The vacation packages featured by Costco Travel make a familiar, super-sized promise to Costco shoppers: You can save by prioritizing quality and buying in bulk. And for value-seeking travelers looking for a little bit of luxury, the wholesale giant delivers.

These vacation packages, which generally include posh accommodations, select meals and ground transportation, aren't available at bargain-barrel rates. But they're quick to book and competitively priced. For some, they might be the most cost-efficient ticket to a lavish getaway. Here’s everything you need to know about Costco Travel.

How does Costco Travel work?

Costco Travel is a website that allows Costco members to purchase vacation packages, hotels, cruises and rental cars. These vacation packages, which can include posh accommodations, select meals and ground transportation, aren't available at bargain-barrel rates. But they're easy to book and competitively priced. For some, they might be the most cost-efficient ticket to a lavish getaway.

Can you use Costco Travel without a membership?

To book one of these vacation packages, you need to provide a Costco membership number at checkout. Memberships start at $60 a year, plus tax. With the Gold Star Executive membership, which costs $120 a year, you'll get additional Costco Travel benefits and 2% back (up to $1,000 in annual rewards) on qualifying Costco, Costco.com and Costco Travel purchases.

Is Costco Travel worth it?

With a vacation package booked through Costco Travel — which also offers a la carte booking services for hotels, theme parks, car rentals and cruises — you can visit destinations like Rome, Paris, Cancun and many others.

Ginka Poole visits St. Lucia during a trip booked through Costco. (Photo courtesy of Ginka Poole)

Book all the reservations at once

On the Costco Travel website, it's possible to book a full itinerary — even including the car ride from the airport to your hotel — in just a few minutes. For Ginka Poole of Nashville, Tennessee, this was a big draw.

“For a vacation, it’s good to kind of turn your brain off for a while and not have to worry,” says Poole, a travel blogger and photographer. “You pick your destination, and there aren’t too many other choices you need to make.”

She used the service to purchase a trip to St. Lucia, a Caribbean island, with her husband. The package she bought, which cost about $6,000 for a weeklong stay, included ground transportation, the resort stay, breakfast every day, first-class flights and a credit for a tour.

The benefits and accommodations are top-notch

Say you booked a seven-day vacation package from San Francisco to London and Paris for two. For $4,900, you'd get these goodies:

Nonstop economy flights

Transportation to and from the airport

A superior queen room in a London hotel with a daily English breakfast, three-course dinner for two, champagne afternoon tea service and an appointment with the hotel concierge

A $400 tour credit in London

Standard premier railway tickets from London to Paris

A premium room in a Paris hotel with a daily breakfast buffet

To be sure, you could easily book a similar trip for less than $4,900 if you nixed some of those extras. But you'd be hard-pressed to find the same level of amenities and benefits at a lower price on other travel aggregators.