“It’s the perfect time of year, somewhere far away from here.”
For many of us, those lyrics from the 2000 Barenaked Ladies hit song “Pinch Me” ring true during Centre County’s long winters.
A post-holiday emotional letdown can take hold in January, once the Christmas lights have gone dark, special gatherings with friends and family are behind us, and the Hallmark Channel has moved on from holiday movies. In addition, frigid temperatures, cloudy skies, and long nights restrict our exposure to sunlight, causing many people to feel a palpable loss of energy and a real sense of winter blues.
Planning a getaway of some kind, whether it’s to another climate or just a short drive away, can help break up the monotony of the season. Sometimes the mere act of putting a trip on the calendar provides enough of an emotional lift to break out of that winter funk.
Fortunately, traveling outside of central Pennsylvania is not too difficult these days. We talked to some local travel agents who provided ideas for different kinds of winter escapes, as well as some tips to save money and make the most of your trip.
FLORIDA THEME PARKS
For local families with young kids, the most popular winter vacation destination by far is Disney World in Orlando, according to Lindsay Smith, owner of L + S Travel. In fact, she says the demand this year seems higher than ever. Unfortunately, with high demand comes high prices.
“We used to think of Orlando as budget-friendly. It’s no longer budget-friendly,” she says. “Things have very much changed because people saved all their travel money over the pandemic. Now that we’ve reached the time people feel safe enough to travel again, they are spending, and they are spending top dollar.”
If you’re wondering what “top dollar” looks like, Smith says a one-week Disney vacation averages around $7,500 or more for a family of four. But, she says there are ways to reduce the costs of a trip to Orlando.
Money-saving tips
• Use a discount airline. “Right now, people are taking the Spirit Airlines flight out of Latrobe, which is direct daily, or they’re taking Allegiant out of Harrisburg, because it’s such a significant savings,” Smith says.
• Consider alternative Orlando destinations. For families with kids ages 10 and up, Smith recommends Universal Studios, which offers some good package deals.
• Stay off-site. Rather than staying on Disney property, which can be cost-prohibitive, Smith says it is less expensive to stay at a hotel in Orlando and drive to the parks each day.
KID-CENTRIC GETAWAYS IN PA
For those who don’t have the time or the budget for an Orlando vacation, the Poconos has become a haven for family-friendly winter escapes, offering three huge indoor water parks with overnight accommodations. All are less than a three-hour drive from State College.
Aquatopia – Tannersville: Located at Camelback Resort, Aquatopia features 13 water slides and a lazy river. Families could make the most out of a trip here by hitting the slopes for skiing and snowtubing as well. The resort offers packages to make it all more affordable. A family of four can stay for about $350/night in March, and admission to the water park is included.
Great Wolf Lodge – Scotrun: Great Wolf Lodge was the first indoor water park and lodge to open in the area. A family of four can stay in the lodge for about $400/night in March, and admission to the water park is included. Packages can be added to include some of the resort’s additional attractions, including an arcade, bowling alley, indoor mini-golf, and more.
Kalahari Resort – Pocono Manor: Kalahari is a 220,000-square-foot indoor water park filled with African-themed slides and attractions. The attached hotel space is family-focused, with suites to accommodate groups of two to twenty-two people. A family of four can stay for about $400/night in March, and admission to the water park is included.
WARM-WEATHER ESCAPES
For travelers of any age looking to enjoy some sunshine and warmer weather, southern Florida has always been a popular winter vacation spot. Smith says the damage caused by Hurricane Ian may have curtailed demand slightly, but prices are still high.
Her clients have been finding better deals by traveling to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, or Jamaica, she says. The Bahamas and Aruba are also popular winter destinations for central Pennsylvanians.
“People like the Bahamas because it’s not far. The flight to Aruba is kind of long, but it’s out of the hurricane belt, and it has great beaches and great restaurants,” says Jan Hurvitz of Centre for Travel.
But for people looking to travel on a budget, Smith says, “The best deals on the market are cruises.”
The exception to this is a Disney Cruise, which Hurvitz says could cost a family $12,000 for three days with two cabins.
For most cruises, however, Smith says a budget of less than $2,500 per person can go a long way. To avoid the cost of flying south to catch a cruise, Smith recommends Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, a cold-weather ship that sails out of New Jersey to Florida and the Bahamas. The ship features domes over pools and outdoor spaces, which open upon arrival into warmer climates.
