Travel deals for November 20th include reduced fares to China, Japan, and the Bahamas, deals on Mexican spa vacation packages, hotel deals in Europe, and much more.

These are the best travel deals for today, Nov. 13th, 2009. World’s largest cruise ship comes to Ft. Lauderdale, stay in Las Vegas for nearly nothing, take a train to ten different ski resorts, and more!

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially the holiday deals. In Galveston,  the Hotel Galvez (a Wyndham Historic Hotel) has some enticing deals for the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.

Hotel Galvez holiday lights

Hotel Galvez’s Thanksgiving package includes overnight accommodations and a Thanksgiving Day Brunch with complimentary mimosas, wine or champagne.  It also includes two tickets to the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights. Friday, November 27^th kicks off the holiday season in Galveston. At Hotel Galvez, the festivities include gingerbread replicas of the historic hotel and Christmas carols, among other live entertainment.  There’s also the holiday events that are held annually at the nearby Saegerfest Park in downtown Galveston. These festivities kick-off on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Hotel Galvez pool area

If you’ve got Christmas on your mind, Hotel Galvez has the Getaway for the Holidays Package for the entire month of December.  You can unwind before the holidays and do a little holiday shopping – the package includes discounts to local merchants and complimentary shuttle services: No rental car needed! Travel on a weekday to avoid the crowds and you’ll get a deeply discounted price. After a day of shopping, unwind with special holiday-themed treatments at the Hotel Galvez Spa. There’s also the typical wellness treatments such as massage, facial and body treatments.

While you’re in Galveston, take in some of the history. As a wannabe architecture buff, Bishop’s Palace caught my eye. Built in the late 1800s, the so-called “Victorian castle” is now a museum managed by the Galveston Historical Foundation. For $10 you can see the luxury materials and furnishings, beautifully carved ornaments, stained-glass windows, and sculptures – the mansion even a fireplace lined with pure silver!

Bishop's Palace / CC stevesheriw

If you’re more interested in natural wonders than architectural ones, the Galveston Island State Park offers over 2,000 acres of beach front property and is believed to be over 5,000 years old. The entrance fees are fair (about $5 for the day) and there’s also camping available if you’re interested in roughing it for a few days. No matter what activities youre interested, Galveston is a great destination for a low-key stay.

Galveston Island State Park / C Indiana Stan

The holidays fall at such a dreary time, weather-wise. I’ve always wondered if the calendar companies planned it that way to pass the time more quickly with friends, family and food. If you’re looking for a less traditional way to pass the holidays, there’s always the option of traveling somewhere tropical. The Occidental Hotels and Resorts group are holding fall specials for locations such as Aruba, Cancun and Cozumel.

The Occidental Grand Xcaret resort is offering inclusive deals for around $60 per night. The resort is located near the Cancun International Airport – which is convenient for pick-up and drop-off. Also, it’s usually possible to get rather inexpensive flights from most major cities to Cancun, Mexico.

Xcaret Beach Ckub / C Derek Alfonso

For those of you who are skeptical of “all-inclusive” packages (where are the hidden fees?? What type of icky food will we be served??) Rest assured, there are no hidden fees. There are additional activities such as excursions to nearby attractions and babysitting that cost a bit extra. The “All-inclusive” consists of unlimited meals, snacks and beverages (the foodie in my just perked up!), Beach Club access including Beach bar and butler service. There are also nightly entertainment options (also included!) and sports such as mini golf, tennis courts, and a Kid’s Club with supervised activities. Speaking of, kids under 12 stay for free.

Xcaret Occidental / CC Derek Alfonso

If Mexico perked your interest, there’s also the Occidental Grand Cozumel which is designed to feel like a private island. This luxury resort has deals starting at under $70 a night, and includes unlimited meals, a full open bar with top shelf brands, in-room dining and nightly entertainment (among other amenities).

Night Dive with the Occidental Grand Cozumel / CC Oblivious Dude

If you’d like to splurge a little, the Occidental Grand Aruba runs around $160 a night and includes the usual all-inclusive resort perks.  In addition, there are tennis and scuba clinics, snorkeling, kayaking, aqua aerobics as well as nightly shows and entertainment. Children under 5 are free. For kids 4-10 there’s the Kids Club with supervised activities.

Some features that aren’t included in the resort price are the on-property casino, 18-hole golf course, massage services and “motorized water sports,” scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, private tennis lessons, laundry services and scuba diving certification courses.

Head down to some sandy beaches, sangria and scuba to make the winter months pass more quickly and the next thing you know, it’ll be spring!

