Winter Vacations Where Cold Is Snow Fun

Sydney Julien is thinking snow. Lois Naftulin wants nothing but warm sun.

But both mothers, Julien in Los Angeles and Naftulin in New York, are hoping for the same thing from their winter vacations.

“The change of scenery,” said Naftulin, who can’t wait to get to Florida.

“And the time to focus on each other,” said Julien, who will be packing ski gear for her trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo.

“We leave all the work at home,” says Naftulin, a lawyer. “There’s nothing else to do but be together.”

“And we get to fulfill our winter wonderland fantasy without having to live in it,” Julien said, jokingly.

We’re not talking budget-busting trips here. Naftulin and her family will stay with family in Miami while Julien’s brood will visit friends. Any winter getaway, no matter how modest, both women assert, is enough to help busy families survive the always-too-hectic fall.

“It’s not a keep-up-with-the-Joneses thing. It’s a sanity moment,” observes Kathy Sudeikis. She is a national board member of the American Society of Travel Agents and a family travel expert at All About Travel, a large suburban Kansas City agency.

Judging by a recent national survey, a lot of exhausted parents feel they can’t wait until next summer for a vacation, no matter what their income bracket.

Not only are more winter vacations planned overall this year--139 million trips--but a record 40% will include children, according to the Travel Industry of America, the tourism industry’s research arm.

The top picks for winter travelers: Florida, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. Sudeikis, for one, is sending families for quick city weekends in St. Louis and Chicago, for yacht charters in the Caribbean, for driving trips up the California coast. To save money, they’re cashing in frequent-flier miles, booking shorter stays and splitting condos with friends.

“People feel good about the economy so they feel comfortable splurging and taking the kids,” said Shawn Flaherty, a spokesman for the Travel Industry Assn. She compares the winter travel surge to the crowds of post-holiday shoppers hitting the malls. Just as shoppers find, travelers are realizing there are winter bargains to be had.

“You just have to look for them,” Flaherty says.

Consider these:

* Cruise lines, including Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, are offering reduced rates--as low as $99 on selected sailings--for kids sharing a cabin with their parents. The discount booker Cruise Line Inc. says a family of four can sail for seven days this winter for just over $1,400. Call your travel agent or Cruise Line at (800) 777-0707.

* Families with young children or those who are beginning skiers can save big at smaller areas where lodging and lifts are cheaper. Book this month and save a little extra. Some areas, such as Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort, offer two children skiing with parents free beginner lift tickets. Call (800) 78-OKEMO. Most Colorado areas now offer free lifts to children kindergarten age and younger. Consider Silver Creek, one of Colorado’s smallest ski areas. A family of four could ski the area’s 250 acres for just $84 a day. Some major areas will cost you nearly double that in lifts. Call (800) 754-7458.

* For less than $1,000, a family of six could spend three days at the Woodstock Inn in postcard pretty Woodstock, Vt. The deal includes two rooms, ski lifts and rentals, a lesson and most meals for the kids. Availability is limited. Call (800) 448-7900.

* Bring Grandma and Grandpa along free to Jamaica’s all-suite Franklyn D. Resort now through Feb. 12. One grandparent can stay free for every full-paying adult. In addition, the family gets upgraded to a two-bedroom suite. Kids 16 and under always stay and eat free at the all-inclusive resort where a nanny is assigned to each family. A family with four adults and four children could vacation for a week for $3,720, plus air fare. Call (888) FDR-KIDS. * Book a $129-per-night Dream Deal package at the Doubletree Resort in Ixtapa, Mexico, and get breakfast for a family of four and free supervised all-day activities for the kids. Call (800) 222-TREE for information. A similar deal at the Doubletree all-suite Sapphire Beach Resort on St. Thomas starts at $310 per night, but also includes all children’s meals when they eat with their parents. Call (800) 524-2090.

* Scuba divers can get a free refresher dive course at any participating dive operator in Curacao and a 15% discount on all dive equipment rentals. Non-diving kids and spouses can get free snorkeling gear. Call (800) 3-CURACAO and ask about the We Want You Back . . . Diving promotion.

* Stay in the heart of New York City but pay just $169 per room per night this winter for a Central Park view from the newly renovated St. Moritz on the Park. Availability is limited. Call (800) 221-4774.

Wherever you go, remember you’ll cut costs significantly if you’re willing to stay slightly farther from the beach or the slopes.

“Just two blocks from the beach, prices might drop by half,” notes Laura Sutherland, who coauthored the soon-to-be-released new edition of “The Best Bargain Family Vacations in the U.S.A.” (St. Martin’s Press, $13.95).

Another money-saving tip from Sutherland: If you don’t have a kitchen, bring along a small cooler and serve the kids breakfast in the room. All they want is cereal and milk anyway. Brown-bagging lunch saves plenty when heading to the ski slopes or the beach too.

And don’t forget the peanut butter.

Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.