[bav]

Everytime I've ever compared a package deal to just buying airfare and hotel and car separately, it was either the same price or cheaper to book separately. Doesn't hurt to look for package deals. But then compare against doing the reservations directly through the airlines, hotels, and car rental companies and compare. And if you book through the hotels directly, they don't make you prepay for your whole stay, AND you can keep checking back as your travel date approaches to see if the price drops and rebook at the lower rate if it does--I've saved $30/night by doing this after booking a month in advance at, say $110/night and then finding the online price listed at $80/night 2 weeks later.