Twitter recently launched a Beta version of it’s new feature Twitter Lists.  This new feature allows tweeters to organize lists of people that others can easily follow.  Best Travel Deals is using this exciting new Twitter application and created a list of travel deal tweeters that we’d like to share with the travel community. We’ve named the list “Travel Deals” and it’s available here: @bestraveldeals/travel-deals.

With so many individuals and companies on Twitter it’s becoming increasingly difficult for travelers to distinguish sources for legitimate deals.  Our list includes some of the best sources for travel deals on Twitter. Many of the deals announced on Twitter are last minute and short term so being able to easily keep tabs on the latest travel tweets will help you score more last minute travel deals. From millions of Twitter users, we’ve hand-picked some of the most valuable travel deal tweeters and we will continue to update as we find more sources. We’re also open to suggestions – if you have a Twitter account that is primarily (at least 50%) focused on sharing legitimate travel deals, direct message @bestraveldeals and we’ll review and add you to our list or just leave us a comment with your Twitter ID.

This new feature is especially useful for Twitter newbies who can quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of “noise” fellow tweeters can make. The list feature allows users to keep tabs on topics without including those users in their Twitter feed. These lists are easy to find or create and they provide users with the option of tuning into the conversation (and tuning out!) at their leisure.  If you’d like to occasionally receive updates on a certain topic such as travel deals follow a list like @bestraveldeals/travel-deals or surf on over to listorious and search for lists on topics that interest you.

For so-called Twitter addicts, the sheer amount of information generated by the users they follow can be equally as overwhelming, especially if they tweet about many different topics. Savvy users have organized the users they follow into several different, topical lists. They’re also using lists created by other user to find “Tweeple” with similar interests. Not only are lists organizational, they’re informational as well. It’s another great way to connect with like-minded and interesting tweeters.

Whether users are novice or experienced, lists create an easy way to organize interests and tweeters and with the travel-deals list, even occasional travelers will have access to Twitter travel deals without cluttering their Twitter feed.

For Thanksgiving, try the Perfect Pawleys Plantation Thanksgiving. For under $300, you and one other person can stay for three nights in a double occupancy, one-villa suite. But wait, it gets better: this includes one 18-hole round of golf and a cornucopia of a buffet on Thanksgiving. Also available is a free second round of golf or a fourth night free when you mention the “Perfect Pawleys Thanksgiving Package.”

Pawleys Island, South Carolina

Looking to avoid a white Christmas? Head down the Pawley’s for their “Christmas Lights in the Low Country” special. For $275, you and one other person receive 3 night accommodations in a villa suite. Of course, this includes one round of golf (18 holes!) and a Sunday brunch. As an added bonus, enjoy the Night of a Thousand Candles at the Brookgreen Garden.

Brookgreen Garden is part of a 9,100 acre preserve on the South Carolina coast. It was also the first sculpture garden to be built in the U.S. The land is comprised of four plantations and usually costs about $12 for admission. Your admission is free with the Christmas Lights in the Low Country package.

Pawleys Island Carriage Ride

If you‘re interested in staying for New Year’s Eve, Pawley’s is hosting a Gala & Golf event. For under $400 you and a guest will get a villa suite for Thursday, Friday and Saturday (2 days!) and one round of 18 hole golf and Sunday brunch (this is pretty standard for all Pawley’s packages). You’ll also be invited to a New Year’s Eve Gala in the ornate Plantation Ballroom with premium open bar, a full-course dinner with coffee and cordial station. Of course there will be a delicious champagne toast at midnight and party favors.

So grab your clubs (and your sweetie) and head to South Carolina for some golf fun over the holidays.

Pure Beach Restaurant - Aruba Phoenix Beach

The Caribbean offers a ton of sunny spots for Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations. Divi Resorts has some great deals for some fun in the sun. So keep the holidays relaxed and bring the family to the beach and let the resorts do the rest.

Divi Resorts has locations in Barbados, St. Maarten, Aruba  and Bonaire.  Each resort offers a different ambience. If you’re interested in some time with your honey, check out St. Maarten at Divi Little Bay. With private accommodations and access to fitness centers, tennis courts and water sports such as kayaking, snorkeling and swimming, there’s plenty of quality time to be had. St Maarten is also known as a great destination for culinary fans. With a population that is half French and half Dutch, the fusion eateries are plentiful and worth a try, even for the most fickle eaters.

Divi Little Bay Oceanfront Suite - St. Maartan

If you’re traveling with a flock, the Aruba Phoenix Beach resort has two bedroom suites starting at under $100 a night which include kitchends and large private balconies. Making meals as a family is a great way to conserve funds for activities like snorkeling, boogie boarding and kayaking. Or, if you prefer to eat out the resort offers a value coupon book with dinner discounts for the kids and free cocktails for Mom and Dad.

