Holidayzer

Looking to go somewhere with your lover for Valentine’s day? Then look no further, as Frommers has listed the best deals for you:

• France Vacations’: “Valentine’s Special to Paris”
• Air France Holidays: spend Valentine’s Day in the city of light.
• Cruise.com: has listings of several Valentines Day cruises
• Panda Online Travel: Hawaiian delight “Valentines Escape” priced from $899 per person based on double occupancy.

Click here to read the full article

Most of us have to spend a ton of money during the Christmas season, and so will you probably, but you shouldn’t have to go near bankruptcy either. USAToday has some great advice to avoid this:

The best way to stay out of trouble during the holiday season is to sit down and figure out how much you can spend without going into debt. Do this before you hit the shops.

and

You might also want to look at how much last year’s festivities cost you, then add any extra expenses — such as higher gas prices for traveling — that you are likely to face this time.

Click here to read the full article

IGN has posted their list of Top 25 Holiday Movies to watch during the Christmas season, so if you’re still in need of a good film to watch with the rest of the family, have a look at the list:

1. A Christmas Story
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
4. Elf
5. Miracle on 34th Street
6. Nightmare Before Christmas
7. Die Hard
8. White Christmas
9. Groundhog Day
10. Scrooged
11. Bad Santa
12. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
13. Love Actually
14. Halloween
15. The Ref
16. A Muppet Christmas Carol
17. Gremlins
18. A Christmas Carol
19. Home Alone
20. Trading Places
21. Holiday Inn
22. Edward Scissorhands
23. The Bishop’s Wife
24. The Ice Storm
25. The Polar Express

Click here to view the complete list, with movie reviews and extra information.

If you’ve got great holiday lights on, in, or around your house, then the Seattle Times wants to know:

Will your house be a blazing sample of holiday magic this year for all to see? Tell us all about it. We’ll list as many spectacular Christmas sights as we can Dec. 15 in Northwest Weekend (and we’ll also put them on seattletimes.com). Your deadline: Dec. 2.

Get some exposure for your great lightwork of arts, and who knows, you could get 15 minutes of fame throughout the country!

Chrismas is traditionally spent in house, enjoying great food and wine, opening each other’s presents and other festivaties. But what if you just want to get out of the house, and go to a festival? Or something else? No problem, as the Detroit News Entertainment Insider has got 12 great tips:

1. “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular”
2. “The Nutracker”
3. Festival of Trees
4. Wayne County Parks Lightfest
5. 12 Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village
6. “Children’s Letters to God”
7. A Venetian Christmas: Music from San Marco
8. Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade
9. Noel Night
10. Tom Joyner Mistletoe Jam
11. Holiday Brass!
12. Too Hot to Handel

Read the full article for a description and more information on each event.

Some of you might be looking to go skiing during the Christmas season, or in Jan/Feb. Heck, even I will be going on a great skiing vacation, just to enjoy that snow and the atmosphere. Getting a place to stay isn’t easy, especially if your budget is limited.

Hotels.com has a great list of tips to get a decent lodging:

• By booking before the New Year, you’ll get the best deals. If you prefer to enjoy the slopes after the holidays, you will find the best rates by booking dates prior to President’s weekend.
• Location! Location! Generally, the closer your rooms are to the slopes, the higher the cost of the lodging. But, if you stay close enough to the slopes, you may be able to avoid car rental costs.
• Vacation Rental accommodations are a great lodging alternative for groups and families. Try a condo with kitchenette facilities. The cost per person is often less than the price of a traditional hotel. (hotels.com has more than 2,000 vacation rental properties).
• Make plans to arrive in the late afternoon or early evening to give time to acclimate to the altitude and to prepare for hitting the slopes the next morning.

Click here to read the rest article, which includes some excellent ski deals!

Market Watch has some great gift ideas to give to people who are always on the move:

• travel guides and services (i.e. “The Travel Book,” an A-Z guide of the entire world.)
• portable CD player
• games to go
• National Geographic Back Roads Explorer
• a trip to Canyon Ranch’s spa facilities
• a round-the-world cruise

These suggestions may sound a bit weird, but read the full article to understand what they’re all about.

Frommers has three great posts, packed with deals and information:

La Dolce Value: Rome, Venice, Florence & Sicily from $384: want to enjoy Italy? Frommers has the right deals for you. Starting at $384, up to $899 for a full holiday to one of Italy’s great places; Rome, Venice, Florence, Sicily, or all of them.

Save on Sand and Sun with Cheap Beach Packages to the Dominican Republic Starting from $459: if you’re just looking for some hot sun and warming beach, then the Dominican Republic might be something for you. Frommers has dozens of deals for you, ranging from a short weekend trip to a full 2 week holiday. Book your winter getaway today!

Chicago Hosts a Fantastic Winter Festival with Two Full Months of Discounts: if you just want to stay in the good old US, then you might want to head over to Chicago, and enjoy one of its many fine Winter Festivals, full with great Christmas spirit, holiday lights and gifts. Frommers has listed the best deals for Chicago, so don’t forget to check them all out!

Enjoy all these great deals, and I hope you have a nice holiday!

The Detroit Free Press has a few great pointers to Orlando Holiday Travel Deals.

The first one is a gift-wrapped Disney Travel package:

Inside, the recipient will find a personalized scroll explaining that the contents are for an Orlando vacation that includes a minimum of five nights in a hotel, a three-day Walt Disney World Park Magic Your Way Base Ticket for everyone in the party, a one-day SeaWorld Orlando Park Pass for everyone, a one-day-one-park Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure Park Pass for everyone, guides to those parks, one Orlando T-shirt and a 90-minute vacation-planning DVD.

View more information at OrlandoInfo about this travel package, which starts at $834 to $1,308 (including tax) for a five-night vacation for 2 adults.

The next package is a special Safari package:

Orlando’s Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites Lake Buena Vista has a Safari Escape offer that will put you in a newly renovated suite for $99 a night. The offer, good through Dec. 22, represents a savings of almost 40%. You can also save 35% off regular room rates by choosing hotel-style accommodations for $69 a night.

Visit SheratonSafari for more information

Yes, the holiday season is nearing fast, and in 5 more weeks, I’m off from holiday, and I can thoroughly enjoy 2 weeks of leisure, great food, and absolutely no work. I’m not doing anything special though, and I’ll just be staying at home, but I bet some of you will be doing something special.

If you’re doing anything special, like going to a Christmas festival, skiing in the Alpes, attending a special Christmas ceremony, lighting fireworks on New Year’s Eve, or anything like it, tell us all about it in the comments. I bet everyone would like to hear about each other’s Christmas plans, so don’t be shy, and leave a comment!