Kid-friendly budget getaways

The words "travel" and "saving money" don't always mesh. But there are ways to save while having fun travelling with your kids this winter, whether your family is skiing or building castles in the sand.

Here are some suggestions:

SKI FREE

For more than 10 years, Grade 5 students have been able to ski and snowboard free at ski resorts in Canada using a SnowPass from the Canadian Ski Council. This winter, the SnowPass program has been expanded to include kids in Grade 4.

The 2008/09 SnowPass provides any Canadian child born in 1998 or 1999 coupons that can be cashed in for free lift tickets at participating ski areas. There are more than 150 resorts participating this season across all provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Big name participants include Blue Mountain and Mount St. Louis Moonstone in Ontario, Quebec's Mont Tremblant, Alberta's Lake Louise, and Big White and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.

Here's how it works: Depending on where you live in Canada, each student who applies will receive either an Eastern or Western SnowPass Booklet. The SnowPass includes up to three ski-free coupons for each participating ski area. The SnowPass also includes coupons for deals on lessons and rentals. Some participating areas offer a bonus Grade 6 coupon that can be used in 2010.

To apply, visit snowpass.ca or pick up an application at Sport Mart, Sport Chek, Sports Experts and Intersport stores. Grade 4 and 5 school teachers across the country are also being asked to distribute SnowPass applications.

FREE NIGHTS IN ORLANDO

If warmer days at Disney World are more your style, at least one Orlando hotel is offering free nights.

From now until May 3, 2009, the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort is offering the fifth night free in a five night stay -- including during the high-traffic Christmas and spring break vacation periods.

The Orlando Marriott is a huge hit among kids as it includes six swimming pools -- including a lagoon pool with a 32-metre waterslide and waterfall.

Rooms at the Marriott start from $179 per room, per night. For more information, visit marriottworldcenter.com.

HALF OFF AT BEACHES TURKS & CAICOS

In January 2009, Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort will open the doors to its new Italian Village. Beaches is debuting the $126-million addition with a sale: 55% savings and up to two nights free.

Always scoring well among kids -- Sesame Street-themed shows and characters are very popular among the under-10 set -- Beaches is upping its game with the Italian Village. It includes 162 new luxury family suites with separate rooms, bunks, kitchens ... even private concierge services.

Beaches Turks & Caicos has also expanded its Pirate's Island Waterpark to 10 times the original size. It now includes a surf simulator, lazy river and seven new waterslides.

For more information, visit beaches.com.

FLORIDA DEALS

And finally, I've just discovered a nifty method of hunting for deals this winter in Florida.

The state's travel website -- visitflorida.com -- has a comprehensive search engine that offers instant, useful information on rate cuts on everything from accommodations and attractions to golf in this sunshine state.

Route 66 escapades

Much of the route has been taken over by four-lane interstates, but scattered sections of U.S. 66 can still be driven between the Midwest and the Pacific Coast.

And the spirit of Route 66 -- the Mother Road in The Grapes of Wrath -- lives on even in places where its pavement has disappeared.

Sounds like as good a reason as any for an old-fashioned road trip now the price of gas has eased a bit.

Today's digital two-lane is full of information you can mine to plan a trip on the highway that stretched roughly 3,862 km from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif.

Even the Federal Highway Administration gets into the act with a little bit of history.

And for nostalgia, the lyrics to Bobby Troup's classic Get Your Kicks, On Route 66 are widely available on the web.

Thinking of following the whole road, or just a section?

Start your planning by clicking on the states on the map from Historic Route 66 -- http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html -- which promises turn-by-turn directions, plus brief town descriptions.

If you're wondering what people do for kicks on Route 66, click the "Events" tab at the top of the page, a year-round list of happenings such as Illinois' Red Carpet Corridor Festival extending from Joliet to Towanda in May, or the Route 66 Blowout at Sapulpa, Okla., in June, along with a host of car and motorcycle shows.

The biggest asset at Historic Route 66 is "Links," a collection of connections to websites that could fill several hours of your research for a great American road trip.

Looking for unique spots for lunch?

Try the 66 Diner in Albuquerque, N.M., or the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Ill.

Personal travel accounts? Look for the link to Mom & Dad's Route 66 Adventure or the Route 66 Honeymoon, a day-by-day account told in pictures and commentary.

And you should definitely search those links for the word "association" to locate links to Route 66 associations for the individual states along the way.

Some say there are ghosts along the way, especially in communities that dwindled or dried up entirely after they were bypassed by the four-lane.

