It's a weird time for travel. The tanking economy in the U.S. means that, among other things, travel in some cases is getting cheaper (the fuel surcharges aren't as expensive) but that doesn't necessarily mean you have more money to spend. In the case of London, however, the dollar is rising against the pound, regaining some of its losses.
In light of this, Virgin Vacations (tel. 888/937-8474; www.virginvacations.com), the travel arm of Virgin Atlantic Airways, has a three-night London Flight package priced from $549 -- slashed by $50 -- valid for travel January 1-February 25. A six-night fling is priced from $699, valid for travel January 1-25, and the company's UK Fly/Drive has been reduced to $549 for travel January 4-March 22. All of these trips are priced based on New York departures and include round-trip airfare, accommodations, daily breakfast, and hotel taxes and service fees. Fuel surcharges and security fees will add on about $140-$185 per person. You must book by December 22.
Upon booking you can peruse the different types of hotels available, from budget, tourist and standard to superior and deluxe categories, and a combination of chains (Holiday Inn Kensington Forum, for example) to Flemings Mayfair Hotel and even the Ritz London. If you want to use London as a hopping off point to other destinations, Virgin Vacations also has some packages that combine it with Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Edinburgh, or Dublin, with prices ranging from $929-$1,249.
