7-Night Mexican Cruise from Los Angeles from $199 ($28/Night)

Well, with the colder weather approaching, there's no better time for warm thoughts of a nice cruise. Right now, Travelocity has a deal showing for a 7-night cruise to Mexico aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines starting as low as $199 -- or just $28 a night. The meals alone would be worth more than that.

That's for an inside cabin, but an oceanview is as little as $249.

The ship is the Norwegian Star and the itinerary is Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Los Angeles. Sailings are available Oct 17th, 24th, 31st; Nov 7th, 14th; Dec 19th; Jan 30th; Mar 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th; Apr 3rd. Some prices vary depending on the dates.

This would be a nice price for a 3-night or 4-night cruise, but for seven nights it's really a deal. To check it out, click this link.

Roundtrip to Australia from Many U.S. Cities as Low as $659 (San Francisco)

Looking to vacation down under? If you have been hoping to get to Australia, this deal found at Travelocity may put it within reach. They have a special airfare being offered by VAustralia Airlines, with roundtrips starting at as little as $659 roundtrip.

Fares are available for booking by September 2nd and travel is valid through Deecmber 15th (remember, that will be when it's warm down there).

They also make it easy to pick your favorite place in Australia to visit -- the price for three different destinations (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) is the same for every departure city.

Some esamples of roundtrip fares to Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne:
- San Francisco $659
- Las Vegas $709
- Los Angeles $759
- Seattle $799
- Dallas/Fort Worth $819
- New York $840
- Chicago $859
- Atlanta $889

These fares don't include the airport and security fees that are tacked on to airfares.

To check out the fares, dates and other departure cities, click Fly Round-Trip from $659 on VAustralia Airlines.

United Airlines Sale -- Roundtrips from $100

Fort anyone making travel plans in the U.S. for late-summer travel, you may want to check out a sale Travelocity has posted for United Airlines. They have roundtrips available for travel between August 17th and September 7th, with prices as low as $100. The special fares have be booked by July 19th.

The listing shows all sorts of departure cities and destinations, so you can really find a lot of combinations. The sale prices in the 48 states are good for Tuesdays and Wednesdays; for hawaii it's good all days.

This is a short-term sale, so if you want to check it out, you should do it quickly. Just click Nationwide sale: Fly roundtrip on United From $100.

Europe Roundtrip from $445 on SAS Scandinavian Airlines

Looking to go to Europe later in the summer? You can still get some great deals -- better than many summer fares when rates have typically gone much higher. Right now there's a sale Travelocity has found on SAS Scandinavian Airlines. Even though the name refers to Scandinavia, you can use these sales to fly all over Europe.

They have roundtrip fares as low as $445, and just to check out some possibilities I checked Newark to Milan for late August, and including all the security/airport fees and taxes it came to just under $588.00.

There are all sorts of U.S. departure points available. Tickets must be purchased by July 14th and travel is valid from August 17th to October 24th, 2009. A Saturday-night minimum stay is required.

To check out this sale and see what European adventures may await you, click Fly Roundtrip from $445 on Scandinavian Airlines.

AirTran Sale -- One-Way Fares from $39

Here's yet another airfare sale on top of the ones I posted yesterday. Travelocity is showing a sale on AirTran with one-way fares as low as $39.00.

Obviously the lowest prices are for short-haul trips such as Milwaukee to/from St. Louis, but there are good deals all over the place, such as Miami to/from Philadelphia for $59.00 or San Francisco to/from New York at $119.00.

Their listing has a ton of departure cities so you can check all the sale destinations from your nearest airport(s).

Tickets must be purchased by July 9th and all travel must be completed by November 11th, 2009. A 10-day advance purchase is required. The lowest priced fares are valid for travel Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, although they also have reduced fare prices for Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays too. The prices shown don't include the security/airport fees and taxes.

