Christmas Travel Deals

Finding Christmas travel deals can make you merry. But where are the deals?

Eager this December to deck the halls, trim the tree, stuff the stockings – then get away? It’s no wonder. The holidays are an exhausting time of year. Lucky for travelers, Christmas travel deals make it easy and cheap to unwrap presents one morning, then jet away the next. For those less committed to Christmas at home, consider booking a week away or weekend retreat and avoid the mayhem of shopping malls – and Santa’s lap. Christmas travel deals abound.

New York City

New York is simply spectacular during the holiday season, and Christmas travel deals to New York are easy to spot if you book flights early to Newark Liberty, LaGuardia or JFK airports. Once you’ve settled in at your hotel, stroll down Madison and Fifth avenues and take in the illuminous window displays at iconic department stores like Macy’s, Saks and Barneys. After window shopping, lace up your skates at the Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center and pirouette – or cling to the wall for dear life – under the soft glow of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. If the rink’s too crowded – as it tends to be around Christmas – walk a few blocks south to the rink at Bryant Park, then shop at the surrounding holiday market.

Typically travelers get the most bang for their buck on Christmas travel deals if they bundle flights, accommodations and even activities into a single package. Travel sites like yours truly offer handpicked deals consistently, especially to island destinations. Consider the Caribbean this Christmas if you’re interested in white sand rather than snow. The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Puerto Rico all offer up sun, sand, and a taste of Caribbean culture. For something quaint, consider a lesser-known island like Saint Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, as home base. Book a boat trip for snorkeling or scuba diving around Buck Island before shopping and dining in Christiansted, the island’s largest town. Obviously ‘large’ is a relative term; Christiansted has a population of 3,000.

Prague, Czech Republic

Pack up the family this Christmas and take them to Prague. The Czech capital is an absolutely enchanting city year-round, but especially during the holidays. Christmas markets set up shop in Old Town and Wenceslas squares, offering toasty retreats like spiced wine and Czech beer. The magical town center is everything you’d imagine Christmases past in Europe to be: bustling and carol-filled. Within the market, children get the chance to take in a puppet show or paint ornaments. After stocking up on stocking stuffers, snap photos of Prague Castle – the largest ancient castle in the world – and the world-famous Astronomical Clock.