“When Lulis Leal’s family gets together for Christmas, she is usually sunning herself on a beach surrounded by palm trees and turquoise waters, with not one extended relative in sight…

For more than 10 years, Leal has been spending the holiday season in exotic locales like the Bahamas or Hawaii — anywhere warm, the Cedar Grove, New Jersey, resident said…

She finds it the perfect time to get away with her husband and son.

“It’s like everybody’s home with their family so we’ve got the whole beach to ourselves. It’s like our own little private paradise,” Leal said, adding that her mother sometimes gently teased her about going away instead of visiting her for the holidays…

Hotel bargains

You may love your family, but if you’re yearning to escape the annual ritual of eating turkey with relatives you barely know or spending Christmas elbowing for room with other houseguests, lots of bargains and tempting destinations await.

“My favorites during Thanksgiving are to go to places in the Caribbean because the Caribbean, even during Thanksgiving, is off, off, off season,” said consumer adviser and HLN money expert Clark Howard.

“At Christmastime through New Year’s, it’s a different drill. The best deals are to Europe, starting on Christmas Day. If you can wait and go on Christmas Day or later, you’re going to get fantastic bargains to Europe.”

Travelers often focus on air fares as the barometer of whether to splurge on a vacation, but the big bargain story this year may be hotel prices, especially in big cities or convention destinations decimated by the bad economy.

The trick is to book a room anywhere but at those most in-demand locations, so check out hotels around the airport or the center of a big metropolis.

This may be your perfect opportunity to explore Washington, New York or San Francisco, California, during the period from Christmas to New Year’s, Howard said.

Where to get away for Thanksgiving

The United States may pause on turkey day, but for the rest of the world it’s just another day in November. You’ll find great deals outside the country, in places like Mexico, Canada and South America, said Pauline Frommer, creator of Pauline Frommer’s guidebooks.

St. Lucia may be a good bet if you’re thinking about the Caribbean, because the low-cost airline Jet Blue recently added a nonstop service to the island, she said. (Keep in mind the Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t officially end until the end of the month, though late November storms are rare.)

Escaping for Christmas

“Prices usually skyrocket pretty much everywhere in the world,” Frommer said.

If you heed Howard’s advice about flying to Europe on Christmas Day, check transportation options at your destination. Savings on air fare can be cancelled out by an expensive cab ride in cities where public transportation shuts down during the holiday.

Closer to home, Mexico is still a good value, Brown said.” (via  cnn.com ) by A. Pawlowski, CNN

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“Autumn is one of the best times of the year to use miles. Airline load factors drop after Labor Day, and less crowded planes mean more available award seats. If you’ve been frustrated in your attempts to use your miles for winter or summer travel, you may have better luck with a fall getaway.

Fall travelers can also make their miles go farther if they book award travel in the American AAdvantage or US Airways Dividend Miles programs. Both airlines offer special off-peak awards at discounted prices. You can save between 5,000 and 20,000 miles off the regular award rates.

During the month of September only, US Airways offers award tickets between the U.S. or Canada and the Caribbean for 25,000 miles in coach and 50,000 miles in business or first class. Regular peak-season prices are 30,000 and 60,000 miles, respectively.

American has a more robust off-peak award program. Here’s how much you’ll pay for flights from the U.S. and Canada:

25,000 miles to the Caribbean and Mexico between September 7 and November 14 (regularly 30,000 miles)
30,000 miles to Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela between September 7 and November 14 (regularly 35,000 miles)
40,000 miles to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay between August 16 and November 30 (regularly 60,000 miles)
40,000 miles to Europe between October 15 and May 15 (regularly 60,000 miles)
50,000 miles to Japan between October 1 and April 30 (regularly 65,000 miles)
Other destinations may be off-peak at other times of year, so don’t forget to check the American AAdvantage site again. With the miles you save on your fall off-peak travel, you may be able to afford a second trip courtesy of American or US Airways. That is, if you can find an available award seat during the rest of the year.” ( via smartertravel.com )

The Pointswizard.com Spin: Check award availability today for best selection.