The best winter travel destinations
By Aimee Markwardt
Who needs a sweaty beach when you have rolling white hills, rosy red cheeks, sparkling ice and a sleigh rides?
If you were dreaming of a white Christmas but Santa didn’t deliver it, consider fulfilling your fantasy in a wintertime vacation. Travel and Leisure magazine recently released a list of the prettiest winter towns. On the list: picturesque Blowing Rock, North Carolina; Jackson, Wyoming; Boseman, Montana; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Grafton, Virginia.
One of our all-time favorites is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The scenery here is exquisite. Skiing is top-notch. Visit Yellowstone National Park. Explore nature on snowshoes or in a snowmobile. This is the best of wintertime, wrapped up in one white blanket.
And the deals to Jackson Hole are plenty. Jacksonhole.net offers many package deals, even a winter adventure package for the non-skier. For the ski bums among us, stay slopeside at the Teton Village Hostel for four nights starting at $427 per person. This deal includes lift tickets and a private room, making it easily one of the best ski deals in the country.
If you’re wary of the crowds at popular ski destinations, like Aspen, Colorado, and hoping to score a great travel deal, consider USA Today’s top five off-peak winter destinations: Montreal, Sonoma County, Ireland, Prague and Sedona. Tourisme Montreal offers great winter deals through Dec. 31, such as half off your second night’s stay, plus a book of coupons worth $200.
If you’re not sure where you want to go this winter, check out the flash deals on Jetsetter.com. For example, Jetsetter recently offered lodging at the rustic-luxe log cabin, Rainbow Ranch in Big Sky, Montana, starting at $115 a night. The cabin, located on the Gallatin River, combines big-kid camping with high-end eating for a perfect winter getaway. Want to save more money? Tell your friends about Jetsetter and you earn $25 when they book their first trip.
Expedia.com offers a special collection of winter travel deals. Just visit the website and it automatically calculates the best deals from your current location. For example, $181 roundtrip to Vegas from Denver, or $540 for four nights lodging plus flight from Denver to San Diego, California.
Looking to save huge on Expedia.com? Check out this deal for $500 off vacation packages through Expedia.com when you book early, plus 7.5 percent cash back from Shopathome.com. Or sign up for Groupon getaways through Expedia and save $25 on your next hotel stay.
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