Having just gotten back from an all-inclusive (I think that brings my grand total to 4?) I reflected on what it’s like going to one in your 30s now vs when I first went to one when I was in my 20s and what’s different.

20s

I remember my first all-inclusive. I was about 24 and my friend wanted to run a half-marathon in the Bahamas and he wanted a friend to join. I definitely didn’t want to run a half-marathon but I did want to escape the awful Canadian winter and go somewhere warm for a bit. Other people had done it. Sure, it was insanely expensive but maybe it was worth it for a bit of sun.

I agreed to go, even though parting with that amount of money at the time was excruciating, and I prepared my beach body. Getting to the Bahamas in temperature that was over 20C in what’s usually -20C in Canada was a magical experience. It felt like a breath of fresh air. It was definitely an experience to savour and I was pretty happy with my decision. Besides, all my friends were jealous.

The thing about spending that amount of money when you’re so young and (if you were like me) don’t have a lot of money at the time, is that you need to get your money’s worth. You gotta go and you gotta make sure you do, eat, and try everything. Anybody who’s been to all you can eat sushi in their 20s will say the same thing (even if the amounts for these things are not comparable).

Because the food at resorts is mostly buffet-style (except for the a la carte restaurants which can definitely be hit or miss) it was important to stock up on…well everything. Beach body went out the window in the name of making sure I squeezed every last cent out of the trip. And of course, I had to try every drink and to make sure I had a drink at all times. I was particularly a fan of the “sweet tea” which in retrospect was black tea with probably an insane amount of sugar.

I did not do any excursions off the resort since that seemed like a waste of money and would mean a day at the resort (that was already paid for) was lost. I did do several of the activities on the resort (well…as many as a shier version of myself at that time would do) and those were actually a lot of fun and I found them fairly underused. Nobody was doing the cool trampoline activity or really playing any of the sports.

Coming back from the resort I was convinced that they were fun and mostly worthwhile but I didn’t like the fact that my health took a hit because I felt like I needed to eat my costs (literally) to make it worthwhile. That’s a difficult place to be in for someone like me who likes to prioritize health.

30s

Fast forward and going to a resort in my 30s was very different. It was still enjoyable and even though it’s usually not my first option since I don’t drink as much these days, it was still nice to be catered to. I appreciated waking up every day, grabbing a latte from the bar, and just hanging out on the balcony enjoying the view of the ocean (pictured below).

While I did love the buffets available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I didn’t feel as much that I needed to eat everything I could to justify the costs. The first day I wanted to try absolutely everything, but after a couple of days you figure out what the best options are and then you kind of just stick to those. Trying the a la carte restaurants was also nice, but those were hit or miss.

It’s nice grabbing the occasional drink and relaxing on the beach but I definitely did not feel the need to binge drink. It was kind of nice since the mornings are my favourite part of the day and it’s hard to appreciate them when you’re hung over and hate life.

I participated in beach volleyball where I had a lot of fun most days and went to the gym on an almost regular basis. I figured being on vacation didn’t mean I had to destroy the healthy lifestyle habits that I had built, especially if it was convenient to keep on top of them. I kind of discovered that the vacation can be a bit freeing as you don’t have to cook your own meals or clean up after yourself, but you could still enjoy your daily habits like going to the gym and reading.

Conclusion

Ultimately I’m not sure if the changes are a result of the difference in money I have now vs back then or if it’s just based on life changes, or both, but I still had a great time. Just in a different way. I’d still want to go in the future since all-inclusives are so convenient, if not wasteful, but I also wouldn’t be opposed to just going back to a hotel in Mexico and maybe doing everything for myself.