Travelocity - Travel Deals

If you ever want to see a slice of heaven, pay a visit to Banff in the summer. The small Canadian resort town located about 70 miles from Calgary, Alberta is situated amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The amazing Canadian Rockies tower high in the sky. The lush green forests extend for as far as the eye can see. The deep blue glacier fed lakes are like a mirror. The bustling streams fill the otherwise silent air with a melodic sound.

Banff is a place for those who love and appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature. It is within easy driving distance of Lake Louise, a body of water that has been captured by many a tourist’s camera. For my money, however, Moraine Lake is even more beautiful. It is right near Lake Louise but does not receive nearly the number of visitors. You can easily check both out in a single swoop.

If you do visit Banff, and really you must, a trip along the Icefield Parkways is required. Your jaw will hurt because it will drop with every twist and turn of the road. A pretty ride in this world you will not find.

Travelocity has some excellent deals on Banff vacation packages. I can’t recommend Banff enough.

Exclusive Travelocity offer: Save $75 on mountain vacations. Plus enjoy free nights at select hotels.

Everyone loves a top 10 list. Everyone also happens to have a list of places that they would like to visit. I know that my list is pages long. The cool cats at Travelocity have compiled a top 10 list of the most booked flight and hotel destinations on their site. Maybe your list jives with theirs? Or maybe not.

1. Las Vegas – Sin City has always been a fan favorite and since you can always get a deal there it is a popular one with budget travelers.

2. Montana – This one surprised me. I didn’t take the Travelocity crowd as being an outdoorsy one. Montana is a lovely state and as a former resident I can tell you that you will have your breath taken away each time you visit it.

3. Mexico – Sun. Cancun. No really surprise our next door neighbor is popular.

4. Caribbean – Same as Mexico only the rum tastes better.

5. New York City – Is there a better city in the world for a four-day weekend? I haven’t found one. The Big Apple is a great place to visit.

6. Florida – Another state I used to live in. People apparently like sunshine and/or wacky stories about alligators eating people.

7. California – More sunshine, more wackiness, plenty to see and do.

8. Hawaii – I’m surprised this wasn’t ranked higher. Who wouldn’t want to spend a few days in paradise?

9. Chicago – The Second City is anything but that. Probably would be ranked higher if the winters weren’t so bloody cold.

10. Europe – You mean to tell me that more people book trips to Chicago than to all of Europe? I don’t believe that, but then again I don’t work for Travelocity.

Top 10 Vacation Destinations!

Panama City is a place that is on the rise. The capital of Panama is home to eight of the ten tallest skyscrapers in Latin America. Many of them belong to banks which have flocked to the country because it is a popular tax shelter for people around the world. If you are looking to travel and deposit your piggy bank somewhere beyond the reach of the tax man Panama might be the place for you. Not that I am encouraging you to break any laws, of course.

If money is not your motive for traveling, but you do want to go somewhere that is not a traditional tourist destination, Panama City might be just the ticket. Situated on the Pacific entrance of the Canal that has made the country so famous, Panama City is home to about a million people. It has some excellent hotels, restaurants and just enough sites to keep anyone amused for a few days. What’s more, it is close to the rest of Latin America so this is a good place to begin and end an overland adventure.

Now is an opportune time to fly to Panama and the rest of Latin America. Travelocity has some deals that are about as good as it usually gets in terms of money. Just like the tax man, it is fun to keep your money away from the airlines if you can.

When people ask me where I would like to travel to next I usually rattle off a long list of places until they get bored and tell me to shut up. One of the top destinations on my list is Colombia. I know what you are thinking. Colombia is still dangerous. There are those drug lords running around killing people, tourists are being kidnapped and a large portion of the country is off limits because of the potential for violence.

All of that is true, but in my opinion this is the ideal time to travel to Colombia. The places that are often considered the most dangerous are often the best to travel to if you do so in a safe and sane way. Backpacking in the middle of a war zone is not smart. Going to a city like Bogota where peace prevails is smart, especially while the rest of the world avoids visiting the country.

It is also smart to take advantage of travel deals when you see them. Right now there are some awesome deals on flights to Colombia and South America. Rarely do the prices get any cheaper than this. Just don’t tell anyone else about the deals. I’d like to go to Colombia and have it all to myself, thankyouverymuch.

Spring for South America: Round-Trip Flights From $286+

Asia is a happening part of the world. From the bustling shopping districts of Tokyo to the serenity of Kyoto to the overwhelming growth of Shanghai to the rapid transformation of Beijing, there is a lot going on in Japan and China. Now is the perfect time to visit one or both of these great countries.

In China you can see the elements of the old way of life right next to the breakneck race towards modernity. Farmers with no shows still work the rice paddies while next to their fields huge high rise buildings stretch way into the sky, ushering in a new way of life. The contrast is quite stark and in some ways unsettling for both visitor and resident alike. It is also exciting. The optimism is in the air. In some ways a visit to China can be like a visit to the United States in the early 20th Century. You can see a country that is being transformed on a daily basis.

The transformation has already taken place in modern, bustling Japan, but it is no less interesting a country to visit. The sprawling metrotopolis of Tokyo goes on forever, with lights and people everywhere. Outside the city you will find pockets of traditional communities existing in a world dominated by high speed bullet trains and hand held communication devices. It is simply fascinating.

The price is right for a trip to China or Japan. Travelocity has some excellent deals on flights to Asia. Tickets must be purchased soon and travel must be completes by April 30, 2007.

People of a certain generation will undoubtedly remember the Brady Bunch episode where the whole family goes to Hawaii for a vacation and Greg wipes out while surfing because he was wearing a cursed idol around his neck. It is a legendarily cheesy episode and it is one that made me want to go to Hawaii when I was a little boy.

Even though I am a bit bigger and a bit less afraid of cursed idols I still want to go to Hawaii. It is arguably the most unique state in the country and it offers a variety of killer vacation activities. Surf with legends at Waikiki. Snorkel on Maui. Fly in a helicopter over the Big Island’s lava flows. Or simply lounge on the beach, soaking up sun and watching the bikinis walk by.

The most important thing to know about Hawaii travel is that you should never, ever pay full price for your trip. Unless you go during the peak holiday periods, you should always be able to find a good deal on flights and hotels.

Travelocity currently has one of the better vacation package sales you will ever come across for Hawaii. They are offering a variety of resorts to stay at and the airfare is as cheap as it gets.

Just stay away from the cursed idols while you are there and stay away from those Brady kids. I hear they are nothing but trouble now that they are adults.

Hawaii Vacation Packages on Sale! Flight + Hotel as low as $503

For an island that is merely 30 miles long and 10 miles wide and with the highest natural point a mere 15 meters above seas level, Cozumel has a lot to offer. The popular vacation destination located off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has an incredible amount of biodiversity and some of the best scuba diving you can find anywhere in the world.

Jacques Cousteau made the waters of Cozumel famous in the 1960s and as a result there was an explosion of scuba diving around its legendary coral reefs. In 1996, the government of Mexico also established the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, forbidding anyone from touching or removing any marine life within the park boundaries.

In addition to the fun you can have underwater, Cozumel offers some beautiful beaches and an active nightlife geared tourists those looking to party while on holiday.

Travelocity is offering a vacation package that is a tremendous value. You can fly to Cozumel and stay at the three-star El Cozumeleno Beach Resort for three nights for about the same as you would normally pay just for an airplane ticket. The resort is located on the northern hotel zone of Cozumel and is just five minutes from downtown and it is right across the street from an 18-hole golf course.

What more could you ask for?

All Inclusive Vacations: Flight + 3 Nights Hotel From $637