Before you settle in for a long winter's nap, it's time for a warm-weather getaway. Travelzoo's offering a dirt-cheap package to the Bahamas where you'll get airfare and five nights at a hotel for $229.

You'll stay at Our Lucaya Reef Village in Grand Bahama Island. The hotel has a Vegas-style casino where you can blow the money you would have spent on full-price airfare and hotel, as well as two golf courses and four pools. But the most important amenity is that this resort sits right on the beach.

The deal's good for travel through December 19 and from January 3 to 31. We recommend that you avoid visiting during November, as it's still hurricane season in the Bahamas. Travelzoo warns that it'll take forever if you book this over the phone. A lot of people are taking advantage of this package and are jamming up the lines. So go the easy route by booking it online using promo code 500GBI and make sure you do it before November 25.

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· Caribbean Beach Overrun by Family of Cute Pigs [Jaunted]
· Save The Planet and Work on Your Tan At The Same Time [Jaunted]

[Photo: joshDubya] ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-20T15:19:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/1/32637/3299

If you're looking for a cheap, quickie getaway, do it up right and go tropical. Set sail on a two-night cruise to the Bahamas for only $99. To make it a weekend-long trip, you can sail away on a three-night cruise for $149. Travelzoo is offering the two cruise deals through Dec. 22 for all you snowbirds and those who just plain hate raking up autumn leaves.

Nassau is the island destination for both round-trip cruises, and rest assured there will be a number of Nassau shore excursions to take advantage of those crazy-clear blue waters, including the Atlantis water park, snorkeling with tropical fish above the coral reefs and taking glass-bottom boat tours. When you board the MS Bahamas Celebration, run by Celebration Cruise Line—oh yea this is totally a party cruise—all meals and entertainment are included. This new cruise line features four restaurants, a two-deck nightclub, a casino, a full-service spa and two pools.

The two-night trips depart from Fort Lauderdale on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the three-nighters leave on Fridays. To snag this deal, you have to book it by calling (800) 314-5527 and mentioning Travelzoo.

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[Photo: bryce_edwards] ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-10-01T09:14:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/18/143556/499

I like animals as much as the next guy, but I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about swimming with pigs. It would be impossible not to think about that scene from Y tu mamá también where the porcine invaders befoul a tent that the protagonists had pitched on a remote beach, rendering it uninhabitable. But if you've never seen the film and you're not particularly bothered by pig shit, then make a beeline for Big Major Spot Island in the Bahamas. There, on aptly-named Pig Beach, a family of cute piggies frolics and swims with tourists, hamming it up (sorry) for the cameras and generally proving that they're just as smart as dogs and twice as funny. The brown and pink boars and piglets are known as the famous Swimming Pigs of the Exumas, and they've been an island fixture for generations, rooting around in the underbrush and living off scraps fed to them by passing boaters. You won't see me there, though, as I'm skeeved enough by the water quality of non-pig beaches.

[Photo: worldmaxtravel.com]

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· Never Mind Swine Flu, These Pigs are Swimming in the Bahamas [worldmaxtravel.com]
· Animal Travel [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2009-07-18T14:35:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/23/05942/7183

Volunteer vacations promise to be one of 2009’s biggest travel trends as more people are looking for opportunities to give back. They can also provide the nearly 2.6 million recently unemployed a way to learn new skills and build up that resume.

The Earthwatch Institute is just one organization supporting scientific field research by bringing together scientists, teachers, students, and everyday citizens to create research teams around the world. These teams actively contribute to protecting the environment by gathering much needed data about our ever-changing world. ]]> cmb 2009-03-23T15:47:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/6/1579/98550

Is John Mayer's Mayercraft cruise not your type of scene on the high seas? Then you might be interested in the Pink Floyd Themed Cruise: Great Gig in the Sea traveling to the Bahamas featuring a Pink Floyd tribute band of course.

This one-of-a-kind voyage will feature the music of Think Floyd USA: The American Pink Floyd Show, and will celebrate material from Pink Floyd’s earliest days through the present. Think Floyd USA will take listeners on a musical and visual flight through the Pink Floyd galaxy performing all of Pink Floyd’s classic hits from legendary albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and the all time classic, The Wall.

The cruise sets sails on May 1 from the Port of Miami and lasts for three hazy days, disembarking in Nassau, Bahamas.

Pink Floyd fans will be sailing on Carnival Cruise's Imagination, which features a 24-hour pizzeria (for late night munchies), a late-night bistro, a full gambling casino, spa, nine-hole mini-golf course, water-spray park, pools and an adults-only retreat.

An inside cabin starts at $389; that includes all meals and non-alcoholic drinks. Go here for more pricing info and to make your reservations. Or hit up this dude who wants a roommate for the cruise. Don't forget to bring your copy of The Wizard of Oz.

Related Stories:
· Pink Floyd Themed Cruise [Great Gig in the Sea]
· Cruising With John Mayer, Only On EBay [Jaunted]]]> juliana 2009-01-06T16:05:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/232848/94

Lost Girl Jennifer Baggett continues her Andros Field Trip...

I was standing on the edge of a pontoon boat as a dozen Caribbean reef sharks circled below, watching, waiting, ready to feast. I popped my regulator into my mouth, adjusted my mask and lept fin first into the killer fish-infested waters.]]> Jennifer Baggett 2008-11-21T10:15:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/141317/47

Lost Girl Jennifer Baggett continues her Andros Field Trip...

It was the sixth day of my week-long Andros Island vacation when I realized that I had yet to set even one (bare) foot outside the 100 yard beach radius surrounding Small Hope Bay Lodge. Between all the amazing scuba diving trips, an abundance of hammocks and a self-serve beach bar, there wasn't a whole lot of incentive to leave . But considering there were miles of uninhabited and virtually untouched wilderness just beyond the lodge's borders, I figured a little DIY exploration was in order.]]> Jennifer Baggett 2008-11-20T17:00:17-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/