Here we are in the midst of the coldest winter in years - the kind of winter that resort destinations bank on - but so far this year the tourist isn’t traveling. The economy is weak, millions are unemployed and there seems to be no end in sight. Even Tampa Bay was not sold out on Superbowl Sunday. Some of the most popular resort destinations are reporting losses. Las Vegas casinos report a 69% drop in revenue, Hawaii hotels have droped to 58% occupancy and even free nights are not bringing in the tourists.

Armed with price cuts to woo cash-strapped travelers, the nation’s tourist destinations are offering deep discounts and freezing gate prices. Imagine staying in an ocean front hotel of vacation rental for $95/night, or at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for $129/night. Immediately after the new year resorts were overing steep discounts but as we roll into February - the highest of the high season months - price slashing is taking on new meaning.

Go ahead and get out there! You may not see these kinds of prices for a long, long while.

Why celebrate Halloween in Hershey Park in the Dark? For three weekends in October Hershey Park extends its season with Hershey Park in the Dark, a Halloween attraction perfect for young families.

The Hershey in the Park Halloween extravaganza offers trick or treating adventure for kids under 12. Visit Creatures of the Night which takes place at Zooamerica. What is Creatures of the Night at the Hershey in the Park Halloween fun fair? Watching over 200 creatures of the nights in their natural habitat (or as close as you will get).

Single-Day Admission: (All ages 3 and older)
Regular (ages 9-54) $23.95
Junior (ages 3-8) $16.95
Senior (ages 55+) $16.95
Children (ages 2 and under) FREE

Two-Day Admission: (All ages 3 and older)
Regular (ages 9-54) $34.50
Junior (ages 3-8) $24.50
Senior (ages 55+)$24.50
Children (ages 2 and under) FREE

Three-Day Admission: (All ages 3 and older)
Regular (ages 9-54) $47.50
Junior (ages 3-8) $34.50
Senior (ages 55+)$34.50
Children (ages 2 and under) FREE

Click for more information about Hershey Park Halloween hours and attractions. DestinationVillas.com previews other theme park halloween activites on its site.

Count’s Halloween Spooktacular—Sesame Place celebrates Halloween with The Count. This event is fun for the whole family to enjoy together! Plan to spend the day. Parking starts at $15.

DATES: September 30-October 28

Highlights Include:
• Guests are invited to visit Sesame Place dressed in costume
• Trick-or-treat throughout the park
• Walk through Count’s castle
• Hayride
• Plus, the very popular live character Halloween show “Countdown to Halloween”, an enjoyable stage show about an unusual Halloween night with Count von Count. In this really fun story told to Baby Bear, you’ll see several of your favorite Sesame Street friends sing and dance about pumpkins, bones and having a party!
• and more!

*Events, show times, talent and dates are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Find out more about amusement park Halloween activities nationwide.

Remember when an airline ticket included meals, beverages, blankets and pillows? All that is about to change. According to the Associated Press, starting next year, American Airlines plans to imitate the a la carte pricing structure pioneered by Air Canada. There are likely to be a few basic fare plans, and travelers can pick additional services — for a fee. This type of plan is similar to what phone and cable companies have been doing for years.

Fans of “unbundling,” as it’s called, say it gives travelers lower base fares with the option of paying for extras that they really want, from beverages to blankets. But travelers suspect that it will do anyting but save them money.

United Airlines expects to raise $700 million a year from fees. Northwest Airlines Corp. estimates baggage charges will bring in up to $200 million a year. Continental Airlines predicts it will generate more than $100 million just from a new $15 fee for checking a single bag — that doesn’t include additional revenue from levies on second and third checked bags.

Seasoned travelers relay on a variety of ways to beat the system and save money on airfare.

HONOLULU – Hawaii Superferry today announced special adult fares starting at $49 for one-way passenger travel through October 31. One-way fares for seniors (62+), children (2-12), and retired and active military personnel and their dependents are $39 during this period. These fares are available on voyages sailing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as well as certain Friday and Sunday voyages. In addition, passengers who purchase an adult fare 14 days prior to sailing will receive an advance purchase discount of $5. One-way passenger vehicle fares remain at $65. These fall fares are available starting Monday, September 8, 2008 for travel through October 31, 2008. “To encourage more travel during the typically slower post-summer season, we’re offering lower fares for all passengers, which is particularly attractive to those who’ve been wanting to try our service, and can avoid the busier weekends,” said Hawaii Superferry President and CEO Tom Fargo. “Fall is a great time to travel, take your vehicle and see another island or visit your family and friends. Plus, with reduced hotel prices on both Oahu and Maui, it makes sense to travel now.”

These passenger and vehicle fares do not include applicable taxes and fees, exclude peak travel days and are subject to PUC review. A fuel surcharge does not apply to these special fares during this period. Customers are encouraged to visit http://www.HawaiiSuperferry.com for the latest schedules and fares and to make their reservations online. Customers may also make reservations by calling 1-877-HI-FERRY (877-443-3779) from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. HST, seven days a week.

Fall is also a great time to rent a Hawaii vacation rental home for less than typical hotel rates. Maui vacation rentals and Big Island vacation rentals are at 50% off. While there enjoy the many Hawaii beaches.