To take a look at all the AirTran choices, click Hotspots, Cool Prices on AirTran! (Expires 7/9)

Frontier Airlines Fare Sale -- Roundtrips as Low as $68

Travelocity has sent out a note about a sale going on over at Frontier Airlines. They have cut their fares for a lot of western cities, with roundtrip fares starting as low as $68. Obviously the lowest fares are for the shortest distances, but if you're traveling around the Western U.S., you can find a lot of unique departure/destination combos included with some great prices.

Tickets must be purchased by July 14th and travel is valid August 10th until January 15th, 2010. The sale fares are good for travel Tuesdays and Wednesdays and a 14-day advance purchase is required.

You can fly between Denver and Colorado Springs for $68, or between Denver and either Omaha or Salt Lake City for $88 roundtrip.

But the list is much longer and worth checking out.

The prices don't include security and airport fees/taxes.

To take a look at this fare sale, click Domestic Flight Deals on Frontier Airlines

Sale on AirTran with Fares from $39.00 Each Way

Travelocity has announced a fare sale through AirTran airlines, with tickets as low as $39.00 roundtrip on some shorter routes and nice prices on some long ones too. The sale is for travel through November 4th and the lowest prices are for travel Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A 10-day advance purchase is required and tickets must be issued by June 11th. Blackout dates are June 26-28; and July 2-3, 5-6.

As examples, Charlotte NC to/from Atlanta GA is just $39.00, as is Charleston SC to/from Atlanta. Baltimore to/from Charlotte is also $39.00. Boston and Baltimore are also paired up at $39.00. They have great deals from all sorts of departure cities around the country, so if you're planning any travel the next few months it may be worth checking out the deals available near you.

The prices shown don't include those pesky airport/security fees and taxes (but those are tacked on whether you find sales fares or pay full price so that doesn't affect the savings).

To check out all the possibilities click Have Budget, Will Travel! One-Way Flights from $39 on AirTran! Expires 6/11/09.

Alaska Airlines Sale - From Western States to Western Canada, Alaska, Hawaii - Flights from $109 Each Way

Travelocity has sent out a sale they've got for Alaska Airlines with lots of options for people who live in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Montana (and maybe other western states too). There's a sale going on with airfares into western Canada, into Alaska and even to Hawaii for travel between June 1st and June 15th. Tickets must be purchased by May 31st but a 7-day advance purchase is needed.

Some examples of one-way prices include:
Fresno, CA to/from Kelowna, BC: $169
Ketchikan, AK to/from Missoula, MT: $239
Seattle, WA to/from Lihue, HI $199
Eugene, OR to/from Fresno, CA: $149
Phoenix, AZ to/from Helena, MT $199
Missoula, MT to/from Calgary, AB $179
Walla Walla, WA to/from Sitka, AK $249
Wenatchee, WA to/from Victoria, BC $109

These one-way fare prices don't include those pesky airport and security taxes/fees. The sale doesn't cover too long a period, but if you want to explore Alaska or the great northwest, or if you're there but want a Hawaiian escape, check out the sale and see what prices you can find.

Just click Alaska and Beyond Sale: One-Way Flights starting at only $109

Back from Vegas and Ready for Deals

Got back from a quick trip to Vegas where my wife had a conference to attend. Since our dates weren't flexible, it was a bit limited on the deals we could get, but there were deals to be had nonetheless.

We used Travelocity to find airfares and the best deal was one that used different airlines for the flights coming and going. I think that's something we couldn't have arranged ourselves by going directly through the airlines' websites.

Hotels.com gave us a nice deal with our hotel stay. They had a selection of hotels where the third night was free. But what was extremely nice about that is that it wasn't that the cheapest night was free, it was that the third night was free. So while our room for Thursday night came to about $68 before taxes, our $148 Saturday night room was free! Very nice indeed.

