Winter 2001 The Long Weekend Holiday A "Top Ten" List for Winter Getaways By the Staff at Magnolia Travel & Cruise If the gray and drizzle of Seattle's winter and early spring begins to dampen your spirits, you could benefit from a long weekend getaway to new scenes and activity. Short vacations of 3 to 5 days are a popular way to become renewed and refreshed. Destinations can range from beach, desert , mountain or city escapes in either warm or cold weather venues. Take a look of the following list, selected for good value by the agents at Magnolia Travel & Cruise. We hope you find something that interests you, and helps you choose your next getaway vacation. 1. Is Mickey Calling your Name?? Disneyland is a short two and a half hours from us, and the warm California sunshine and the new California Adventure, opening February 8th, awaits your visit. Airfare to Orlando has been running at around $200, roundtrip, making Walt Disney World in Florida a super bargain. 2. Off to see the Queen! London is on sale right now with British Air Holidays. Airfare and hotel packages are at their lowest pricing during the winter months. A wonderful opportunity to visit galleries, museums and shop the specialities of London. 3. Fore!! Palm Springs & Phoenix offer sunshine, swimming pools and outstanding golf courses. Easy flights and a variety of accomodations to suit anyone's budget. 4. Habla espanol??? The sunny coast of Mexico is a great destination for the sun deprived of our area. Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta are really not far, with good air service. Mexico is very affordable as a land vacation or on a 3-4 day cruise out of Los Angeles. 5. Downhillers, Take Note!!! Package ski vacations abound all over our Pacific Northwest, and other areas of the west. How about combining transportation, accomodations and lift tickets for one fantastic price? 6. A bit of England, but much closer!! Victoria and Vancouver are two of our favorite picks for visits north of the border. The Clipper service is seamless, and Amtrack makes border crossings an easy trip to and from Vancouver. With the Canadian exchange rate, you can't go wrong on this getaway. Package pricing can include accomodation, touring and transportation. 7. City by the Bay..... Airfare is at a record low price for travel to the great city of San Francisco where you can experience fabulous dining, shopping, visits to MOMA and more. 8. A Cruise in your Future??....... In April and May, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line will again offer limited 3 and 4 day cruises out of Pier 66, downtown Seattle. Radiance of the Seas, a brand new ship, will be sailing these itineraries. Great opportunity for trying out cruising, and having a pampered long weekend. 9. Surfing, Sunning & more! San Diego and Santa Barbara are two great beach destinations in sunny southern California. Plenty to do, or not, depending upon your needs. 10. Aloha from Oahu.....it's 51/2 hours away, and you can be there by noon, Hawaiian time. This island is getting some renewed attention, and offers much to visitors, even those who have been there before. If one of these places is calling your name, please call our office, and speak with one of our experienced travel consultants. We would love to help you plan your long weekend, or any holiday you have in mind. Consumer News for You!!!! How to Get the Most For Your Vacation Dollars....... Travel Tips for Consumers In today's world of travel planning, consumers have many options for booking their vacations. In fact, with airline advertising, internet sites, direct mail promotions, time share options and frequent mileage accounts, just to name a few, most consumers find it an intellectual challenge to access their desired travel itinerary, let alone the best value for their prescribed budget. This dilemna applies to all levels of travel, from budget to luxury. Here are a few ideas to consider that may help you along the path of planning your next holiday. Package Vacations can be a best value for travel to resorts in areas such as Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Disney World and Disneyland. These prices include airfare, hotel or condominium accomodations, rental car or transfers. Tour companies offer negotiated rates that wrapped together make a great one stop shopping price. Escorted Tours allow a tourist to see the best and most of a destination in an efficient way that makes the most of the time a traveler has available. They often include many meals, entrance fees to attractions on the tour, and make the travel seamless. No worries about transfer of luggage, checking into hotels, and when or how to access the best of a given area. Independent Travel Packages are similar to the package vacation. These travel itineraries can include airfare, transportation needs, hotel accomodations and customized touring options and are priced for an all inclusive per person total. They are available for travel to destinations such as Europe, Asia, South America and more. Pricings are based on the indivdual's travel dates and desired touring, as contrasted with the escorted tour program. All Inclusive Resorts wrap all costs into one price, including meals which can be a tremendous bargain, especially in certain locations where per diem costs are high for food and incidentals. Some areas of the Caribbean and the South Pacific are examples. Club Med world wide, Super Clubs in the Caribbean and Kona Village in Hawaii are great values because they offer this type of pricing. Cruises are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons. They offer the opportunity to have a brief overview of a given region of the world via ports of call, a floating hotel which allows you to move from place to place without packing up, and all inclusive pricing for meals and entertainment. There are few places on earth where one can not find a cruise itinerary that allows you to see and experience those destinations in a pampered and relaxing environment. Cruise prices are very competitive, and offer great discounts for many dates and places. What is the best way to access the vacation values listed above? The American Society of Travel Agents has a slogan, "Without a Travel Agent, You're On Your Own", and recommends that you confer with a qualified travel consultant when you book your next vacation. Most consulting services offered by travel agents are free of charge. Given the extensive travel backgrounds and education credentials of experienced agents, you can access expertise and knowledge with a phone call, email or an office visit. These consultants are skilled in looking for value, as well as matching their client's needs with suitable travel plans. With the help of a great travel agent, you have the opportunity to book your best vacation ever! Specials for the Season Be sure to check out our monthly specials on this website.....give the office a call, and find the best rates for your vacation schedule. We are here to customize your travel and create the perfect vacation to match your budget and time constraints!! PRINT AND BRING THIS PAGE INTO OUR OFFICE TO RECEIVE $25 OFF YOUR NEXT CRUISE OR PACKAGE BOOKING!! Summer 2000 Newsletter - Click Here (206) 283-1565 / (800) 294-8747 FAX (206) 282-6180 Hours: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, Monday - Friday | Saturdays 10:00 am - 1:00 pm E-mail: susan@magnoliatravel.com