Package Deals

Package tours are simply a way to buy the airfare, accommodations, and other elements of your trip (such as car rentals, airport transfers, and sometimes even activities) at the same time and often at discounted prices.

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), Continental Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.covacations.com), and United Vacations (tel. 888/854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com). Several big online travel agencies -- Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59, and Lastminute.com -- also do a brisk business in packages.

Travel packages are also listed in the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. 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.

Choosing an Air & Hotel Package -- Searching for air and hotel packages to any destination can be a daunting task thanks to the sheer number of options. Finding a satisfying deal takes time and research. Here are a few hints on making the most of your time to save you money in the long run:

• Be clear on the bottom line. With so many different packagers, be sure to make an "apples to apples" comparison: Go all the way through the online checkout (but don't hit the "Buy Now!" button) to see what taxes, fees, and costs are tacked on to each package.
• Avoid changing the package too much. The packages are set up to generate prices for certain criteria, such as certain flights or a certain class of room. If you change too many things, you might find that the deal evaporates.
• Read all the fine print and take note of all inclusions and exclusions. Does the package include airport transfers? What about breakfast? Travel insurance? If you want certain extras, take into account if you have to pay for them on top of the package deal. If you don't want extras, be sure to opt out of them.
• Know a good deal when it comes up. Because of changes in airfares or hotel occupancy, you could see a different price for the same package if you go back to the same site an hour later; the price might even be updated while you are looking at it. A package can disappear altogether if the hotel has filled up. Once you're satisfied with an offer, go for it.

Recommended Packagers

• AeroMéxico Vacations (tel. 800/245-8585; www.aeromexico.com) offers year-round packages to almost every destination it serves, including Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta. AeroMéxico has a large selection (more than 100) of resorts in these destinations and more, in a variety of price ranges. The best deals are from Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, in that order.
• American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com) has year-round deals to Acapulco, Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta. You don't have to fly with American if you can get a better deal on another airline; land-only packages include hotel, hotel tax, and airport transfers. American's hubs to Mexico are Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, and Miami. The website offers unpublished discounts that are not available through the operators.
• US Airways Vacations (tel. 800/235-9298; www.usairwaysvacations.com) has deals to Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta. Many packages to Los Cabos include car rentals. The website offers discounted featured specials that are not available through the operators. You can also book hotels without air by calling the toll-free number.
• Apple Vacations (tel. 800/365-2775; www.applevacations.com) offers inclusive packages to all the beach resorts, and has the largest choice of hotels in Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, and the Riviera Maya. Scheduled carriers for the air portion include American, United, Mexicana, Delta, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, and AeroMéxico. Apple perks include baggage handling and the services of a company representative at major hotels.
• Classic Vacations (tel. 800/635-1333; www.classicvacations.com) specializes in package vacations to Mexico's finest luxury resorts. It combines discounted first-class and economy airfare on American, Continental, Mexicana, Alaska, America West, and Delta with stays at the most exclusive hotels in Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Mérida, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Costa Alegre, Manzanillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, and Los Cabos. The prices are not for bargain hunters but for those who seek luxury, nicely packaged.
• Continental Vacations (tel. 800/301-3800; www.covacations.com) has year-round packages to Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta. The best deals are from Houston; Newark, NJ; and Cleveland, OH. You must fly Continental. The Internet deals offer savings not available elsewhere.
• Delta Vacations (tel. 800/654-6559; www.deltavacations.com) has year-round packages to Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mérida, and Puerto Vallarta. Atlanta is the hub, so expect the best prices from there.
• Funjet Vacations (tel. 888/558-6654; www.funjet.com) is one of the largest vacation packagers in the United States. Funjet has packages to Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Ixtapa, and Puerto Vallarta. You can choose a charter or fly on American, Continental, Delta, AeroMéxico, US Airways, Alaska Air, or United.
• GOGO Worldwide Vacations (tel. 888/636-3942; www.gogowwv.com) has trips to all the major beach resorts, including Acapulco, Cancún, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos. It offers several exclusive deals from higher-end hotels. Book through any travel agent.
• Mexicana Vacations, or MexSeaSun Vacations (tel. 800/531-7921; www.mexicana.com) offers getaways to all the resorts. Mexicana operates daily direct flights from Los Angeles to Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo.
• Mexico Travel Net (tel. 800/511-4848 or 619/474-0100; www.mexicotravelnet.com) offers most of the well-known travel packages to Mexico beach resorts, plus last minute specials.
• Pleasant Holidays (tel. 800/742-9244; www.pleasantholidays.com) is one of the largest vacation packagers in the United States, with hotels in Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mérida, Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Puerto Vallarta.

Regional Packagers

From the East Coast: Liberty Travel (tel. 888/271-1584; www.libertytravel.com), one of the biggest packagers in the Northeast, often runs a full-page ad in the Sunday papers, with frequent Mexico specials. You won't get much in the way of service, but you will get a good deal.

From the West: SunTrips (tel. 800/514-5194 for departures within 14 days; www.suntrips.com) is one of the largest West Coast packagers for Mexico, with departures from San Francisco and Denver; regular charters to Cancún, Cozumel, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta; and a large selection of hotels.

