As the economy worsens, the travel industry is bracing itself for a disappointing holiday season. To get people back in the air and on the beaches and ski slopes, many companies are offering significant sales: Twin Citians who want to visit Los Angeles between December 13 and December 17 can get there for $259. Ski.com is offering a 50% reduction at a Jackson Hole hotel for the entire season.
The question, of course, is if people will take advantage of these sales. What about you? Are the deals making you feel like it’s time to start packing your bags? Have you found any great sales that you’d like to share?

Despite the economic crisis, tomorrow promises to be the biggest travel day of the year in the United States. By car and by air, we go home, wherever that is, to be with our families. The popular idea of travel is signified by palm trees and exotic shores; but by far, the biggest reason Americans travel is to be with families. More than 80 percent of leisure travel in the U.S. consists of car trips to relatives’ homes, according to multiple surveys.

My trips home usually consist of a seven-hour drive to Lincoln, Neb., to visit my mother and sisters, followed by a two-hour drive to the tiny town of Dannebrog, Neb., to visit my grandmother, father and stepmother. That means, like a lot of Americans, I usually get two Thanksgivings. This year, I have a new grand nephew to greet (born yesterday afternoon), along with a lot of other things to be grateful for. Where are you going this Thanksgiving, and what are you grateful for?