Summer thoughts turn to Republicans as Labor Day approaches — along with the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Suggesting that we locals may want to just hit the road and avoid the conservative onslaught, Orbitz announced this week four local hotel deals within the Twin Cities region just far enough out to supposedly avoid the crowds.

Of course, you don’t have to be a local to find these deals — just someone savvy enough to navigate Orbitz — so you may even be a visiting Republican looking for some last-minute digs.

Here are their deals:

Ramada Minneapolis/Grand Rios Hotel and Water Park - Located on the north beltway, the hotel is offering 20 percent off Water Park passes.

The Northland Inn - Located in Brooklyn Park, the hotel is offering a savings of 30 percent for a three-night stay.

Country Inn & Suites - Stillwater’s location is offering a 15 percent discount on a two-night stay.

Canterbury Inn - The Shakopee hotel near Valley Fair, Mystic Lake and Canterbury Park is offering a 10 percent discount for a two-day stay.

Personally, when it comes to these local deals, I’m more in line with low budget dealmeister Arthur Frommer, who recently groused how the ’staycation’ is just an excuse to crawl back into one’s shell.

Staying at home instead of traveling is a “shameful second-rate substitute for travel that various pundits are currently recommending,” he wrote.

Per his suggestions, which I wholeheartedly endorse, travelers should just adjust their amenity expectations accordingly while continuing to hit the road.

(My own recent example: A trip west to California. Rather than dine out, we picked up a Safeway card, went grocery shopping, and cooked most of our own meals. OK, so maybe that sounds a little boring, but I’ll take a P&J on the beaches of Santa Cruz over Lake Calhoun any day).

(Another tip: While airport security may prohibit your bringing water through airport checkpoints, they don’t prohibit you packing your own lunch. So save the $15 you’d spend on an airport sandwich and just pack your own. Likewise, there’s no rule against bringing an empty water bottle through security, so just fill up with water after you’ve checked in at the gate.)

So with Arthur Frommer’s admonishments still fresh in mind, here are some last-minute flight deals out of the Twin Cities this weekend that cost about as much as 2-3 nights in a local hotel.

United.com is offering last-minute fares departing Friday/Saturday with returns on Monday or Tuesday. Destinations include: Chicago ($150 RT), Greenville, SC ($236), Syracuse NY ($230) and Ottawa, Canada ($330).

United is also offering several specials for flights out of the Twin Cities next weekend as well. Just click on domestic specials for next week to see them.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.