From the Southwest: Town and Country (book through travel agents) packages regular deals to Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Manzanillo, Cancún, Cozumel, and Acapulco with America West from the airline's Phoenix and Las Vegas gateways.

For more information on Package Tours and for tips on booking your trip, see www.frommers.com.

Online Packagers

Several websites sell packages to destinations around the world, and are often travelers' first stop when consulting prices. The following have some of the best listings for Cancún and the Riviera Maya:

BestDay.com (tel. 800/593-6259; www.bestday.com); BookIt.com (tel. 888/782-9722; www.bookit.com) offers a wide range of choices for all-inclusive resorts; Orbitz (tel. 800/504-3248; www.orbitz.com), occasionally includes its own special offers, such as 25% early-booking discounts or 10% to 20% off food and beverages; and Vacation Travel Mart (tel. 800/288-1435; www.vacmart.com) has the option of placing a 24-hour hold on a reservation before paying.

Academic Trips & Language Classes

For Spanish-language instruction, IMAC (tel. 866/306-5040; www.spanish-school.com.mx) offers programs in Guadalajara and Playa del Carmen. The Spanish Institute (tel. 800/539-9710; www.spanishtoday.com) is affiliated with intensive Spanish language schools in Puebla and Mérida.

To explore your inner Frida or Diego while in Mexico, look into Mexico Art Tours, 1233 E. Baker Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282 (tel. 888/783-1331 or 480/730-1764; www.mexicanarttours.com). Typically led by Jean Grimm, a specialist in the arts and cultures of Mexico, these unique tours feature compelling speakers who are themselves respected scholars and artists. Itineraries include visits to Chiapas, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, and Veracruz. Special tours involve archaeology, architecture, interior design, and culture -- such as a Day of the Dead tour.

The Archaeological Conservancy, 5301 Central Ave. NE, Suite 402, Albuquerque, NM 87108 (tel. 505/266-1540; www.americanarchaeology.com), presents various trips each year led by an expert, usually an archaeologist. The trips change from year to year and space is limited; make reservations early.

ATC Tours and Travel, Av. 16 de Septiembre 16, 29200 San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chis. (tel. 967/678-2550 or -2557; fax 967/678-3145; www.atctours.com), a Mexico-based tour operator with an excellent reputation, offers specialist-led trips, primarily in southern Mexico. In addition to trips to the ruins of Palenque and Yaxchilán (extending into Belize and Guatemala by river, plane, and bus if desired), ATC runs horseback tours to Chamula or Zinacantán, and day trips to the ruins of Toniná around San Cristóbal de las Casas; birding in the rainforests of Chiapas and Guatemala (including in the El Triunfo Reserve of Chiapas); hikes to the shops and homes of textile artists of the Chiapas highlands; and walks from the Lagos de Montebello in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, with camping and canoeing. The company can also prepare custom itineraries.

Adventure & Wellness Trips

AMTAVE (Asociación Mexicana de Turismo de Aventura y Ecoturismo, A.C.) is an active association of ecotourism and adventure tour operators. It publishes an annual catalog of participating firms and their offerings, all of which must meet certain criteria for security, quality, and training of the guides, as well as for sustainability of natural and cultural environments. For more information, contact AMTAVE (tel. 55/5688-3883; www.amtave.org).

The California Native, 6701 W. 87th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (tel. 800/926-1140 or 310/642-1140; www.calnative.com), offers small-group deluxe 7-, 8-, 9-, 11-, and 14-day escorted tours through the Copper Canyon. Many trips visit the towns of Batopilas, Urique, and Tejeban as well as the customary destinations of Creel, El Fuerte, Divisadero, Chihuahua, and Cerocahui. The guides are known throughout the area for their work with the Tarahumara Indians. They also cover Chiapas, the Yucatán, and Baja California.

Mexico Travel Link Ltd., 300-3665 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5R 5W2 Canada (tel. 604/454-9044; fax 604/454-9088; www.mexicotravel.net), runs adventure, cultural, and sports tours to Mexico City and surrounding areas, Baja, Veracruz, the Copper Canyon, the Maya Route, and other destinations.

Trek America, P.O. Box 189, Rockaway, NJ 07866 (tel. 800/873-5872; www.trekamerica.com), organizes lengthy, active trips that combine trekking, hiking, van transportation, and camping in the Yucatán, Chiapas, Oaxaca, the Copper Canyon, and Mexico's Pacific coast, and a trip that covers Mexico City, Teotihuacán, Taxco, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco.

Food & Wine Trips

If you're looking to eat your way through Mexico, sign up with Culinary Adventures, 6023 Reid Dr. NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 (tel. 253/851-7676; fax 253/851-9532; www.marilyntausend.com). It specializes in a short but select list of cooking tours in Mexico. Culinary Adventures features well-known cooks, with travel to regions known for excellent cuisine. The owner, Marilyn Tausend, is the author of Cocinas de la Familia (Family Kitchens), Savoring Mexico (Williams-Sonoma), and Mexican (Williams-Sonoma), and co-author of Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook (Palazuelos).

Volunteer & Working Trips

For numerous links to volunteer and internship programs throughout Mexico involving teaching, caring for children, providing health care, feeding the homeless, and doing other community and public service, visit www.volunteerabroad.com.