London or Paris in the Dead of Winter
No copywriter on Madison Avenue would ever write a headline like this.
Just remember that "dead" in this case refers to "slow season for tourism." It's sounding better now, isn't it?
In 2008-09, some of the best winter deals could come on trips to Europe. Your best chance at a good fare is to consider entering Europe in London, Dublin, Amsterdam or Frankfurt. These are large airports with good connections to budget airlines
Go-today.com offers six nights in London with airfare and a four-star hotel from $899 from New York for Jan. 8-Feb. 9. trips. It's quite a bit more than last year at this time, but you won't find airfare alone at this price any other time of year.
Ski where they give you the best deal
Daman-Nelson Travel is one of those Web sites where you can snag a great deal on the slopes--especially if you're not picky about where you want to go.
One offer: Seven days of late January skiing the Banff-Lake Louise area with accommodations at Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise from $889 USD/person double occupancy, and five days of lift tickets are included. Telluride in Colorado is offered for five nights and lift tickets from $644.
Speaking of Alberta, World On Skis offers Banff's Aspen Lodge from $389 USD/person, which includes four nights lodging, three days of lift tickets and daily breakfast. The deal is good Jan. 6-Feb. 1.
Winter in U.S. National Parks
In summer, places like Yellowstone and Zion National Parks can be bumper-to-bumper. Convenient and relatively low-cost lodges are often booked many months in advance. In winter, it's a much different story.
Death Valley is dangerously hot in summer and much more safely explored in winter. Furnace Creek Resort and Stove Pipe Wells both offer smaller crowds and a wide variety of activities.
Among the winter deals at Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hotel room rates starting at $85 USD for a room without a private bathroom or $115 with bath. Rates at the Snow Lodge are $191 for a lodge room, $140 for a Western Cabin or $94 for a Frontier Cabin, all with private bathrooms. Check out the learning programs available at Yellowstone in winter.
Zion National Park Lodge has winter lodging rates through March 15: Sunday-through-Thursday stay is $80 USD for a standard room, $90 for a western cabin and $110 for a suite. On Fridays and Saturdays, those rates are $95, $105 and $125.
Kasbah.com, is a good starting point for finding trips and fares, with links to European trips and condition reports.
Bargains at the Beach
These can be tricky, because warm weather destinations are in high demand. This usually means dodging blackout dates in which your otherwise perfect deal is invalid.
So if you're beach-bound, magnify that fine print and read it carefully.
CheapCaribbean.com offers a air/hotel deals in the Virgin Islands for trips from Jan. 1-March 31.
For holiday travel to Mexico and islands of the Caribbean, book as early as possible. Look for booking deadlines and consider how much more you'll pay when taxes and fees are added to these totals.
Beware: traveling in the off-season has its drawbacks. Some museums close sections for refurbishing. Smaller restaurants and hotels shut down completely. Research anything you want to see, making certain you'll be able to see it.