Also found a nice deal on a rental car, using a coupon code from one of the sites that comes up when you enter 'coupons' in a google search. It was a code that offered 40% off Avis rates that you could find on their website, and the total ended up coming down to $16 per day (plus taxes and fees). The representative at the rental counter wondered how we got the rate, remarking it was even less than employees pay. Even with all the fees and taxes, the final total was not much more than two roundtrips by taxi might have cost, and certainly less than it would have cost my wife to go back and forth to the conference from the hotel where we stayed.

While in Vegas, I kept my eye open for deals, coupons books and other offers -- I stayed away from any of the timeshare promoters who offer freebies if you'll listen to their sales pitches. But there were lots of other deals around to make the trip more enjoyable. There are spots along the Strip where you can pick up tickets for that evening's shows at discounts of 25% to 50% -- and in one of the coupon books you can pick up in distribution boxes along the street, there was a coupon to save $2.00 off the $5.00 service charge. So my wife and I were able to get two seats to a show for barely more than one ticket might have cost at the box office.

Going into some of the casinos, particularly the less elaborate ones, there always seemed to be coupons to pick up for some great discounts. Some of them require you to join the casino's Player's Club while others are just offers they have available to attract people. At Casino Royale they had coupons for Buy-One-Get-One-Free $1.00 Margaritas if you joined their club. They also had freebie coupons anyone could pick up for a for Buy-One-Get-One-Free Ice Cream at Baskin Robbins. Bill's Casino had 99¢ margaritas on sale (no club membership needed). The street coupon books had discounts on meals and shows, like $5.00 off a $20.00 meal at Planet Hollywood Restaurant (which strangely enough isn't at the Planet Hollywood Casino -- it's in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace).

The Strip is also filled with those free sights that are fun to experience that don't cost a dime, such as the Bellagio's dancing water display, the Sirens of TI show, the Lions at MGM and others. It's also fun to walk around and see the Eiffel Tower at the Paris and stroll a bit further and see the Statue of Liberty at New York New York.

Let's just say that Las Vegas is one of those places you can find lots to do while stretching your dollars to get more than you'd expect for the money. The more flexibility you have when planning your trip the better your chance to score big savings (i.e. if you can book a trip well in advance around dates that airfares are best; midweek hotel prices are way less than weekends). But whenever you go, there are ways to still have a great time and save a bit along the way.

Airfare Sale for Denver -- As Low As $78 Roundtrip

Have travel plans involving Denver? Maybe you have friends or family there whom you'd like to visit. Or maybe you live there and would like to take a trip somewhere. Well, there's a quick airfare sale Travelocity has found on Frontier Airlines, with roundtrips as low as $78 (to/from Albuquerque). They have cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle for $138 roundtrip.

Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, May 13th and travel is valid through November 4, 2009. A 10-day advance purchase is required and the sale fares are valid for travel Tuesday and Wednesday.

To take a look and see what airfares might be available near you, click Denver Sale: Flight deals from $78+ Roundtrip.

Hotel Discount Offers at Travelocity

If you have travel plans coming up around the country, saving a bit on hotels can only help your budget, right. Travelocity is already a good place to search for a variety of hotels to compare prices but right now they are also offering extra savings on stays of two, three or four nights, depending on the city. Each city has its own promo code

For example, you can book a three-night stay in Las Vegas (where many hotels are running lower rates than ever) and get back an additional $25.00. For Boston, you can get $25.00 extra savings on stays of two nights. And Seattle and San Francisco locations get you an extra $50.00 off four-night stays.

These codes expire July 31st, so even if you don't have plans finalized now, remember to check these out whenever you're making some travel plans to any of these cities.

To check out hotel availability, dates etc., click the links below and remember to use the promo code when booking.

