Bermunda turns 400 years old this year and is hoping you'll help celebrate her birthday with a vacation.  Visit the island this winter and you can get up to $400 in credit (typically in the form of companion air credit from the airline with which you book the package). The credit amount is calculated on a sliding scale, based on the number of nights you stay. Folks booking a two-night stay will get $200 in credits; book a three-night stay and get $300 back; come for four nights or more, and you'll get $400 in credit. As a bonus, you'll also receive a booklet containing coupons worth $1,000.

This air + hotel package gives you a choice of 10 hotels and is available through various airlines and travel operators from major East coast hubs (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami, as well as multiple airports in Canada). Though the deal is the same, the airline depends on your departure city. A family departing from New York City, for example, could purchase the package through JetBlue and receive up to $400 in companion air credits.

Book by March 27 and travel by March 31.

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.

Tough economic times call for savvy travel strategies, like our 20 recession travel rules. Today we turn our attention to no. 18, which is also one of our 6 Genius Travel Buys. If you travel even once a year, then springing for membership in the AAA is a no-brainer. Basic membership costs just $59 a year, and it entitles you to discounts on all kinds of travel services, from hotels and restaurants to cruises, car rentals, and train travel. 

To demonstrate how quickly that $59 investment pays for itself, we price-checked a stay at the historic Jekyll Island Club, on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The place was once the winter stamping ground for American millionaires such as Rockefeller and Morgan, but today it is a family-friendly resort (see our review). For a four-night stay in early March, the rack rate for a traditional room with two double beds is $189 a night. With the AAA discount, the rate drops to $159 a night. So you save $30 a night and make back the cost of your AAA membership after just two nights. Consider the additional $61 savings as gravy.

Note: For stays of three or more nights, the Jekyll Island Club will also give you a gas credit for $100 (be sure to mention code GASRED).

Last month, we told you how to get a 30% discount on a four-night stay at any of the three Loews hotels inside Universal Orlando Resort. Now there's a way to get two nights free—a 40% discount!—on a five-night Universal Orlando vacation package. Families that book three nights of accommodation plus three-day admission will get two more nights free, which works out to a 40% savings on the five-night stay. There are two ways to take advantage of this deal:

• Starting at $689 for a family of four, you get five nights accommodation at a hotel near Universal Orlando, five days of theme park admission, and complimentary shuttle transportation. This works out to as little as $138 a night for a family of four (based on two adults and two kids 3 to 9).
• Starting at $1,144 for a family of four, a VIP version of the package gives you five nights accommodation at one of the three Loews hotels located inside Universal Orlando Resort: Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, or Portofino Bay Resort (see our review), plus five days of theme park admission with the "Universal Express" VIP fastpass that lets you skip the lines at most rides and attractions. This works out to as little as $229 a night for a family of four (based on two adults and two kids 3 to 9). Essentially you're paying an extra $91 a night for the in-park location and line-skipping privileges—well worth it if you can swing the added expense.

To take advantage of this offer, you need to book by January 31 and travel by June 27, 2009. If you go before March 31, you'll get an added bonus: a Universal Orlando Savings Guide worth $150 in shopping and dining discounts.

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.

Every winter, we run across a good number of "kids ski free" deals. They usually work the same way: You book a minimum of five or so nights' lodging plus adult lift tickets and in return you get complimentary lift tickets for your children. But The Homestead, an elegant, two-centuries-old grand hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia, is offering something we can't recall ever seeing before: Free ski lift tickets for the whole family, with no minimum stay.

The "Family Ski Free" package starts at $199 per night (not including taxes and a 15% daily resort charge) and includes complimentary lift tickets for a family of four to the Homestead Ski Area, which has 10 ski trails and five lifts. It's a terrific deal. Lift tickets for a family of four are worth $120 ($35 x 2 adults + $25 x 2 youths). Room rates during the winter period usually start at $185, so you're essentially getting the lift tickets for just $14. Other winter activities at The Homestead include snowtubing, snowmobiling, and ice skating.

This package is available for visits January 2 to March 17, 2009. Book online or call 866/354-4653 and use the promo code "1208eblastSkFree."