December 10, 2008 E-MAIL PRINT

Travel tips: Budget wonders await

by Tony Chamberlain/

With a little homework, skiers and riders can save during off-peak periods. (photo: Ski Vermont/Stratton)

With a little homework, skiers and riders can save during off-peak periods. (photo: Ski Vermont/Stratton)

This morning at breakfast at the Minturn Inn — a really sweet B&B along the Eagle River in Minturn, Colo. — there was one couple dining with me at the big fireside dining table. Only about four of the rooms have been occupied through the weekend.

It is a ringing beautiful, bluebird day and I am about to head up into the trails of Vail Mountain, one exit (about five minutes) from the Vail parking structure. Last time there, almost every run I took was almost mine alone.

The point?

Here in one of the greatest ski regions in the world — the I-70 corridor west of Denver — with very decent early season snow and that Rocky Mountain cobalt blue sky, the skiing and riding are for the taking.

The buses have plenty of room and the restaurants are so starved for business I’ve been seeing two-for-one deals. The economics are all in the consumer’s favor here right now.

But it’s not the economy only. Early season skiers are riders have seen this before when taking ski vacations around Christmas time or late in the season when people are playing golf though the mountains are full of snow.

There are several elements in planning the annual (or more) family ski trip, but this must be the first. When to pack up the family for a multi-day ski trip? To get the best value and have the best experience, someone has to take charge.

A simple comparison of ski-and-stay, lodging, lift and lesson packages reveals how, with a little study, such vacations vary hugely in cost.

Generally speaking, the worst deals are Christmas week, Martin Luther King weekend, Presidents Day week. But one friend of mine made a four-day pre-Christmas trip by taking advantage of a Friday school closing on a weekend such as one I describe above.

For flights to ski destinations, the airlines, too, have wide fluctuations in price, largely based on these market forces. When it’s busy, you pay more. Find a niche week when the travel is low, and you make out.

If you do fly, remember that the airlines are charging for extra bags and for weight. I usually take my boots and rent skis wherever I go, but this is not for everyone. I have plenty of room in my boot bag, so I stuff it full of ski pants, sweaters, gloves, hats, etc.

Just make sure the weight does not exceed 50 pounds, or it could be an extra $50 or more.

And if you take skis, put them in a double bag that you can also stuff with clothes. And if you don’t want to rent skis but want to eliminate space-consuming clutter, you can rent poles for $5 a day or less at most areas.

Wherever you go, local or long range, remember that no resort is designed to help the consumer save cash. Figure out where the greatest expenses are.

► Ski in-ski out is a wonderful luxury, but a costly one.

► Homemade sandwiches are a fraction of the cost of lodge food, and bottles are great for hot chocolate, soup or cold milk. Kids can help in this preparation.

► Much of the après ski recreation is free or inexpensive: sledding, skating, bowling, for instance. But that arcade room is far from cheap.

In general, take the time and energy to plan vacations in retail/detail, just as you would any family business plan. Keeping down the costs makes the wonders of nature that much more wondrous.

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