The Mexican Federal Government has closed five small boutique hotels on Tulum’s breathtaking stretch of beaches, just south of Cancun. An additional five other developments are under investigation. The Mexican government alleges that the hotels were built on protected national park land and must be torn down. Until recently this area was mostly jungle. Potentially at risk is the land surrounding the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum.

Mexico is home to the world’s seventh-largest hotel industry: 10,400 hotels, or 430,000 rooms Mexico Tourism Investment - according to statistics recently released by Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat (Sectur). Cancun and Riviera Maya is the third most sought after destination for American and Canadian tourists accounting for over $10 billion dollars, 8.3% of Mexico’s gross Domestic Product.

Thirty years ago Cancun was nothing more than a crescent shaped strip of land. Now the only stretch of land not overdeveloped is Tulum, a tiny hippie-style town that started as a backpacker retreat, recently has been transformed into an eco-chic resort. Hotel owners argue they’ve been there for up to two decades without problems, and their businesses are built around protecting the environment. Non-the-less the government has posted closed signs on the small hotels requiring guests to vacate by July 11. Roberto Palazuelos, a Mexican actor and president of the Tulum Hotel Owners Association, says the federal government’s paperwork to create the protected area in the 1980s was never done correctly. His Hotel Diamante K is among the five that have been closed.

The Mexican Government maintains that the developments do not show adequate titles and are too close to the Mayan Ruins. Tourism officials, siding with the hotel owners, are rallying to support them in the fight to keep their land.

In the meantime, Rivieara Maya vacationers attempt to squeeze in one more day in paradise.

Volcanos National Park Hawaii reported that on July 9 that Mount Kilauea, on the southeastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island, exploded late on Sunday evening causing the spectacular lava waves for tourists to enjoy.

The blast is the second to hit Hawaii in less than four months, after the Halema’uma’u crater exploded in March. Such an erruption has not happened since 1924.

Officials in Hawaii say that the eruption isn’t causing any danger to nearby residents, but that they are monitoring the situation closely. The erruption follows three months of increased activityin the crater which has been releaaing sulfur dioxide gas and carbon dioxide since March.

An average hotel room is about 80% smaller than the average vacation rental villa. And vacation rentals tend to cost about 70% less than a hotel room. So why would you stay in a hotel when you could have an entire vacation rental villa from Destination Villas. Luxuriate in the space, marvel at the price and relax in the ultimate private retreats worldwide.

Typical destination villa amenities feature a fully equipped kitchen with coffeemaker, living rom with sofa bed, washer/dryer (some villas), two color TVs, VCR, CD stereo, patio, balcony or lanai, up to two full baths with towels, whirlpool tubs (some villas), maid service available and from 1-6 bedrooms.

Typical vacation rental resort amenities include owner’s clubhouse, exercise facility with weights and cardiovascular machines, reading lounge, indoor and/or outdoor heated pool, outdoor heated pool, hot tub, sauna, children’s pool, game room, concierge, BBQ grill.

Vacations are much more enjoyable when you have space to relax and unwind, so treat yourself and your family to a spacious resort villa. You get so much more for your money.

If you plan to take non-stop flights to your summer vacation this year, better hurry! The only cheap airline tickets to be found on non-stop flights are those bought well in advance. Why? In most cases, major carriers are doubling or tripling their cheapest fares from last summer’s fares. Add to that the reduction in the number of total of non-stop flights and voila, you’ve got a shortage of flights at reasonable rates. In most cases carriers are dropping the direct, non-stop flights to cut costs.

Compare these airfares. Last summer a round trip ticket on Continental Airlines from Newark to Honolulu was $687. This year that same flight will cost $1107. Delta’s lowest Atlanta-Tampa nonstop round trip starts at $392 for the week of July 22, compared with $148 last year,United’s best deal for Chicago-Charleston, S.C., is $730, up from $178 a year ago.

Tori Milan, Editor of DestinationVillas.com states that the best way to beat these fares is to start surfing the web early, Monitor flight costs on a day-to-day basis and snag a good deal when you see it. I highly suggest signing up for fare-alerts from Travelocity.com or FareCast.com.

Continental Airlines announced on Thursday that it will cut 6 percent of it’s work force and reduce flight capacity by 11 percent this fall. That cut amounts to a loss of 3000 job and a certain fare increase for travelers. The record fuel costs have created the worst airline crisis since 2001. The top two executives will forgo pay and bonuses for the balance of 2008.

Continental should announce soon which flights and destinations it will reduce or eliminate. The airline operates hubs in Houston, Newark, N.J., and Cleveland. Fewer flights will lessen the ability of travelers to find a convenient flight where they’re going. And some airlines may drop service completely to some smaller cities.

The Associated Press reports “Many analysts consider Continental to be the healthiest of the six big network carriers, a group that excludes low-fare Southwest Airlines Co. But that did not make Continental immune from cuts — the airline still lost $80 million in the first quarter after earning a profit last year.”

Travel Tip: Airlines routinely cut fares in the fall to boost ticket sales when kids are back in school and families find it harder to travel. Experts predict that is likely to remain true this fall, even with Continental, American and United offering far fewer flights.