Road trip, anyone? Hampton Inn is having a nice sale that lets families travel more affordably this summer. With the Great Getaway promotion, you'll save 20% off the hotel's best available rate when you stay at a participating property between May 28 and September 6.  Family-friendly choices include the Hampton Inn & Suites Williamsburg Historic District, centrally located near Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown and Busch Gardens. With the offer, nightly rates drop to $119.20 on a July weekend, which is 20% off the best available rate of $149.  Or check out the Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle - Downtown, a stone's throw from kid-pleasing attractions such as Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium and Seattle Children's Museum.  A July weekend night in a two-bedroom suite with a kitchen will cost $175.20, 20% off the best available rate of $219.

Reservations have to be booked by June 15, and a seven-day advance purchase is required.  A word of caution: Be sure your travel dates are firm, because bookings must be fully pre-paid and are nonrefundable and unchangeable.

Ready to commit to your summer vacation plans? Hilton is launching a Great Getaway sale, which is advertised at up to 30% off hotel rooms for stays between May 28 and September 6.  Good at 2,800 hotels around the world—including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, and Homewood Suites—the offer often includes free breakfast, too, for at least two people.

The discount varies a little by brand name: You’ll get a full 30% off at Doubletree hotels; 25%  at Hilton properties;  and 20% at Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations, Hilton Garden Inn, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. The deal is available at only select Embassy Suites.

Sounds pretty good, right? No so fast. The discount applies to the Bed & Breakfast rate, which is always higher than the lowest regular rate and the regular advance-purchase rate. And the offer comes with some big restrictions: You have to book at least seven days ahead of your arrival and pay in full upfront, with no possible refund.

We shopped at some family-friendly spots to see how the special offer played out. At the Hilton Garden Inn in Williamsburg, the special offer rate was $112 a night, down from the Bed & Breakfast rate of $141. Now comes the comparison pricing: That's 21% off the B&B rate but just 15% off the best regular rate of $129. Meanwhile, the regular advance-purchase, no-refund rate was $105. Think of the special offer as getting a free, cooked-to-order breakfast for each family member for just $7 in total. Rooms at the hotel, less than two miles from the city center, have fridges and microwaves, and the hotel has the obligatory pool.

At the Hilton Los Cabos resort in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas—which has a beach, pool and kids' club—the special offer shaves 25% off this property's B&B rate. The special offer rate for an ocean view room with two queen beds was $194 a night, compared to $259 for the B&B rate, which includes two buffet breakfasts for the grown-ups each morning and free meals for kids 5 and under. When you figure in those free meals, the special offer probably has the edge over the regular advance-purchase rate of $179 a night—but just barely, and only if your kids are very young.

Verdict: This is a great example of how marketing spin can make a just-okay offer sound much better than it is. And it's a good reminder of why you need to follow recession travel rule no. 1 and always do the math. Sometimes this special offer beats all the hotel's other rates—and sometimes you can do better by choosing another rate from the menu. On the upside, this offer usually delivers a free breakfast, so long as you can also stomach the non-refundable risk.

Look for the Great Getaway rates when entering dates online, or mention the deal when calling 800/446-6677. You must book before July 15. Some brands  have their own twists on the rules, such as a three-night minimum and no breakfast at Hilton Grands, or two-night minimum night stay for Wednesday arrivals at Homewoods Suites. As usual, other restrictions may apply.

This winter is turning out to be a great time for a weekend getaway, thanks to big sales at two of the largest hotel chains. Last week we posted about Hilton's mega January sale, which offers winter weekend savings of up to 33% across its chains. 

Now Marriott has stepped up to the plate with a  Global Rate Break promo that lets you save 20% on weekend rates stay at many of its hotels—and claims to up the ante to a 40% discount at a few resorts. The deal applies to various Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, SpringHill, Residence Inn, and TownPlace Suites hotels all over the world. 

We checked rates at several properties and found that, indeed, the deal typically delivers a 20% price cut. At Desert Springs, the JW Marriott in the Palm Springs area with requisite pool, lawn games and kids club, we found rates of $327 a night for a room with two beds and a balcony—down from the desert’s high season rate of $409. In Hawaii, the deal offered up the Kauai Marriott  for just $194 a night, down from $240.

But don’t get your hopes too high on the 40%-off lure that's said to be available at select resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America and Hawaii. When we test-booked a stay at a handful of properties for a February weekend getaway, we couldn’t find any availability at the 40%-off rate.  More commonly, we found that this deal led to a 20% discount.

The sale applies to weekend stays (Thursday to Sunday), and some hotels require a two-night minimum. You must book by January 22 and complete your stay by March 21. Use promo code F5X when booking online.

There are many reasons why Ski magazine's readers have voted Mont Tremblant the No. 1 ski resort in Eastern North America year after year. The spectacularly-set Quebec mountaintop ski area boasts 2,100-vertical-foot slopes, a charming European-styled pedestrian village with ski-in/ski-out access, and a sledload of free family-friendly activities. More good news: The resort just introduced an offer guaranteed to lure families for a spring break getaway. 

Book a two-night stay or longer at one of Mont Tremblant's participating hotels and kids 6 to 17 can get five days of lift tickets for only $85CAD ($82US). Lift tickets normally cost $40.82CAD a day for children 6 to 12 and $50.38CAD a day for teens 13 to 17. With this deal, kids can ski for $17CAD a day (yowza, only $16US!), which means a savings of about $24CAD ($23US) a day per child or $34CAD ($33US) a day per teen. With this deal, a family with one teen and one child would save $286CAD ($276US). That translates to a 65% savings on lift tickets, which warms our hearts as well as our wallets.