Money-saving tips:
• Book early. No matter where you’re going, if you’re flying, Hurvitz says it does not pay to wait, especially with a limited number of flights in and out of University Park Airport. “It’s not true you’ll pay a cheaper price if you wait to book your flight until closer to your travel time. It’s just not true. And once those flights are gone, they’re gone. Even if prices do go down, if there are no seats, it doesn’t do you any good,” she says.
• “Flexibility is key.” Travelers willing to drive to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or Baltimore to catch a flight can save money, and if you are able to be flexible about your travel dates, that could help, too, Hurvitz says.
• Consider all-inclusive resorts. “In places like Punta Cana, Mexico, or Jamaica, you almost have to do an all-inclusive, partly because, from a safety perspective, those are places where you are not going to go out and explore much on your own. Drinks can be very expensive there, too. Those resorts are nice because you pay up front for your food and beverages, and then you don’t feel like you’re getting nickel-and-dimed to death,” Hurvitz says.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
Aside from Caribbean vacations, both Smith and Hurvitz say there is little demand for travel abroad during the winter months. However, Hurvitz says if you don’t mind the winter weather, it’s a good time to visit Europe.
“The weather is not ideal, but if you just want to do some sightseeing, it’s a good time to go because there are not big crowds, and it won’t cost as much money,” she says.
She also says Iceland has become a year-round popular international destination. Flights to Iceland are generally cheap, she says, but once you get there, everything is expensive. Her clients have also been booking trips to Australia, where it’s currently summer and therefore prime season.
Smith says she has recently had an unusually high number of clients booking trips to Egypt and to South Africa.
She says clients looking to travel to Europe later this year need to book as soon as possible.
“Europe is a hot pocket right now,” she says. “Demand is so high. We are already seeing a four-week period in Ireland this summer where all of the hotels are sold out.”
Money-saving tips
• Use a travel agent. If you are unfamiliar with your destination, and especially if you are planning to do a lot of sightseeing, a travel agent can help you set up efficient and cost-effective itineraries.
• Choose less-convenient accommodations. If you’re visiting major European cities, booking hotels outside of city centers and a fair distance away from major tourist attractions can save you money.
URBAN ESCAPES
Even when it is not feasible to plan a full-blown vacation to warmer climates, a change of scenery can do wonders for one’s mental state. Centre County residents are fortunate to be within easy driving distance of some major cities, where they can enjoy world-class shows, museums, and even shopping.
New York City is the epitome of urban culture. In a weekend, you can see a Broadway show, visit world-famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, explore Central Park, check out iconic sites like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, and enjoy seemingly endless choices for shopping and dining.
Driving there will take about four hours, and parking a car there is very expensive. A cheaper, low-stress way to travel to New York is to catch the Amtrak train out of Lewistown, which is about $50 for a one-way ticket.
Don’t skimp too much on hotel accommodations, though. Hurvitz says, “You get what you pay for. I’d be leery of any hotel room in New York that only costs $200 per night.”
Cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., are each about three hours by car from State College. Each city offers experiences distinct to itself—from D.C.’s national monuments and free museums to Philadelphia’s historic sites like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall to Pittsburgh’s three rivers, Carnegie museums, and inclines.
Unless there is a big event going on, city hotels are generally less expensive during the winter months than at other times of the year.
Money-saving tips
• Do your research. Hurvitz recommends comparing prices using sites like Kayak, Expedia, and Travelocity. It’s also good to ask for word-of-mouth recommendations from people you know.
• Explore available discounts. Use whatever discounts are applicable to you, whether they be military discounts, or membership discounts through AAA, AARP, and other organizations. Also, check hotel websites for package deals.
SPA GETAWAYS
If you’re looking to capture the feeling of “getting away from it all” without having to travel far, you might enjoy a retreat to one of Pennsylvania’s world-class spa resorts.
The Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford is less than a 90-minute drive from State College. The historic hotel features an indoor pool, fine and pub dining, and the Springs Eternal Spa, which includes a full menu of spa treatments, plus the famous “Bedford Bath Ritual.” When weather permits, guests can also enjoy the hiking trails, golf course, tennis courts, and complimentary use of bicycles.
Nemacolin in Farmington is about a three-hour drive. A recent season of ABC’s The Bachelor was filmed on-site, and the setting is over-the-top luxurious. There are three different hotels on the resort property, although one of them, The Lodge, is closing for renovations for the first part of 2023. Private houses are also available for rent. Many guests go to Nemacolin specifically to be pampered at the Woodlands Spa and Salon and the Holistic Healing Center.
