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 What are our top three reasons for loving Southwest Airlines? No hidden fees, no hidden fees, and no hidden fees. We also like how airfares just got lower with the "Wanna Get Away?" sale. Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday and you can snag fares for $49 to $99 one-way on select routes nationwide. Fly Thursday to Monday, and sale prices range from $59 to $159 one-way.
Book by January 19 and fly between January 15 and April 30 with a 14-day advance purchase.
 What's your New Year's resolution? Norwegian Cruise Line is hoping it will be to spend some of its money, with the help of its new "Freestyle Resolution" promo. Book a sailing by February 1, and you’ll get an onboard credit of anywhere from $30 to $500 per stateroom. The amount of credit is calculated on a sliding scale, based the length of the cruise and category of stateroom. For example, a family booking an inside stateroom for a three-day sailing would get a $30 credit. If you booked a suite for a six-day sailing, you would get $500 to spend as you like on the ship. Book online or by calling NCL at 866/234-5647, or go through a travel agent. Mention code PGWAVE.
 If you’ve ever thought about trying skiing or snowboarding, now might be the time. January is "Learn a Snow Sport Month" at alpine resorts, Nordic centers,
state and national parks all over the US. There are special or discounted learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard packages available in 23 states, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The offers vary from state to state, so compare the programs in neighboring states before booking.
Vermont is offering one of the best deals out there. From January 4 to 11, first-time skiers and snowboarders can get free lessons, rentals and limited-lift tickets. The package is available at a dozen ski areas in the Green Mountain State including Bromley, Okemo (see our review), Smuggler’s Notch (see our review), and Stratton—where regular prices could easily run you $100 per person. This deal is for beginner, first-time skiers and snowboarders only, ages 6 and up, and is limited to one lesson per person. Registration just opened and spaces are very limited, so make tracks if you're interested.
Not interested in downhill? You can try out cross-country or snowshoeing for free on January 10, 2009 at one of more than 80 spots across the country. Now that's a breath of fresh air.
Grab your kids, your mittens, and your video camera. Smugglers' Notch, the ski resort perenially voted no. 1 for family programs by Ski magazine readers (see our review), is running a video contest on YouTube, and one lucky family will win a five-night/five-day winter vacation. To enter, create a homemade family fun video that explains what you think are the key ingredients to a fantastic winter family vacation, then share your masterpiece on YouTube. Click on the box for details.
 If you've been thinking about taking your family on a Disney cruise, you'll want to know about a fantastic new deal. Kids age 12 and under can sail free on most three-night Bahamian cruises from January 22 to
May 28, 2009, when traveling with two full-fare guests in the same stateroom. The offer covers a variety of stateroom categories, ranging from deluxe family staterooms
with verandahs to standard inside staterooms. Act fast: There are a limited
number of staterooms available for this special offer. Book online or call 800/951-3532 or contact a travel agent. Be sure to use the booking code FREE.
Note: Our own review of a three-night Disney cruise aboard the Disney Wonder is coming next month.
 Set alongside the rugged beauty of Lake Superior’s North Shore, Lutsen Resort has roots dating back to the late 19th century. Minnesota’s oldest resort is a perennial favorite family destination because there’s so much to do, from swimming and kayaking in the summer to night hikes and guided snowshoe tours in the winter. And let's not forget the downhill skiing. Nearby Lutsen Mountain has the highest vertical drop in the midwest and plenty of long, sweeping runs (it also boasts the region's only gondola). The resort is a classic winter playground, complete with the après-ski reward: at the end of the day, you and the kids can warm up next to a roaring fire in the Swedish-style hewn pine timber lodge.
Now you can head to Lutsen for less with their “January 3 for 2” package, which lets you get a third night of lodging and a third day of lift tickets for free from January 2 to 31, 2009. Lodging options range from a double in the main lodge for $129 a night or a two-bedroom log cabin for $299 a night, all the way to a three-bedroom condo with a loft for $499 a night. The 3-for-2 deal on lift tickets means a family of four (two adults and two kids under 12) can ski for three days for a total of $480—a savings of $212 off the regular cost of lift tickets. Plus, you’ll get free equipment rental for the kids. This deal is based on availability so it makes sense to book as soon as possible. Blackout dates are January 16-19, 2009.
 'Tis the season for spending quality time with the Big Man in the Red Suit, and the web is full of expert advice on where to find him. ABC News dished about 10 great places to see Santa, and we just love the idea of hitching a ride on one of the special Christmas trains operating this time of year. Feel like a longer getaway? Cookie magazine's Going Places blog has found some terrific Christmas packages at family-friendly resorts around the country.
 Want to slip a vacation under the Christmas tree? Nothing gives us that Santa feeling like an airfare sale. Yesterday we told you about JetBlue's airfare sale, which ends tomorrow. And today, Virgin America (another airlines that gives every passenger her own TV) announced its own fabulous airfare blowout, with one-way fares ranging from $59 to $149 between these six destinations:
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, DC
To nab the sale fares, you need to book by next Thursday, December 11, and travel between January 6 and March 1, 2009.
 JetBlue has just announced a major sale on flights with airfares ranging from $39 to $149 each way between over 56 destinations, including Mexico and the Caribbean. Fares on some of the
routes save you up to 50% off other airlines. The catch is that you need to act fast and book by Thursday, December 4. The travel window is January 7 to February 11. Here are some sample one-way fares from JFK:
Boston - $59
Washington, DC - $59
Charlotte -
$59
Raleigh/Durham - $59
Pittsburgh - $59
Jacksonville -
$79
Tampa - $89
San Francisco - $109
The Travelzoo staff test-booked this offer and found the lowest
prices on flights with Tuesday, Wednesdayand Saturday departures. January 20 is a blackout date.
 Cool gear and a great cause? Sign us up. We’re joining forces with other travel bloggers in a raffle to benefit Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate hunger and poverty around the globe. Here’s how it works: Each blogger is providing a prize to be raffled off, so head to Passports with Purpose to check out all of the loot. Select the prizes you covet the most, then click on the Passports With Purpose/First Giving link to make your donation. For each $10 donation you make, Passports with Purpose will enter you into the raffle for the prize of your choice. Note: be sure to enter your email address and the prize you want in the “Comments” field so you can be contacted if you win. Winners will be notified via email on December 30, 2008.
 If we do say so ourselves, our prize is a doozy: an Eye-Fi Explore memory card that makes your camera go wireless, automatically uploading your pictures to your computer or to one of more than 20 photosharing or social networking sites on the web (including KodakGallery, Shutterfly, Flickr and Facebook). You can upload through your home wireless network, or from more
than 10,000 wi-fi hotspots across the country—which means you can share your travel pix with family and friends in
real-time. This smart little gadget even geotags your photos with information about where the picture was taken. And did we mention that it all happens with no cords and no cables? TIME magazine named the Eye-Fi one of its “Best Inventions of 2008” and we agree. It retails for $129.99 but you could get one for a Jefferson if you win the raffle. Good luck!
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