If you’re more of an adventure seeker, the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and Casino has a full-service, PADI five-star diving center on site along with a Casino that opens nightly with slot machines, gaming tables and an open-air lounge. There’s also a full-service spa and two open-air beach restaurants.

Whatever your perfect tropical holiday is, Divi Resorts has an option. Discounts vary from site to site; you can see the full list here.

When traveling, I often like to speak with people who’ve been to where I’m going – or who currently live there. They give the best advice on the best places to eat, sights to see and, of course, the best places to get deals. With the advent of social media – Twitter, Facebook and blogging specifically – asking for advice has become increasingly easier. My personal favorite is Twitter. Not only is Twitter great for interacting with natives, it’s also a helpful platform from which to glean the best travel deals.

 Have a plan but be flexible. When using social media to plan travel, it’s important that you know where you want to go and when but are flexible on the exact activities. Traveling on a budget can be easy but not if you’re rigid in the sites you want to see. Also, depending on who you’re following, you may hear of some events that are not very well advertised such as street fairs, art exhibits, etc.

1. Follow tweeters who tweet legitimate deals. This may seem like overly simplified advice, but with the mass amount of spammers and wannabe deal pushers. One of the best ways to distinguish (although this is not fool proof) is to look at how many “followers” they have in comparison to how many people they’re “following.” Also, check out their Twitter feed and see if any of the deals they’ve offered have been helpful.
2. Follow major travel resources. These “resources” are major brands such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines. They all have an online presence and frequently announce deals via Twitter that are not announced anywhere else.
3. Follow independent travelers. There are many people who tweet about their travelers and unlike major travel resources, they have more time to interact with you and give an insider’s view of the best vacation spots and travel deals. Travel tweeters such as @Travelblggr and @rubatravel offer off-beat, interesting travel advice.
4. Interact with Travelers online. There is a solid community of travelers who Tweet on a regular basis. What a better way to learn about where you’re going then by speaking with someone who’s already been there? Ask questions, ask for advice and travel stories. People love to share their experiences

We spend our summers in Saratoga Springs, a great place to be in the summer especially during track season. Everyone with an interest in horse racing will be focused on Saratoga Springs this week with the burning question – Will Rachel Alexandra run in the Travers? She didn’t run Saturday in the Alabama so she’ll work again this week and hopefully by Wednesday the world will know if she’s running in the Travers.

If you’ve never been to Saratoga Springs during track meet it should go on your list of places not to miss. While it can be very expensive to visit Saratoga during track season, it doesn’t have to be unaffordable. We’ve put together a short video – Saratoga Springs on the cheap – 4 days $400. The $400 includes lodging, meals and entertainment for two people. There are a lot of free and low cost things to do in Saratoga Springs during August and we couldn’t include them all but we will be sure to blog about them in the future. If you haven’t made plans for next weekend, consider heading to Saratoga Springs, NY. It’s a gem of a city and the most exciting place to be on August 29^th. We’ll be there – stop by and see us if you make it to the track, we’ll be in box B15.

Here’s a link to the video – would love to hear your feedback – so far three 5 star ratings.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BestTravelDealsNet#play/all/uploads-all/0/MkU5D0kevz0

Update – 8/24 – Rachel will not be running in the Travers but will run in the Woodward.  Rachel is so impressive, the purse for the Woodward was raised to $750,000 (from $500,000). Mine That Bird and Summer Bird running in the Travers and Rachel running in the Woodward, what an exciting week in Saratoga.

Bermuda’s pink beaches and deep blue oceans will look even better this year for travelers looking to save money. The island is celebrating its 400th anniversary. To make sure visitors are part of the celebration, the British Colony is offering a fantastic deal on some of its most luxurious hotels.

Stay four nights or more at 15 participating resorts and get a $400 credit at checkout. The deal is valid through August 21st. You must book by August 15th. Rates start at around $470 a night and include a free breakfast each day.

The resorts include 9 Beaches, Cambridge Beaches, CoCo Reef Bermuda, Elbow Beach Bermuda, Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Fairmont Southampton, Grape Bay Hotel, Grotto Bay Beach Resort and many more.

Bermuda was discovered 400 years ago when an English fleet under the command of Admiral George Somers was headed to Virginia and veered off course during a storm. They sighted Bermuda and every year the anniversary of the sighting is celebrated as a national holiday.

Need help choosing a hotel? Check out these Bermuda hotel deals.