to visit Puerto Rico, as are New Zealanders and other nationals, there are no special packages or deals for them.

The Pros & Cons of Package Tours

Packages can save you money because they are sold in bulk to tour operators, who sell them to the public. They offer group prices but allow for independent travel. The disadvantages are that you're usually required to make a large payment up front; you may end up on a charter flight; and you have to deal with your own luggage and with transfers between your hotel and the airport, if transfers are not included in the package price. Packages often don't allow for complete flexibility or a wide range of choices. For instance, you might prefer a quiet inn but have to settle for a popular chain hotel instead. Your choice of travel days might be limited as well.

Questions to Ask If You Book a Package Tour

What are the accommodations choices available, and are there price differences? Once you find out, look them up in a Frommer's guide.

What type of room will you be staying in? Don't take whatever is thrown your way. Request a nonsmoking room, a quiet room, a room with a view, or whatever you fancy.

What type of hidden expenses might I face? Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes are included in the total cost.

Escorted General-Interest Tours

An escorted tour is a structured group tour with a group leader. The price usually includes everything from airfare to hotel, meals, tours, admission costs, and local transportation.

Recommended Escorted Tour Operators--Puerto Rico Tours, Condo Inter-Suite, Suite 5M, on Isla Verde in San Juan (tel. 787/306-1540; fax 787/791-5479; www.puertorico-tours.com), offers specially conducted private sightseeing tours of Puerto Rico, including trips to the rainforest, Luquillo Beach, the caves of Camuy, and other attractions, such as a restored Taíno Indian village.

Backstage Partners (tel. 787/791-0099; fax 787/791-2760;www.backstagepartners.com) offers customized tours that take in a wide range of island attractions, including eco-tours, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling, safaris, and golf packages.

Other leading escorted tour operators include Crown Imperial Travel, Loiza Street Station in San Juan (tel. 787/791-7075), known for such major destinations as Ponce, El Yunque, and the Camuy Caverns; Northwestern Land Tour (tel. 787/447-7804), which helps you take in all the major sights of the island from Ponce to El Yunque; and Sunshine Tours (tel. 888/786-3636; www.puerto-rico-sunshinetours.com), which covers much the same ground as the others.

Special-Interest Tours

If you'd like to explore Puerto Rico as part of a horseback-riding tour package, consult PRwest Vacation Services (tel. 888/779-3788; www.prwest.com). A dozen well-trained Paso Fino horses are available to accommodate both the advanced and novice rider. In northwest Puerto Rico, you can explore cavernous cliffs and tropical forests-all on horseback. Tours are customized.

Several other tour operators cater to special tastes, including Castillo Tours & Travel Service, 2413 Laurel St., Punta Las Marias, San Juan (tel. 787/791-6195; www.castillotours.com), which is known for some of the best deep-sea fishing tours. Encantada Tours, 654 Muñoz Rivera Ave., Suite 908, IBM Plaza, San Juan (tel. 888/777-2901; www.encantadatours.com), offers gastronomical tours of the island.

Hillbilly Tours, Route 181, km 13.4, San Juan (tel. 787/760-5618; www.hillbillytours.com), specializes in nature-based and countryside tours in the rainforest.

AdvenTours, Luquillo (tel. 787/530-8311), features customized private tours that include such activities as bird-watching, hiking, camping, visits to coffee plantations, and kayaking.

Eco Xcursion Aquatica, Route 191, km 1.7, Rio Grande, Fajardo (tel. 787/888-2887), offers some of the best rainforest hikes and mountain-bike tours for both individuals and groups.