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.

Related Stories:
· 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/2009/11/16/45937/153

Think a white, sandy Christmas might be better than a white snowy one? All you northern hemisphere people can be guaranteed a very different experience if you decide to celebrate Christmas in Australia, where temperatures can easily reach over the century mark and a swim at the beach is way more likely than a snowball fight.

The nice thing is that it's not even too late, if you decide skipping the drag of family festivities is what you want. There are still plenty of packages available to get you Down Under for a few days around Christmas time, including heaps of lastminute.com travel packages from LAX to Sydney, including airfare and accommodation for a week for around $2,000 for a five-night stay. ]]> amandak 2009-11-20T14:25:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/12/203416/10

Why not consider going beyond the commercialized gift-giving this holiday and make a trip to the Holy Land? Travelzoo offers a package that'll take you to the sacred spot and other sites in Israel. It's a 10-day, eight-night trip with airfare and accommodations included that'll cost you $1,299.

For the three-city tour, you'll be shuttled around in a bus to places like the ancient Roman port of Caesarea, the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and the Old City of Jerusalem. You'll stay four nights in Jerusalem, two in Galilee and two in Tel Aviv. As part of the package, you'll get nine meals—eight breakfasts and one dinner. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-13T08:59:27-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/5/8120/25443

We all have some frequent flyer miles hanging around in various accounts, but it seems like there’s never enough to finally book that award ticket to paradise. Well we’re here to help: we’ve compiled five of the best ways to top off your mileage account and gain some extra miles without even leaving the ground. Everyone wants to be able to make it rain with excess miles, and with a little work and creativity, you’ll be doing just that.

· Get Something To Eat:
Most airlines have programs where linking a credit card to a dining program awards you with airline miles when you hit up your favorite restaurant. Obviously it’s not every restaurant out there, so your favorite Applebee’s might be out of the picture. However, if you find a couple favorite spots you frequent anyway, it will be worth the minimal effort to get the bonus. AAdvantage Dining will give you five miles for every dollar you spend, and you’ll even get 1,500 bonus miles for signing up and spending $25. If you prefer Delta-flavored miles check out SkyMiles Dining. It’s the same deal: five miles per dollar spent and certain establishments will reward you with double miles. ]]> kjb 2009-11-05T09:44:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/3/155350/445

Omni Hotel San Diego.

Last week was a bit of an airline fare war bonanza with Virgin America, Southwest and even American Airlines launching some steeply discounted airfares. But getting your ticket is only 1/2 of your vacation planning, unless you plan on shacking up with some friends and family.

If you aren't, then you're probably going to need a hotel room. This is where Omni Hotels comes in. The hotel chain has just announced a limited offer of 40 percent off hotels in destination that were recently featured last week in the fare wars.

That means that Omni Hotels in Austin, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Diego, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston and Tucson are all discounted (some up to 40 percent) for stays between Dec. 2 and February 10, 2010.

The Fine Print: You must book before November 5. Yup it's a quick 72-hour sale. It's also subject to availability and the one black-out date is December 31st.

Related Stories:
· Omni Hotels coverage [HotelChatter]
· Omni Hotels [Official Site]

[Photo: DbKing]]]> juliana 2009-11-03T17:19:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/29/154139/54

Get ready to chug some Guinness: Travelzoo's offering an Ireland package for $499 that includes round-trip airfare, six nights' accommodations on the grounds of a castle and a car rental for you to go exploring the western parts of the Emerald Isle.

The flight takes you to Shannon, in County Clare. Then you'll head to Limerick, where you and three of your buds (the package is based on four travelers) can crash in a three-bedroom private villa on the grounds of Adare Manor, a historic Irish castle that was just named one of the top three resorts in Europe by the 2009 Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards. You'll also get a full-sized car to shuttle you around the nearby sites, such as Galway, Killarney, the Cliffs of Moher and the Blarney Castle. But brush up on driving stick, or learn how to do it, since these rides won't be automatic. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-10-30T14:54:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/25/02240/595

Alright, so we might be winging our way to St. Lucia right now Jetblue, but we swear they didn't tell us to tell you about this contest; that's just what we do—pass on news about free travel stuff to you. And you might want to consider entering the airline's new "Jet & Drive Giveaway," if you like the idea of possibly winning free travel.

The contest, which just barely began and runs through January 31, 2010, is the fruit of a partnership between Jetblue and Hertz, and Marriott and Starwood to a lesser extent. The deal is: you enter your info on their contest page and the page keeps a running tally on how many have entered. Each day, Jetblue will give away a $100 Hertz certificate, but if the day's tally manages to pass 2,500 or even 5,000, then they'll tack on giveaways of a $2500 Hertz certificate and a $500 Jetblue gift card, respectively. But the prizes just get sweeter from there... ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-26T11:04:16-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/