Travel deals await beyond Labor Day
Best-selling author, travel and lifestyle expert Mark Murphy is back and he says it's time to say goodbye to summer, but there's a silver lining. Travel prices dramatically drop after Labor Day so there are some great deals waiting for you.
To find out more about mark - check out his website:
Mark brought us a fabulous getaway destination - the all new TRS Coral luxury all-inclusive hotel in Costa Mujere! It's an adults-only destination and includes a 7-night stay with airfare for two! Go to Windycitylive.com and click on promotions for your chance to win!
To see TRS Coral Hotel, visit their website:
Here are the locations he talks about:
Grand Rapids Drive Vacation
For starters, it's one of the top beer cities in America, but it also has historic homes, a riverfront, and the chance to still enjoy Indian summer before the weather turns. Lots of trails to hike and bike, as well as the chance to do some kayaking or canoeing in the Grand River. Since it's about 3.5 hours from Chicago, you can get there in the morning and have a packed long weekend to boot.
Fly Domestically to Denver
The best time to travel to Denver is after the summer crowds have left, but the weather is still amazing. We are right on the cusp of that, with September and October offering great travel deals for air and hotel stays. For those who are active, take a ride out to Boulder and enjoy that beautiful town as part of your trip. Walk the main shopping district, go hiking, or enjoy a chill afternoon that will help you understand why it is considered the happiest place on earth. R/T air and 4 star hotels can be booked for 600-700 per person for a 5 night stay. There are a lot of choices this time of year so it's a preference of larger, branded hotels, B&B's that are adorable or new properties like the ART hotel.
Cruises
Go northwest to Alaska and book the Holland America Eurodam. The September 1st sailing has ocean view staterooms for less than $900 per person, a substantial drop from just a few weeks earlier. That's the key to travel and getting deals...go at the start of the slow season, while the weather is the same, but prices are down by more than 50% on average. Make sure you book the excursions that you want in advance. My insider tip is to book dog sledding and a helicopter ride that lands on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. You get out of the helicopter and walk on an actual glacier!
International
Option 1: Krakow Poland is a gem that is undiscovered by most Americans who think about travel to Europe. In fact, the same holds true for most first and second time travelers to Europe.
The historic plaza at the center of Krakow is where you're going to want to be, with horse drawn carriages, historic architecture and an archaeological dig all in the same spot. Underneath the current market in the center, archaeologists discovered the old market and began to excavate that. Today, you can go underground and get an idea of what the city was like hundreds and thousands of years before. In addition, you'll want to make time to get out and explore a salt mine, where you won't believe what you'll find hundreds of feet underground...a chapel!
As part of any trip to Krakow, you'll have to put visiting the concentration camps into your itinerary. It won't be pleasant, but it will be an important experience for any traveler. Auschwitz one and two will be part of that experience and will give you a first hand look at the horrors that took place less than a hundred years ago.
Note: I should add, that a trip to Poland should be combined with another European country or a river cruise. Since so much is up to how people want to travel, there's not a single package or approach; it's purely independent travel.
Option 2: Cancun/Riviera Maya region of Mexico is a straight shot south and a quick and easy flight. You'll be traveling when occupancies are low and the value of the dollar has soared against the peso. This combination means you'll be looking at 7 night stays, including R/T airfare, for between 900 and 1600 per person, all inclusive. You want to book a package through a wholesaler that works with travel agents, as they pass the combined savings onto the traveler and you save versus booking individual components. Why a travel agent? They can explain the travel warnings issued by the State Department for Mexico, and why you are safe to travel to any tourist region in the country. In addition, the price you pay is the same whether the travel agent books it or you go to the packager direct. In the case of this trip, my source is Funjet Vacations out of Milwaukee, a company that gets more than 90% of its business from travel agents.