Stop by Legendary Route 66 and look for "Ghosts" and "Ghost Towns" for spots such as Newkirk, N.M., or the one-time gold mining town of Oatman, Ariz.

Cemeteries revived

NEW ORLEANS (AP) On a recent morning, Jeffrey Scott stood before Marie Laveau's tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, shaking a cigarette out of a pack to leave as an offering for the famous voodoo queen.
Scott was placing the offerings with others, including Mardi Gras beads, flowers, candles and change in front of the white Greek Revival tomb, covered with red Xs that some believe will move Laveau's spirit's to grant a wish.
"This is better than Bourbon Street," said Scott, 22, who had come from London with friends to New Orleans. "My friends at home will freak when they hear I saw this. They were saying how could I visit a cemetery, but wait until they see my pictures."
Death has a distinctive presence in New Orleans, people play music and dance at funerals; for burials they move old bones to make room for new; and tombs ranging from plain to ornate, from new to old, are the final resting places for many residents.
Now, after years of neglect, vandalism and theft, there are signs of life in New Orleans: 'Cities of the Dead.'
Love of unique cemeteries and concern for their decay has led to groups like Friends of New Orleans Cemeteries and Save Our Cemeteries, which have spearheaded fundraising efforts, renovations and cleanup campaigns that have sparked restoration in many of the cemeteries.
"Our cemeteries are unique," said Robert Florence, founder of Friends of New Orleans Cemeteries and the operator of Historic New Orleans Tours, which leads groups through the cemeteries. "Their history is remarkable, the architecture is remarkable, their beauty is remarkable."
The tomb reported to be Laveau's is among those that have been restored. The once chipped facade and crumbling roof are now smooth and brightly painted. The practice of marking it with Xs is condemned by preservationists, especially when it's done with pieces of brick broken from nearby unrestored tombs.
The New Orleans tradition of above ground burial, necessitated by the city's low elevation that caused graves to flood, has resulted in several kinds of tombs, the family tomb, the wall tomb, or 'oven' because of their resemblance to ovens once used here, and the society tombs, where people could band together to secure a burial spot.
But as rich in history and architectural interest as they are, for years the 42 cemeteries in New Orleans were largely allowed to crumble.
"Families die off or move away, and if there isn't a perpetual care policy, the tomb begins to crumble," Florence said. "Without care over the years, you can just end up with a pile of rubble."
The oldest of the tombs were built of bricks then covered with a thin layer of plaster; the panels that listed those in the tomb were usually marble, which broke easily and from which the engraving faded over the years.
"The older tombs, in many cases, were little more than collapsed piles of brick,Ó"said Rachel Witwer, director of Save Our Cemeteries, which was founded in 1974 to help restore and preserve Louisiana's historical cemeteries.
Conditions in many cemeteries have improved since the low point in the 1980s when the Archdiocese of New Orleans considered selling neglected tombs.
It's not unheard of for tombs to be sold in New Orleans. Even some famous tombs have changed hands, with the remains of the bodies originally buried there removed and placed elsewhere with the permission of the relatives of the dead. Under the law, however, the Archdiocese was unable to carry out its plan, since it does not have legal control of those entombed there.
"Under the statute after 50 years of no activity, we have the right to place a tomb under public notice for a year, then we can restore it and sell it," said Jody Rome, director of the Archdiocese's cemeteries. "But they made no provision for what to do with the remains from the tombs."
Tombs in New Orleans allow for unlimited burials. After one year, the tomb may be opened, the bones removed from the coffin and placed in a receiving well in the tomb, which allows for a new burial.
Since 1984 all new tombs built in a Catholic cemetery in New Orleans have required perpetual care, which costs $2,700, a one-time fee.
Though there is still work to be done, restoration efforts are beginning to pay off.
In St. Louis No. 1, which opened in 1789, many of the old tombs now gleam blindingly white in the sunlight.
And tourists have returned to cemeteries that were once considered dangerous enough to carry a police warning about visiting. In the past, tourists wandering along the twisting lanes between tombs at the oldest cemeteries were perfect targets for robbers.
"We have not had any reports of robberies in the cemeteries in recent years," said New Orleans Police spokesman Bob Young.