Take $25 Off Las Vegas Hotel Stays of 3+ Nights: Use LASVEG25 at Checkout

Save $50 on San Francisco Vacations of 4+ nights: Use Promo Code SFO50NOW

Take $25 Off Boston Hotel Stays of 2+ Nights: Use Code BOSTON25 at Checkout

Take $50 Off Seattle Hotel Stays of 4+ Nights! Use Promo Code SEATTLE50

Australia Roundtrip from West Coast from $640; from New York from $840

Australia has always had a pull for many people who want to travel to exotic destinations. If you've ever had that hope, finding a great airfare deal may be just what you need to make it happen. Right now, Travelocity has found fares on Qantas from Los Angeles or San Francisco from $640 roundtrip. If you are on the East Coast, you can fly from New York starting at $840 roundtrip.

These fares include fuel surcharges but the airport and security fees/taxes are additional.

You can pick any of these destinations in Australia for the same fare: Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. The fares are valid for travel May 5th to June 15th and from July 20th - December 9th, 2009. No minimum stay is required. Tickets must be purchased no later than May 5th.

Qantas flights feature:
- Personal seatback video screens in every seat.
- Complimentary food & wine in all travel classes.
- 400+ audio & video on demand entertainment options

Anyway, if you have a wont or need to visit "down under" during those periods, click here to search for flights and dates. Remember, these fares expire on Tuesday, May 5th.

p.s. These are long flights, so I would really suggest the "creature comforts" of the "faux first class kit" I've suggested in this blog -- noise-canceling headphones, comfortable eye patch, neck pillow and the First Class Sleeper seat cushion -- so you can arrive just a bit more comfortably.

Chicago Roundtrip to Dublin $294 on American Airlines -- Other Cities on Sale Too

If you live in the Windy City and want to get away to the Emerald Isle, there's a special sale going on right now at American Airlines. Travelocity has listed a bunch of special fares to Europe for a variety of U.S. departure cities. The low price in the deal is Chicago-Dublin at $294! That would be a great price from the East Coast, but from the Midwest it's even nicer.

They have all sorts of departures and destinations with low sale prices as well:
- Philadelphia to/from London $336
- Phoenix to/from Manchester $364
- San Francisco to/from Frankfurt $376
- Washington, DC to/from Barcelona $384
- Los Angeles to/from Frankfurt $404
- St. Louis to/from Madrid $418

Government security and airport fees are additional to the fare prices shown. Tickets must be purchased by March 26th. Fares are valid for outbound travel through May 24th and all travel must be complete by June 24, 2009.

To check out these prices and find any other city pairs that interest you, click Europe Deals in Bloom: Fly roundtrip from $294 on American Airlines

Hotel Sale -- Save Up to 50% at W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin or Four Points

If you're traveling over the next six months and want to stay at a stylish hotel while saving on your travel budget, here's a deal you may want to check. Travelocity has uncovered a deal where you can get up to 50% off at the Starwood chain of hotels. That includes the luxurious line of W Hotels, as well as Westin, Four Points and Sheraton too.

Deals include such hotspots as the W Hotel in Manhattan, the Westin in Maui, plus many international destinations like Rome, Cancun and Hong Kong. Just book by March 23rd and take up to 50% off stays through September 7, 2009. These incredible savings are valid on hundreds of participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts in America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Availability is limited, so if you have any travel plans you can firm up, now might be a good time to take advantage.

To check it out, click Starwood Limited Time Offer: Sheraton, Westin, Four Points and W hotels featuring exclusive rates up to 50% off.

American Airlines Sale Till Monday, March 16th -- Roundtrip Airfares as Low as $80; New York to/from San Francisco or San Jose at $236

If you have any travel plans coming up over the next two months or so, it might be worth your while to check out the quick special fare sale going on at American Airlines. Travelocity is showing roundtrip fares as low as $80 (Dallas-Tulsa), with lots of other city pairs available at attractive prices (St. Louis-Nashville at $92, Minneapolis-Chicago $90, San Francisco-Orange County $84).

If you're flying coast-to-coast, they have great fares too: Washington D.C.-Orange County is at $200, New York-San Francisco to New York-San Jose is $236, and San Diego-Tampa is $210, among many other choices.

