Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Liz Fleming
There may not be many things about the current state of the
economy that can make us feel festive, but the sudden
appearance of a plethora of cheap last-minute deals is one
happy note.
While websites like Expedia.com are well-known for their
bargoons, one you might not yet have discovered is
www.visitflorida.com/canada
.
The tourism folks in the sunny south love Canadians - 2.5
million of us visited last year - and they're more eager than
ever to lure our Canadian dollars down there this holiday
season. If you check their website (be sure to click on the
arrow to travel through all the deals for upcoming weeks)
you'll find not just substantial discounts on accommodations,
such as buy-three-get-one-night-free and reductions of as much
as 30-40 per cent on room rates, but also big price breaks on
admission fees for everything from snorkeling trips to manatee
swimming adventures.
Communities such as Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale host
watery parades. Coconut Creek hosts the Holiday Fantasy of
Lights featuring three miles of decorated trees and giant
animated displays, while Orlando now offers the new Chill
Lounge, with its 1,000 square foot ice bar. Visitors chill out
and sip vodka seated on chairs made of ice.
If you'd like to venture even further south for your holiday
season getaway, but want to keep the price down, visit the
Sunwing website at
www.sunwing.ca
any Tuesday afternoon from 3 p.m. until Wednesday at midnight
to check out their Wild Wednesday deals on last minute trips. A
recent special offered round trip flights to and from Jamaica
and accommodations at an upscale, beach front resort for almost
half-price. You'll need to be a bit flexible about making your
plans quickly, but the savings are certainly there.
Maybe this is the year to awaken the adventurer within and head
off to some truly exotic destination. If so, save some cash
while you're at it by visiting
www.intrepidtravel.com
Not only do they offer the opportunity to go off the beaten
track in such far-flung destinations as Africa and Asia, but
they also give discounts of 20 per cent on last-minute travel.
And their definition of "last-minute" stretches ahead for more
than a month, so you won't have to book, pack and race for the
airport on the same afternoon.
If you're thinking you want your holiday vacation to be a
little more traditional, why not take the family to one of the
thousands of small resorts in Canada's various cottage areas?
Book into a lodge that offers outdoor equipment such as
snowshoes, snowmobiles and cross-country skis to keep you busy,
and big, blazing hearths to keep you warm. Take a peek at
www.resorts-ontario.com
for some great ideas.
