Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Cheap Tickets For Spring Break

Newsday reports March 6:
Outdoor Adventure River Specialists has an entire catalog of family trips, some appropriate for children as young as four.

Outdoor Adventure River Specialists has an entire catalog of family trips, some appropriate for children as young as four.

What are you waiting for?

Spring Break is looming and you haven't planned a getaway. We're not talking a Big Trip -- a cruise, for example, or an adventure trip to Costa Rica, though, according to www.travelzoo.com, there are good last-minute deals to be had in Costa Rica.

We're talking about a few days of R&R with the kids (how about an indoor water park? Check out www.greatwolf.com; they have several locations around the country) that won't bust the budget and will solve the problem of what to do with the kids while they are off from school.

The kids, of course, have been telling you for weeks that everyone else in their class is heading off to someplace wonderful. Rest assured that you're not the only last-minute planners out there this spring. "We are getting tons of requests now for travel in March," says Jim Kackley, general manager of Thomson Family Adventures (www.familyadventures.com). He adds that Thomson is spending a lot of time trying to find space for everyone.

The good news: As long as you're flexible about your dates and even your destination, it's not too late for your gang to have some fun in the sun (or the snow, or the city). Invite along a friend for your tween or teen and even the simplest getaway will suddenly become an adventure.

You might even find a bargain. Book Tuesday through Thursday for the best rates, suggests Travel Zoo. Opt for a long city weekend and you'll save significantly at business hotels looking to fill rooms. (Check the sale at www.hotels.com, which offers 30 percent off at many hotels. You just have to book by April 7 for travel now through April 21, 2008.)

Let the deal be your guide. Cheap Tickets (www.cheaptickets.com), for example, offers a new deal every Tuesday. They've also launched a Spring Break Sale offering $75 off packages. Anytime you can book an air-car-hotel package you'll save money -- even to London. United Vacations (www.unitedvacations.com) is offering savings up to 30 percent on packages booked by March 31. (The best part is you can pay in dollars.) Opt for San Antonio (here's your chance to visit the Alamo) with a Spirit Airlines (www.spiritvacations.com) package to celebrate new daily service beginning mid April.

Here are my Spring Break picks to get you started:

BATTER UP: There's no better place for baseball lovers than in the stands watching their favorite team during Spring Training. Tickets are a lot cheaper, the atmosphere more relaxed than during the regular season and players might actually talk to the kids or give them an autograph. (Visit www.cactusleague.com for the teams playing in Arizona and www.floridagrapefruitleague.com for those training in Florida.) Stay at the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Sarasota (www.hyatt.com), where the Cincinnati Reds host the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies, among others, and save 20 percent off the best available hotel rate (use the code BBALL when booking).

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