A silver lining to the bad economy: high supply means lower prices. Here are some deals for this holiday season and beyond for those of you who have a little extra pocket cash and want to get away:
Europe: When I was there this summer, the dollar was teetering on buying 1.60 euros…now it is more like 1.25!
If you book a flight on Lufthansa by November 19 here are some of the one-way prices based on a round trip ticket:
BOSTON – LONDON: $212
NEW YORK – AMSTERDAM: $263
SEATTLE – PARIS : $327
SAN FRANCISCO – BUDAPEST: $336
If you're in more of a tropical mood (the coldest place I've ever been in winter is Germany…so there's one caveat about Europe in winter. Consider other countries that time of year!!) Hawaii is on sale!!! I like it because you are staying in America, and right now the travel industry could use your money.
I'm not big on package deals, but some are really good and worth investigating – check out Pleasant Holidays if you have children. Kids 17 and younger stay for free in their 3 night hotel and air fare packages.
**3 nights in Maui could cost you $615, that includes air fare from San Francisco!
For a look at more travel suppliers for Hawaii, go to gohawaii.com.
Other deals to think about:
South Africa is a bargain right now!! It is always expensive getting there, but once you are there the dollar buys more than 10 rand right now – a year ago a dollar bought about 6. SO that means your hotel and meals will be cheaper.
Australia – 1 US dollar = about 1.5 Australian dollars.
If you just want to visit Grandma this holiday season – flights are averaging $240-$350…remember to try and book the first flight of the day to avoid flights backing up due to weather…and try to travel on off'days – Thanksgiving morning the planes are usually pretty empty!
Happy travels 
