Sunday, December 2, 2007

Ski Vacation Packages Perfect For Family Getaways

By Mike Selvon

When it is time to escape from the gray and gloomy days of winter, family ski vacation packages can help you to enjoy the kind of getaway that you and your family deserve. While you can plan ski vacations in your favorite resort by booking a room, buying your lift ticket and booking your travel separately, you can often save a great deal of money with a package deal.

Booking a family vacation is probably the very best and most cost effective way to be able to take the whole family on a trip. Often, there are discount packages that can be found with some extra time, effort and initiative, which can end up saving you even more money.

The discount packages are often available during the time when the mountain ski resorts are slow. With a little innovative scheduling, and willingness to let the kids miss a day or two of school, a great destination package can be found.

One of the best ways to find the family ski vacation packages that offer the best deals is to connect with a travel agent. Such an agent might be found on the web or they might be located right around the corner. Keep in mind that the more well-versed a travel agent is in ski vacations and ski packages, the more likely they will be able to hook you up with a package that you probably would not have been able to locate on your own.

You can also find some good packages for the family through the airline you use or directly from a particular resort. The drawback to this approach is that it is often more difficult and time consuming to really compare the various package options that you find.

However, there is also a possibility of uncovering a hidden gem of a package that might not otherwise be publicized. This is especially true when checking directly with the mountain ski resorts in the areas in which you are interested.

No matter how you find the family ski destination, be sure to carefully look at the website for the resort before you take that final step in booking the package. Aside from what might be offered in the ski vacation package, you want to also be sure that the resort offers a good variety of different activities for the whole family, especially for those members who might not want to ski or who don't know how.

Nowadays, most of the top resorts that cater to family ski vacations also have a nice array of optional activities beyond the traditional skiing and snowboarding. Some of these alternative activities include ski schools, snowboarding lessons, tobogganing, sledding, ice skating, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and even the nostalgic sleigh rides. Even if these various activities are offered by the chosen resort, they might not be included in the package deal, so be sure to check on these details.

Most ski vacation packages will include everything you need for a wonderful family winter escape such as airfare, accommodations, lift tickets and even ski or snowboard lessons. Some packages will also include car rentals or will provide a shuttle service. However, skiing equipment and skiing accessories are generally not included in most packages.

Discover more information about ski vacation packages from Mike Selvon educational portal. We appreciate your feedback at our ski vacations family blog.