On Holiday: Winter Travels featuring Melissa King
October 24, 2015
On Holiday: Winter Travels
If you’re looking to spend the year-ending holidays with your toes in the sand or celebrate the new year by carving down a mountainside, get your plans together early for the busiest travel time of the year.
The earlier the better — or you might be left out in the cold.
“Pricing for major holidays can be the first to sell out,” says Becky Adamson, team leader at Liberty Travel in Easton. “Anyone interested in traveling over one of the major ones — Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s — needs to start planning six or more months out. Really as soon as you can. While it’s possible to still find availability less than six months out, the price could be much higher.”
Adamson says Mexico and Jamaica continue to be popular choices among Lehigh Valley travelers.
“Despite what the media tells you, Mexico is still one of our most popular destinations when it comes to the Caribbean and Mexico,” Adamson says. “Jamaica is not that far behind it. Otherwise, we have seen an increase in people looking to tour Europe independently or people looking for Costa Rica and Panama.”
Caribbean sands are calling, especially during the colder months. “The trend that I am seeing is tropical,” says Melissa King of VIP Vacations Inc. in Bethlehem. “They mainly want to go to a warm, beautiful beach with great service.”
For those who prefer snow during their winter vacation, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, tops a lot of recommendations as the best place to ski in the country. Nonstop flights during peak ski season from a number of cities — including Newark, N.J. and New York City — makes it easier to get to than ever.
Joining Jackson Hole as popular spots to head “out West” are Lake Tahoe in California; Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada; Breckenridge, Colorado; Alta in Utah; and Vail in Colorado.
If you want to stay on East Coast snow, Whiteface Mountain in New York — the mountain used for the 1980 Olympics — is the highest skiable peak in the Eastern U.S. and the nearby town of Lake Placidis adorable. Killington, Vermont, with its six connected mountains and a seventh just a couple miles away, also makes for a thrilling ride. Yes, it is possible to ski all six mountains in one run and get done in time for cider around the bonfire at the bottom.
Whatever your plans, the key is to get moving on holiday travel plans early.
“The closer you get to travel, the prices might jump,” King says. “About six months out is a great time to get airfare. It’s always good to keep an eye out on the prices every day to ensure you are getting the best prices.”
Doell, Linda. “On Holiday: Winter Travels.” The Morning Call, 11 Aug. 2015, https://www.mcall.com/entertainment/food-drink/mc-indulge-on-holiday-winter-travels-story.html.
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