If you want to make a true adventure out of your getaway, Nemacolin also offers a wide variety of outdoor activities, including a wildlife park, golf, horseback riding, sporting clay facilities, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and even dogsledding. There is also a casino.
Money-saving tips
• Avoid weekends. As one might expect, a trip to either of these resorts is never going to be cheap, but you can save a little bit of money if you visit on a weeknight. During February, a standard room at Bedford Springs will cost you over $450 on a weekend but only about $300 on a weekday. The most inexpensive room at Nemacolin is listed at around $550 on a weekday, jumping up to $650 or higher on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Check the websites for packages. Both resorts list special offers, including “Stay three nights, get a fourth night free,” and discounts on couples’ retreats and more.
SKI VACATIONS
For a more active getaway, a refreshing trip to the mountains may be calling. There are many elite ski slopes to choose from in the United States, from Vail, Colorado, to Park City, Utah, to Killington, Vermont, and more. But skiers and snowboarders can find less expensive and closer-to-home options within a three-hour radius of State College, including the above-mentioned Camelback Resort in the Poconos. Some of the others worth checking out include:
Seven Springs Mountain Resort in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania offers 33 trails of varying degrees of difficulty, plus seven terrain parks and a huge snowtubing area. Lodging options range from the Slopeside Hotel to townhomes, chalets, and luxury houses, with prices in February ranging from around $315 to $800 per night. The main lodge includes all kinds of indoor activities, including a swimming pool, bowling alley, arcade, axe throwing, and the Trillium Spa.
Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, New York, is a popular destination for State College families. It is less than a three-hour drive, not far from Buffalo, so it is often the beneficiary of lots of lake-effect snow, making for excellent ski conditions. There are two nice on-site hotels—the Tamarack Club and the Inn at Holiday Valley—as well as nearby condo rentals. Winter weekday pricing starts at around $180 per night but doubles on the weekend.
Money-saving tips
Snowsports are inherently expensive no matter where you go, but especially so during the high season—January through mid March. Still, there are a few things you can do to make a ski trip a little more affordable.
• Buy lift tickets in advance. It’s almost always a better deal to purchase your lift tickets online ahead of time than to buy them upon arrival. Check the resort websites for special package deals as well.
• Rent equipment off-site. If you are not bringing your own equipment with you, ski resort towns sometimes contain shops where you can rent or buy skis, snowboards, boots, poles, etc., at a lower rate than resort rentals.
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SHOULD YOU USE A TRAVEL AGENT?
Jan Hurvitz of Centre for Travel has seen a lot of changes during her 30 years in the industry. In the 1990s, people predicted that the rise of the internet would make her job obsolete. It’s true that people can easily book their own flights through online sites such as Expedia and Travelocity. In fact, Hurvitz recommends it, saying she almost never books airline tickets anymore unless doing so in conjunction with a more complex itinerary that includes things like accommodations, cruises, and/or car rentals. In those cases, she says, travel agents are as relevant as ever, citing a few reasons:
• Travel has become more complicated since the pandemic began. “COVID really brought people back to us,” Hurvitz says. “There was so much to stay on top of, between testing requirements and different restrictions in different countries, and if trips got canceled, people didn’t know how to get deposits back; it was a nightmare. People needed someone to advocate for them and help them navigate through the process.”
• When plans go awry, an agent can troubleshoot for you. “These days, the airlines are not giving you long enough connections. So if they’re de-icing and you’re late flying out of University Park, your next flight is in jeopardy, and it becomes a panic situation,” Hurvitz says. If you don’t have a travel agent and you miss that second flight, you’ll find yourself waiting at a counter in the airport to try to get on a new flight, whereas an agent can often get you re-booked before you even land.
• Agents are experts. Travel agents often have first-hand knowledge of the trips they book, as resorts and cruise lines frequently host them in the hopes that agents will recommend them to clients. Agents also do a lot of research to stay on top of trends and deals, using exclusive online groups to network and share information with other travel agents across the world.
• It doesn’t cost extra. Travel agents are paid commission from hotels and cruise lines, so they rarely charge their clients directly—and if they do, it’s a nominal fee. They’re often privy to deals that you might not know about, so using a travel agent versus booking a trip on your own could actually save you money. T&G
Karen Walker is a freelance writer in State College whose recent travels have included Costa Rica; Auburn, Alabama; and Marco Island and Key West, Florida. Coming up this summer: the Netherlands and Spain.
