For my article on weighted utilities of communication in decision making, I make a comparison of the important characteristics of vacations purchased as a package versus a self-directed vacation for summer 2014, for Hong Kong. I've never done a Hong Kong tour before because I live there, but I would always recommend people to self-manage their Hong Kong trip because you can do more and you're not always in a rush to follow the tour. package calendar. You are able to go places at your own pace and be relaxed. There are many advantages to organizing a self-directed holiday to Hong Kong rather than a package deal, which can lead to an enjoyable trip. I have consulted with five people who would be beneficial to the research involved in this article. The first person I consulted was my aunt because she works in a travel agency. So I wanted to know which packages were popular in today's society. I also talked to my mom and dad, my two yacht-owning friends, to get an estimate of how much gas the boat would need. With the help of these people listed, they were able to provide the information I needed. The criteria I will focus on include transportation, safety, food and a knowledgeable, child-friendly tour guide, weather, hotel, entertainment, shopping, fees and travel reputation. The five people I consulted felt that these eleven utilities were the most important and that the others that were not mentioned were not that important. Here are two tables below. The first table presents the different utilities that I thought about before consulting the 5 people I selected. The second table shows the top 11 utilities which was formed by discussing the trip with the 5 people, as well as the ranking...... middle of paper ...... me night entertainment. People can definitely do more if they manage their own travel. This trip to Hong Kong lasts 7 days and 6 nights. The two tables below show a breakdown of the costs if one were to travel with a travel package versus a self-directed arrangement. Overall, I think a self-directed trip to Hong Kong is very convenient and easy to do. Looking at the comparisons above, we can clearly see that this is a cheaper alternative and you can visit many more places than if you travel with a package. If someone asked me to go to Hong Kong, I would definitely recommend places they can go so they can plan their own itinerary of what they would like to do rather than sticking to such a stressful itinerary with an early wake-up call and take the tourist bus to get there. A self-managed agreement is more pleasant and workable.