These fares don't include the government security and airport fees. The tickets must be purchased by March 16th. Travel is valid through May 20, 2009 and a 14-day advance purchase is required. The lowest fares are valid for travel Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. March 28th is blacked out, as are April 4th and 11th.

This is a quick sale, but there are lots of travel choices. To check them out, click It's the Luck of the Irish! Save green on American Airlines: Round-Trip flights from $80! > Expires 3/16/09

West Coast to Asia from $600 Roundtrip; from New York Starting at $710 Roundtrip

Have a yen to visit Asia? You can plan a really nice trip on China Airlines for some lower prices than you might expect. Fares from the West Coast start as low as $600 to some destinations. If you happen to be on the East Coast, flights from New York are as low as $710 to some locations.

When you consider the distance you're flying, that's a lot of mileage for your bucks.

Here are some examples (roundtrip):
- Los Angeles to Bangkok or Hong Kong: $600
- Los Angeles to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City: $690
- San Francisco to Chiang Mai or Phuket: $690
- Los Angeles to Phnom Penh or Singapore: $710
- New York to Manila or Hong Kong: $710

There are lots of other destinations, including India -- and there are also special airfares to Australia, if you want to go down under.

These prices don't include the airport/security fees and taxes. Tickets must be purchased by April 15, 2009 and fares are valid for weekday travel (Monday-Thursday) through May 20, 2009. No advance purchase is required, a very nice feature, and a maximum stay of two months is permitted.

If the exotic destination is something that's calling you, this may be a great chance to do it without blowing your budget. To take a look, click Asia and Australia Sale: Fly Round-Trip on China Airlines from $600

3-Night Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Sky $99; 4-Night Cruise $109

Looking for a quick break from winter's cold? How about a short cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky?

Right now, Travelocity has three-night Bahamas cruises roundtrip from Miami available for $99 inside cabin for a number of sailings in December, January and early February. Outside cabins are just $20 more at $119, and rooms with balcony are just $199. These cruises stop at Nassau in the Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay. Sailings at these prices are for December 12, 19, 26; January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; February 6.

They also have four-night cruises available on the Norwegian Sky too. This adds Freeport to the itinerary shown above. For a number of sailings, inside cabins are $109 and outside cabins are $139. The highlight price is balconies on these sailings are $159 (yes, less for a 4-night balcony than the 3-night balcony). Sailings at these prices are for December 8, 15, 29; January 5, 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9.

Both of these cruises are for departures out of Miami.

So if you'd like to leave the cold weather behind for a bit and check out one of these cruises (or many others offered at Travelocity), click Just Reduced!! Sail on Norwegian Cruise Line, The Youngest Feet at Sea, From $99!! and then click on the Bahamas box.

Airfare Sale on AirTran -- Book by November 20th -- Holiday Possibilities

AirTran is holding a sale on airfares booked over the next two days. The prices are attractive but I wanted to point this one out also because it may offer some options for people who want to travel over Christmas time. Many airfare blackout periods span from about December 19th through the end of the year, but the blackout dates on AirTran are a bit more scattered, so you might be able to use these lower airfares and travel for your Christmas needs.

Their blackout dates are as follows: December 20, 23-24, 26-28, and January 3-4, 2009. So you could still get these discounts flying the 22nd and fly back the 29th.

The sale covers travel completed by February 11, 2009. Lowest sale fares are valid for travel on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Additional sale fares are valid for travel on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 14-day advance purchase is required and tickets have to be issued by November 20th.

To check on airfare possibilities, click One-Way Flights from $45 on AirTran! (Expires 11/20/08) .

Other Airfare Sale Options for Europe: Aer Lingus, Lufthansa

Also read my earlier post about airfare sales on British Airways if booked by November 13th.