If You Go...
HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS TOURS: http://www.tourneworleans.com/cemeteryset.html or 504-947-2120. Two-hour Cemetery Voodoo Tour, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m., $15 cash and travelerÕs checks only ($13 for students, $7 for children 6-12), starting at 334-B Royal St. in the courtyard of Royal Cafe Beignet.
SAVE OUR CEMETERIES TOURS: http://www.saveourcemeteries.org/ or 504-525-3377. One-hour tours of Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (meet at the Washington Avenue gate on the 1400 block of Washington Avenue), $6 suggested donation; and one-hour tours of St. Louis Cemetery, Sundays at 10 a.m. (meet in the first floor of the Basin Street Station Visitors Center, 501 Basin St.), $12 suggested donation.

Cruises show the world

Take a slow boat to China or sail the world following the sun from west to east -- if only you have the time and money.

Many folks do, it seems, in spite of rough and choppy economic times as the demand for world cruises continues to grow.

These grand world voyages -- lasting about three to four months -- take guests through the winter while basking in perfect weather in the Caribbean, South Pacific, Asia, Africa and Europe.

Regent Seven Seas is sailing two simultaneous voyages on its 700-passenger all-suite, allbalcony Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner to a total of 110 ports in 50 countries on six continents.

Aboard the Voyager, cruisers will call on 52 ports on five continents, lasting 116 nights.

Leaving Los Angeles on Jan. 12, there will be weeks of in-depth discovery including wonders such as the Taj Mahal, Ayer's Rock and the Great Wall of China. You can also follow the Road to Mandalay.

If you must ask the price, then perhaps this isn't the right cruise to choose.

Travelling in the leastexpensive category -- not quite steerage -- will cost about C$80,000 and that's discounted from the regular $133,000 a person, double occupancy.

Actually that's for a deluxe suite and you receive many amenities, including airfare, shipboard credits, a gala pre-cruise dinner, special events ashore, luggage delivery, transfers and commemorative gifts.

Top accommodation in the master suite is $276,000, discounted from $475,000.

After paying that, who would mind an extra $3,000 for fees plus fuel surcharges and tipping?

If that's a little over budget, try sailing a segment or a shorter voyage that's part of the world cruise itinerary.

For example, the Los Angeles to Auckland segment of 19 nights is priced from $9,800 double occupancy.

The Mariner begins its 121-night "Ring of Fire" world cruise on Jan. 26 in Fort Lauderdale, exploring the Pacific Rim, New Zealand, South Pacific, Alaska and South America.

"Even during uncertain economic times, it appears that growing numbers of travellers are eager to sail the globe or, at the very least, take a nice long segment of a world cruise,'' said Terry Dale, head of Cruise Lines International Association.

Here are some other options for seeing the world in style:

- Crystal Cruises' Serenity sails from Los Angeles on Jan. 21 on a 106-day voyage to 45 ports.

This cruise includes Mexico, the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Russia and Alaska, as well as British Columbia and San Francisco en route back to Los Angeles.

- Cunard Line began its tradition of world cruising in 1922 and now both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria embark on their second world cruises.

Victoria makes a 99-day "Exploration of Distant Horizons" cruise leaving New York on Jan. 10 and calling on the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Queen Mary's 90-day Epic Expedition leaves Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 13 and circumnavigates South America before sailing down under and through Asia and Europe.

- Holland America's M.S. Rotterdam returns to world cruising with a 117-day Grand World Voyage departing Jan. 19 from Los Angeles. The westbound route sails the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and through Asia and Africa before visiting the Caribbean and ending in Fort Lauderdale.

The trip will feature a rare "midnight golden line crossing'' when the ship crosses the equator and the international dateline at the same time.

- Princess has its 670-passenger Tahitian Princess and 710passenger Royal Princess offering similar 107-day itineraries from Fort Lauderdale in January and ending in Dover, England and Rome, respectively.

The itinerary features South America, the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, India and Egypt as well as a variety of European destinations including a new stop, Port Blair in the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean.

- Silversea's first Grand Pacific Voyage is a 92-day extended odyssey timed to coincide with the prime regional seasons of the Pacific Ocean. It sails from Los Angeles on March 7 and will visit 45 ports, 15 countries and two hemispheres. There are overnight stays in French Polynesia's Bora Bora, Sydney, Singapore, Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

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IF YOU SAIL

To check out the options for a world cruise -- or just to dream, go to:

Regent Seven Seas: www.rssc.com; 1-877-505-5370

Crystal Cruises: www.crystalcruises.com; 1-866-446-6625

Cunard Line: www.cunardline.com; 1-800-728-6273

Holland America: www.hollandamerica.com; 1-877-932-4259

Princess: www.princess.com; 1-800-774-6237

Silversea: www.silversea.com; 1-800-722-9955

Cruise Lines International Association: www.cruising.org