As always, there are a few restrictions: Discounted lift tickets are available weekdays only, and you need to travel between February 22 and March 26.  To take advantage of this deal, book by February 22.

This sale delivers tons of weekend destination options for traveling families. Want a city break? Consider Hilton properties in San Diego (the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa is just one mile from SeaWorld), Boston’s super-convenient Back Bay neighborhood, or the family-friendly Doubletree Guest Suites in Washington DC. 

Hoping to escape the cold? At the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, the January Sale offers nightly rates starting at $288 for a double room on February weekend.  By comparison, the resort's best available bed-and-breakfast rate for that stay is $429 per night—which does indeed translate to 33% off your bill.

You must book before January 31, but you can travel anytime before December 26. As always, there are some blackout dates and other restrictions. The sale rates are pre-payable and non-refundable, so you should be confident of your travel dates before booking.  

Here’s how it works:  Each participating blogger is providing a different raffle prize. To see all the offerings, head to the Passports with Purpose web site. Make a $10 donation, and you'll be entered into a raffle for the prize of your choice. Donate $20 and you'll get two chances to win. The raffle takes place on December 21. Winners will be notified via e-mail on January 5, 2010.

This year, WeJustGotBack.com is offering a $100 gift certificate to Tots on-the-Go, an online shop stocked with all kinds of products to make your your load lighter and your travels with babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers a whole lot easier. If you’ve got little kids, you know how much schlepping and lugging and lifting it takes to get from point A to point B.  Trust us: Picking the right equipment will make your travels ten times easier. The $100 gift certificate can be used toward any of the company's products and services (but can only be shipped to U.S. addresses). Here are a few of our favorites:

The CARES aviation safety harness is a bestseller at Tots on-the-Go. Instead of hauling a bulky car seat on the plane, pack this one-pound, belt-and-buckle device. It provides kids who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds the same level of safety as a car seat, and it's certified by the FAA. Just fasten it to the airplane seat belt and you're good to go.

Instead of lugging your bulky baby gear your next trip, consider renting from Tots on-the-Go’s Tots Travel Rentals. The company will ship whatever you need—including crib, stroller, car seat, or high chair—nationwide to your destination, or deliver to select areas on the East coast, including vacation spots Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.  

We urge you to check out all the great raffle prizes at Passports with Purpose, be generous, and good luck!

Compare prices and dates at various properties carefully. Plenty of hotels have blackout dates. At some hotels, this deal is only available through January 18, while other hotels are keeping it on the table for stays as late as April 25.

To get this deal, you must book by November 10. Use the promo code LTNOVN when booking online, or mention the deal when calling 888/625-5144. Rates are pre-paid and non-refundable. 

Little more than a decade ago, taking a Disney vacation meant heading to a theme park in Orlando, Anaheim or Paris. But nowadays, the company that Walt built can show you the world. You can sail with Disney Cruise Line to Alaska, the Bahamas, Europe or even the Panama Canal. Or take a VIP-style guided tour of the American Southwest, Europe, China, or Costa Rica with  Adventures by Disney, all-inclusive vacations known for delivering one-of-a-kind experiences such as zipling through a Costa Rican jungle, pizza-making at a family-owned farm in Italy, or going backstage at Disney's The Lion King in London. 

Right now, families have an exceptional opportunity to snag two premium Disney vacations for the price of one. Book a tour to one of Adventures by Disney's most popular destinations and you'll receive a free three-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas in an oceanview cabin. To take advantage of the offer, you need to book by January 15, 2010, and take your Adventures by Disney tour by October 2, 2010. You can take your cruise between January, 2010, and December 15, 2011.

More on Disney Cruise Line:
Disney 3-night Cruise to the Bahamas

• Save 57% off regular rates at the Capitol Skyline Hotel in Washington DC through January, 2010. This boutique hotel is located just five blocks from the US Capitol. Rooms usually run $199 a night, but this offer brings the rate down to just $85. The deal is available for Thursday-to-Sunday stays November to January, plus select midweek holiday dates.
• Save 50%  off peak rates at the luxurious Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta. The hotel is offering rooms at a reduced rate of $188 (CA$195) a night for minimum two-night stay, plus guests get their third night free. This works out to an average of only $125 a night.
• Get a two-bedroom waterfront villa at Spinnaker Resorts in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for just $99 a night, plus free golf greens for four people (a $145 daily value) and several other perks, including discounted tennis and tennis lessons.

Note: Book-by and blackout dates vary with each offer. Travelzoo Top 20 deals sell out quickly, so act fast if you're interested.

Planning ahead pays off big at Copper Mountain, a family-friendly resort in the Colorado Rockies (see our review). Book two nights and at least one adult three-day lift ticket before November 30 and your third night is free, plus you get a free kid’s lift ticket for each adult ticket purchased. If you can book by October 31, Copper sweetens the pot with up to $25 a day in resort credit.

Book a four-night stay at Steamboat Springs by November 25 and get 20% off lodging and lift tickets.

Book before October 15 at Mont Tremblant, voted the No. 1 ski resort in eastern North America by SKI Magazine readers, and you can save up to 35% on a three-night stay, plus get three days of skiing for just $135.

Book a three-night winter stay at Lake Tahoe’s Resort at Squaw Creek before November 15, and you’ll get free lift tickets to three classic Tahoe mountains: Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, and Homewood Mountain Resort. To book the “Ski Free 3” deal, call 800/327-3353 and mention promo code S3FREERSC.

More Ski Deals:
More Snow, Less Dough: 10 Ways to Save on a Family Ski Trip