A little while ago I posted about airfares to Europe on British Airways. They had some low fares, the possibility of a free stopover in London, and that fares to the non-London destinations were identical for each departure city. Those deals are quite good, but in doing a bit more looking, there are also special offers on Lufthansa and Aer Lingus. In some cases the British Air fares may be the lowest, but for some departure/destination combinations you could do better flying one of these other two carriers.

Keep in mind, you should compare the final price after all the airport/security fees since those can vary based on airports.

Lufthansa has fares as low as $197 each way from New York to London, and they have departures available from sixteen other U.S. cities. Besides London, destinations include Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, Munich and Milan. Unlike the British Airways offer, each city pair has a different fare. In some cases you might be able to fly for less on Lufthansa.

For example, Seattle/London is available for $244, Seattle/Frankfurt for $268 and Seattle/Paris for $293, but the other Lufthansa destinations cost more than the same spots on British Air.

Likewise, Houston/Milan is available for $234, Houston/London for $241, Houston/Frankfurt for $256 and Houston/Munich for $288. But their Houston/Madrid ($315) and Houston/Paris ($348) is more than British Airways' $289.

These are one-way prices, and as mentioned the airport/security fees are additional.

And Travelocity is showing Aer Lingus with some special fares available as well. Some of them are higher than the British Airways and Lufthansa ones, but some others are really special and offer the best price.

For example, they show Chicago to Rome available at $381 roundtrip, compared to $558 roundtrip on British Airways. Chicago to Amsterdam roundtrip is $515 and to Paris is $521 on Aer Lingus but $558 on British. Yet British Airways is cheaper than Aer Lingus' prices for Chicago/Madrid or Chicago/Prague ($575).

Aer Lingus also has some great airfares if you want to visit Ireland, particularly from Washington, DC ($349 roundtrip).

The lowest airfares are weekdays, with weekend fares higher. The blackout dates for Aer Lingus are December 18th-25th; for Lufthansa it's December 12th-24th. Travel on Aer Lingus is through March 10th; for Lufthansa it's for departures through April 2nd.

Lufthansa must be booked by November 19th; Aer Lingus by November 30th.

I'm posting this to give you the most options if you're thinking of a trip to Europe. Depending on your departure point, you can compare these three (British, Lufthansa and Aer Lingus) and see how the numbers play out. As I mentioned, don't forget to check the comparisons after they've added in all the fees/taxes so you can see the real bottom-line prices.

To see the special airfares on Lufthansa, click this link. For Travelocity's Aer Lingus information, click here.

See the Mediterranean and Cruise Back to the U.S. for Little More Than a Return Flight -- 13-Night Cruise $399 Inside Cabin; $599 Oceanview

Want to top off a European trip with some extra style? If you can add a bit of time to get back to the U.S. instead of just hopping on a plane back, here's an interesting alternative. Travelocity has a a 13-night cruise on the Norwegian Gem that starts in Barcelona, makes some stops in the Mediterranean, and then crosses to Atlantic returning you to New York City.

The sailing of November 16th-29th has some prices that'll make your jaw drop. They have inside cabins at just $399, about what you might expect to pay for a flight back from Europe to the U.S. (and only about $30 a night). To get an oceanview cabin, it's available at $599, still less than $50 a night. They also have balconies at $799 and suites at $999, which are still real bargains for a cruise of this length.

The itinerary for the cruise is:
Depart Barcelona, Spain
Villefranche (Nice), France
Livorno (Florence), Italy
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
Ajaccio, Corsica
Six days crossing the Atlantic
New York City

So you get the cruise experience, stops in Italy, France and Spain, and a relaxed way to come back to the States... ooh la la!

Included:
Shipboard Accommodations, Meals, Some Beverages, Onboard Entertainment and Daily Activities, Port Charges, 24-Hour Room Service
Not Included:
Shore Excursions, Personal Expenses, Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Specialty Restaurants, Spa Treatments, Some Taxes
Optional Add-ons:
Flights, Hotels, Transfers, Insurance

If this would make your European trip a more complete vacation and you'd like to check more details click this link.