Florida - Travel Deals

There are few things that are as satisfying as combining two things you love. For instance, if you’re a football fan who also likes to travel, what’s better than taking a trip to see the Super Bowl? It’s even better when you consider that the Super Bowl is almost always in a city that’s relatively warm in the winter, so that if you stay more than a day or two you’ll get the added benefit of a warm weather vacation in addition to a football game.

But if you also love saving money, then you’ll want to know all the tricks you could use to get a good deal on a trip to the Super Bowl in Miami, right? Well, one of them is to fly into a different city than Miami.

Wait, what?

You heard me. Yes, the 2010 Super Bowl is in Miami – but that doesn’t mean you only have one choice for airports in Miami to fly into. Yes, there’s a big airport located right in Miami – but there are also a couple other airports within a reasonable distance that are worth checking for cheap airfares, too.

Here are the alternate airports for Miami that you should look at if you’re hunting for cheap airfare to the Super Bowl (and a little bit about Miami International Airport, too, because we’re nice).

If you are one of those people who likes to plan ahead, you are probably already starting to think about your fall and winter travel plans for this year. Summer may just be heating up, but it is definitely not too early to be planning where you’ll be headed when the cold weather returns and the holidays are back upon us. If you know that summer is never long enough (like me), thinking about booking that beach vacation for this fall may be the perfect way to deal with the cooler temperatures. Best Beach Bargains under $1,000!
Flight + Resort packages starting from $579pp. Book by 7/31/09.

While many people think the only way to score a really blow-your-mind travel related deal is to wait to the last minute, it turns out you can also save big bucks by actually planning well in advance. In fact, with the travel industry hurting these days, they are more than happy to reward you for promising to come and now Travelocity is offering travelers big savings on hotels when you book 30, 60 or 90 days in advance. Travelocity Early Bird Sale! Plan Ahead and Save up to 40% on Hotels!

As someone who spent his formative years in the Sunshine Sate, it is with some authority that I can tell you that Florida is one crazy story after another. When there aren’t political elections gone awry, alligators chasing after senior citizens and people finding new ways to make a home out of land that was designed to be a swamp, there are stories about all kinds of absurd things. Florida is a light that attracts the crazy moths of the world.

Even with the constant insanity coming from the place, it can still be a wonderful place to visit. The weather is the big draw, of course, but that really is in the winter months only. If you dare to visit Florida when it is 95 degrees with 95% humidity in the summer than you are bound to end up doing something crazy too. So do yourself a favor and visit right now. Spring Break is the best weather of the year and with Spring Training baseball taking place there is always something to do when you are not sitting back and observing all of the craziness around you.

Priceline has a killer deal on flights to the F-L-A, including a round-trip flight from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale for $114. Now that’s crazy.

Round-Trip Flights Under $125!

While Orlando and Miami get their fare share of the travel attention, Tampa Bay quietly exists as arguably the coolest city in Florida. Yes, the Tampa area and the Gulf Coast does have a reputation for being the home to people who are closer to the end of life than beginning, but if you spend time in the city itself you will find that Tampa Bay has a burgeoning nightlife scene and a very young feel to it.

No trip to Tampa is complete without a night out on the town at Ybor City. Once the home of Tampa’s cigar making industry, today Ybor City attracts tens of thousands of people who are drawn to its clubs and bars each weekend. The scene can be admittedly a little cheesy but if you are on vacation and want to let your hair down while surrounding yourself with alcohol guzzling folk than head to Ybor City on a weekend night.

As for the rest of Tampa, there are the standard tourist attractions like Busch Gardens, as well as a very cool Salvador Dali museum in nearby St. Petersburg. The city also offers access to great beaches and the ocean. In short, you can have an Orlando and Miami type of experience in Tampa without having to deal with the Orlando and Miami type crowds.

Travelocity has the goods on deals to Tampa, Florida.

Visit Travelocity for Florida Deals

There is no surer sign that spring is on the way than hearing the crack of the bat, the cheers from the crowd and the sight of saliva being expunged from players’ mouths. Baseball is the great American pastime. If you are a baseball purist, or simply someone who appreciates sitting out in the sun eating junk food and drinking overpriced watered down beer, going to spring training will be something you’ll cherish forever.

There are two leagues when it comes to spring training baseball. There is the Grapefruit League in Florida and the Cactus League in Arizona. Both offer ample opportunities to get an up close and personal look at some of the best athletes in the world, while also allowing you to reintroduce yourself to the sun after a long winter of hibernation.

Alaska Airlines has a nice vacation package deal to watch the Seattle Mariners play in Peoria, Arizona. Don’t worry, even if you aren’t a Mariners fan you can take advantage of this offer and go watch another team in the Cactus League or simply go to Arizona and play a few rounds of golf.

For those who prefer the action in the Grapefruit League, you can do a quick search for cheap plane tickets to Florida.

As I sit here staring out the window at the 1,234th straight day of gray clouds, I can’t help but wonder if the sun has disappeared for good. I also can’t help but feel a bit on envy towards those of you who are wearing sunglasses and sitting by the pool while you are reading this blog. Your golden tan skin is the essence of good health. Your carefree attitude the sign of relaxation. There are no bags under your eyes. You are not tired. You will live forever.

While that fantasy is playing on continuous loop in my mind, allow me to present a sunny deal for those who are not so fortunate to live in warm weather climes. From now until December 10, 2006, Priceline is offering steep discounts on flights and hotels vacation packages to warm, delightfully sunny locations. We’re talking mega bucks off of trips to Hawaii, Florida, Central America and the Caribbean. Whether you are in the mood for a short little weekend getaway or a full on vacation, this is a great opportunity to reintroduce yourself to the sun.

With the money you’ll save, you could even invest in a home tanning lamp so that you get enough Vitamin E (or is it Vitamin D?) all year long.