It's Not Too Late to Grab a Last-Minute Holiday Getaway

If your New Year's resolution for 2009 is to travel more and to spend more time pampering yourself, why not get a slight head start: escape the cold and begin the New Year in style with a holiday season getaway. Traditionally, traveling during the late December and early January has always meant paying a premium for the luxury of getting on over-crowded flights and staying at hotels and resorts packed to capacity. But the silver lining to the ominous recession cloud is that many travel providers are forgoing the holiday season mark-up in favor of getting bottoms on seats and rooms filled. Although there may not be absolute bargains, prices seem to be reasonable and more importantly, there is still availability.

If you have the time and inclination, and you are one of these people who loves the thrill of putting together your own trip, then purchasing your airfare and accommodation separately may be a good way to save a few bucks. Alternatively, it you just want to set it and forget it, a package deal may be the best way to just book the thing and get it over and done with.

United Airlines (tel. 800/UNITED1; www.united.com) in having a Holiday Fare Sale for domestic and international flights during the Christmas/New Year period. Their website offers a color-coded calendar making it easier to identify the good, better and best days to travel to get the discounts. For example, December 24 and 25, 2008 are the considered the best days while December 30, 31, and January 1 are still deemed "better" days. There are a few conditions for domestic sectors, including a required seven- day advance purchase plus a three-night minimum stay is required and a maximum stay of 30 days is permitted. Sample round-trip fares include:

• Chicago to Detroit from $98
• Los Angeles to New York from $398
• New York to San Francisco from $250
• Orlando to Washington, D.C. from $198
• Boston to Denver from $358
• New York to Munich from $474
• Chicago to London from $446
• Boston to Rio de Janeiro from $736
• Baltimore to Athens from $712

International airfares must be purchased by December 15, 2008 for Atlantic destinations and December 12, 2008 for South America. Travel to Europe is valid for Monday to Thursday departures, with outbound travel before December 18, 2008 or between December 24, 2008 and April 2, 2009. For Argentina/Brazil, travel is valid on all days of the week before January 31, 2009.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) is also offering a Holiday Travel Airfare Sale with its low, lower, and lowest ratings on airfares between December 13 and 19, 21 and 31, 2008, or January 1 to 5, 2009. Tickets booked on their website must be purchased at least seven days prior to departure; a Friday-night, Saturday-night, or three-day minimum stay may be required. Again December 24 and 25, 2008 have the lowest fares and even highly coveted Florida destinations are part of the deal. A few one-way examples include:

• Chicago to Montreal from $326
• New York to Orlando from $178
• Washington, D.C. to Miami from $180
• Dallas to Memphis from $218
• Boston to Toronto from $272

Gate One Travel (tel. 800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com) is offering a nine-day Classic Costa Rica adventure departing on December 27, 2008 priced form $1,599 plus taxes. The trip includes round-trip flights from Miami to San Jose (with other departure cities available for additional cost); airline fuel surcharges; eight nights' accommodations (two each in San Jose, Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo); all transfers; breakfast daily; sightseeing in an air-conditioned motor coach; the services of English-speaking tour manager; and all entrance fees. Highlights include visits to Arenal Volcano, a Lake Arenal boat ride, the Las Pumas Cat Zoo, the beaches of Guanacaste, Sarchi, and a city tour of San Jose.

Gate One's seven-day Ecuador Explorer trip is priced from $1,439 per person plus taxes, departing on December 25, 2008. Included in the price are flights form Miami to Quito and returning from Guayaquil to Miami; airline fuel surcharges, six nights' first-class accommodations (two at the Hilton Colon in Quito, one at the Abraspungo Hotel in Riobamba, two at the El Dorado Hotel in Cuenca and the final night at Grand Hotel Guayaquil); all transfers; breakfast daily; two lunches; sightseeing; an English-speaking tour manager; and entrance fees. Enjoy city tours of Quito, Riobamba, Cuenca and Guayaquil; traveling the Pan-American Highway and visiting the Inca fortress-temple ruins of Ingapirca.

If you can be a little flexible with your dates, then Vacation Travel Holidays (tel. 877/336-8747; www.1877femtrip.com) and Apple Vacations offer a wide selection of last-minute holiday getaways to Mexico and the Caribbean from various cities across the country. Here's a sample of what's still on offer this week:

• Round-trip airfare to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, airport transfers and seven nights at the all-inclusive Allegro Nuevo Vallarta including all meals, tips, nightly entertainment and non-motorized water sports priced from $1,307 per person plus taxes out of Boston departing December 20, 2008
• Round-trip airfare to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, airport transfers and seven nights at the all-inclusive luxury Dreams Palm Beach Resort including all meals, tips, nightly entertainment and non-motorized water sports priced from $1,300 per person plus taxes out of Philadelphia departing December 22, 2008
• Round-trip airfare to Negril, Jamaica, airport transfers and seven nights at the all-inclusive Riu Negril Resort including all meals, tips, nightly entertainment and non-motorized water sports priced from $1,524 per person plus taxes out of Atlanta departing December 20, 2008

Sail the high seas this Christmas with availability on several Caribbean cruises and trans-Atlantic crossings at discounted prices through Cruise.com (tel. 800/300-4804; www.cruise.com):

• A seven day Western Caribbean cruise aboard Costa Cruise Lines' Costa Fortuna departs from Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday December 21, 2008 and visits Key West, Grand Cayman, Roatan, and Cozumel. A balcony cabin on the Vigo deck is priced from $749 plus taxes per person based on double occupancy. Ocean view and inside cabins are much less.
• A 17-day trans-Atlantic adventure awaits aboard MSC Cruises' Orchestra departing from Genoa, Italy on December 16, 2008. Visit Marseille (France), Barcelona (Spain), Casablanca (Morocco), Funchal (Portugal), Guadeloupe, St Thomas, and Puerto Rico before disembarking on January 2, 2009 in Ft Lauderdale. Balcony cabins start from $1,650 plus taxes per person.
• Depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 21, 2008 for a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. Visit Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, and St Thomas with an ocean-view cabin priced from $749 per person based on double occupancy.