TOUR
ASPEN
Buy any 10 or 15-night 2017 Ski Aspen package and get a free pair of skis with bindings. The Aspen Sports offer gives you a choice of skis from brands such as K2 and Rossignol, plus unlimited free demo ski hire.
Costing from $5490, all packages include transfers, accommodation, lift tickets, ski improvement program and guiding, video analysis and complimentary apres ski food and drinks.
On sale until June 17 for first 50 bookings. Valid for 2017 season travel. Use promo code: freeskis17. See skiaspen.com.au
AFRICA
Save up to $6245 a person on Abercrombie & Kent's 12-day Best of Zambia and Botswana itinerary. It offers on foot, in vehicle and on water game viewing experiences in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, as well as Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Accommodation is in Sanctuary Retreats camps and lodges.
From $10,465 a person twin share. Travel dates on request. Phone 1300 590 317. See abercrombiekent.com.au
ISLAND
NEW ZEALAND
This offer includes three nights for the price of two at the five-star The Langham Auckland in a Langham Club Room, return business class airfares to Auckland flying Emirates, breakfast daily, evening drinks and canapes daily, butler service and return private airport transfers.
From $1875 a person twin share. Sydney from $1889, ex Melbourne from $1875 and ex Perth from $2689. On sale till May 31 for travel September 1-October 9.
Phone 1800 044 066 and quote deal code 4110318. See travel-associates.com.au
VANUATU
Kids stay, play and eat for free with this holiday package that represents a 40 per cent saving on accommodation at Warwick Le Lagon Resort & Spa in Vanuatu. It gives five nights in a Garden View Room, daily breakfast, a village tour, return airport transfers and more.
From $725 an adult twin share. On sale until June 30 for select travel periods up to March 31, 2017. Phone 1300 883 887. See travelonline.com
FAMILY
EUROPE
Fly the family economy from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane on fares starting from $1399 to Dubai and onwards to select European destinations for only $100 more.
The Emirates deal is valid for travel between September 27 and November 23, then again January 16-March 28.
European cities the deal applies to include Vienna, Milan, Madrid and Amsterdam. You can also add in a short stopover in Dubai.
On sale till June 9. Phone 1300 303 777. See emirates.com/au
BALI
This deal gives seven nights at the five-star Mantra Sakala Resort & Beach Club at Tanjung Benoa on Bali's Nusa Dua Peninsula. It also includes return airport transfers, daily breakfast, gourmet dining experiences, spa treatments, nightly cocktails, kids club access and free Wi-Fi.
The price is $999 for two for a package valued up to $4804. Two children 12 and under stay for free. On sale till May 4 for travel till December, 2017.
Phone 1300 889 900. See LuxuryEscapes.com
CRUISE
MYANMAR
Book any APT Myanmar river cruise holiday of 15 days or longer in 2017 and 2018 and be eligible for return flights for $795 a person.
For example book the 18-day Hidden Wonders of Burma with Inle Lake for from $10,845 a person, twin share. It goes between Mandalay and Yangon with lots of spectacular experiences and sightseeing. It includes 48 meals with beverages.
Deal valid till September 30. Phone 1300 196 420. See aptouring.com.au
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS AND CUBA
Book a double on Cruiseco Silversea Galapagos or Cuba cruises and one person gets 75 per cent off the usual fare. Book a single and pay a single supplement of just 25 per cent.
They depart in October 2016. For example, Silver Explorer departs from Nassau, Bahama, on October 12 and sails the Caribbean with four ports of call in Cuba over 11 nights to Colon, Panama. It costs from $8468 (first passenger) and $2117 (second passenger).
All itineraries include onboard meals and beverages and sightseeing. Phone (02) 9492 8520. See cruising.com.au
HOTEL
HUNTER VALLEY
The Golden Door Health Retreat & Spa in the Hunter Valley has reduced the three-night rate by 25 per cent for doubles for the Queen's Birthday long weekend, June 11-13. It also has specials going on two-night stays throughout June
Under the long weekend deal, the rate is from $1310 for two per stay. (Standard rate $1750.)
Book before June 5. See goldendoor.com.au
SRI LANKA
To mark the June 1 opening of Shangri-La Hambantota Resort & Spa, a beachfront property at Ambalantota in Sri Lanka's south, there are some deals going that include such things as free golf and safaris.
For instance, the Bride's Stay Free offer gives 50 per cent off best available rate for five-night stays and includes 50 per cent off all food and beverage and spa treatments plus daily green fees for two at Shangri-La's Golf & Country Club and more.
All packages valid for travel June 1-December 22. See Shangri-la.com
GEBICKI TIP
Airports have different landing fees and taxes and this can affect airline ticket prices. Flights from Australia to London usually cost more than to Paris due to higher landing costs at Heathrow.
EXPERT OPINION
Jon Stonham, CEO Elite Havens
Q. For Australians thinking about a Bali family getaway during the winter school holidays, what are the advantages of booking a private villa?
A. Nothing quite compares with a private villa, especially for families catering to a variety of ages and needs. Think of them as a super luxury "second home" with all the comforts of a home plus so much more.
An exclusive villa gives families complete privacy where kids can run free and play. No facilities are shared and guests can totally operate on their own schedule. An early breakfast for the children or sunset cocktails and canapes by the pool are created to order, and what is even better is the villas operate on a grocery system and your personal chef does all the grocery shopping at local prices. This alone represents a huge cost saving especially where families with small children are concerned.
Every villa is fully staffed with a manager, chef, butlers, gardeners and security ensuring guests have absolutely nothing to do other than relax and enjoy themselves – this way everyone gets a real holiday.
Last but not least, a villa is incredibly cost effective for families when compared to a hotel or a resort.
A luxury villa costs $100 to $400 a bedroom a night, while a comparable hotel can set a family back between $300 and $700 for the same.
For luxury, space, privacy and true value, a villa holiday wins hands down.
See elitehavens.com
THE BIG ISSUE: WHY WE LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE
A recent study linking domestic sea views to lower levels of psychological distress may go some way to explaining why a coastal vacation can make us feel so good.
The University of Michigan research looked at Wellington, New Zealand, comparing the mental wellbeing of people who lived with an ocean view to those that didn't. Equalising other circumstances, that sea view came up trumps in creating greater wellbeing. And it was due to what the researchers called access to "blue space".
While the study didn't look into seaside holidays, Dr Melissa Weinberg of Deakin University's School of Psychology and Australian Centre on Quality of Life, and who specialises in "subjective wellbeing", the scientific name for happiness, says vacation beach time works.
Dr Weinberg explains that we are hardwired to have an optimal level of happiness but environmental factors can make us more or less so. "We have internal processes to help regulate that," says Weinberg. "Most emotions are temporary. They are a response to something happening. But then we engage in a process, such as optimism, to restore our happiness back to the optimal level."
Though stress is a useful tool to focus us, obviously, it can make us less happy if it's a constant.
"Under stressful situations, the brain is acting in a certain type of way which, though appropriate to ensure no further stress is encountered, limits creativity and broad vision which long term is not helpful," says Dr Weinberg. "It's stuck in a box where it has a narrow focus and it might need to be there to deal with the stressful situation effectively, but it's not really where it likes to be."
Dr Weinberg says a nice ocean view gives the brain a strong visual cue to sort itself out.
"Now, think about taking the brain into a wide open space where it likes to be, such as a beach, where your visual field literally extends until the horizon. That facilitates the process of the brain returning to its default [optimally happy] mode, where it usually functions best, enabling it to daydream, imagine, and be creative," she says. "And that's the excuse I use for my annual visit to Hawaii."
