Costa Rica (image courtesy of Stephen Aviano)
Resolve to give your passport a workout in 2015. Travelzoo's Deal Experts sure are. We've rounded up the trips we're most excited to take in the new year as a little bit of inspiration. See you at the airport!
Sun, Sand and Big Skies
"For 2015 I plan on heading somewhere warm in the winter to escape the polar vortex. I've had my eye on Staniel Cay, Bahamas, because how often can someone swim with pigs?!"
--Jeannie Shu, New York
"Every January my husband and I avoid the post-holiday blues by booking a warm-weather getaway. Thawing out on the beach while drinking tropical cocktails through umbrella straws is essential for surviving winter in Chicago. Historically we'll book an all-inclusive resort around Cancun, Tulum or Riviera Maya, because we can usually find a direct flight to CUN from ORD. But this year a hot Apple Vacations deal to the Dominican Republic had us dreaming of the Caribbean. Seven glorious nights at the Iberostar Bavaro All-Suites Resort? Punta Cana get an amen?"
--Metra Kootsikas, Chicago
"The trip I'm most looking forward to in 2015 is an adventure to South America I'm planning on taking with my father in February. For my 21st birthday he gifted me a dad-daughter trip anywhere in the world I wanted to go, and after two years of debating, we've finally settled on Costa Rica and Panama City! We haven't taken a trip just the two of us in five years, so I'm really looking forward to spending this time with him. I get my travel bug from him and have always treasured the trips we've taken together."
--Nile Cappello, San Francisco
"My big experience for 2015 is invading Ibiza with a bunch of turning-over-the-hill people. (Yes, we roamed with dinosaurs back in the day.) The plan is to party all night for days on end. The crystal-ball forecast, however, reveals a fast flameout and fleeing taillights headed to Mallorca."
--Ben Jennings, Austin
"My wife and I love wine, so we're expecting that we'll love Wine Country. Hoping to get to Napa and Sonoma this year to take advantage of the awesome getaways we publish."
--Andrew Young, New York
Long-Haul Flights
"Next stop: Australia! After bungee jumping, ziplining and jetboating my way through New Zealand during my 2014 Travelzoo experience, I'm jonesing for more adventure. Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef and cage diving with sharks Down Under should do the trick. My goal is to visit every continent before I turn 35, and Australia will be my sixth. Naturally 2016 will be the year of Antarctica!"
--Kate Searby, San Francisco
"I booked a great Qatar Airlines deal into Bangkok at the end of January. I'm really excited to fly the 'Best Airline in the World,' and for my first trip to Asia. I am going to spend one week exploring Thailand but am still undecided about what I will do with my second week. There are too many amazing options!"
--Caroline Eber, New York
"I'm super-stoked to be visiting South Korea and Taiwan this summer! In South Korea I'll eat my way around delicious snacks -- bingsu, jumokbap, kimchi, galbee, etc. -- and play in Hongdae with some KTV and shop in Insa-dong. In Taiwan I'll visit the National Palace Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts/artworks in the world (696,000!), and visit Tainan to see cool, historic temples -- and of course Taipei!"
--Lisa Chung, New York
Family Travel
"My wife's brother and his family moved to Maine this year, and they've welcomed a new baby this fall, so we're looking to take a road trip around New England next year. We'll likely fly to Boston and drive a loop around the area, crossing New Hampshire and Vermont via back roads and heading south to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame. If we visit Maine and Rhode Island, I'll have just three more U.S. states to cross off my list."
--Jay Cooke, San Francisco
"I'm going to Disney World in January with my boyfriend thanks to a Frontier flash sale and a Travelzoo hotel deal plus the new theme-park tickets we launched!"
--Sarah Luckett, Chicago
"In January a group of us are renting a house in Austin, Texas, to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday. Why Austin? Live music and BBQ are two of his favorite things. Then, in April, our family is taking our first cruise! We booked a Travelzoo Top 20 deal for a five-night cruise over Easter from Fort Lauderdale to Key West and Cozumel."
--Angela Shannon, Chicago
Snow Seekers
"I am heading to Austria in March for a family tradition, which is a ski trip to the 'World's Snowiest Town,' Damüls. We stay at a no-frills chalet on the slopes which is true ski-in, ski-out, and enjoy great weather together with short lines, as the local school holidays are over."
--Saskia Jacques, Toronto
"Just booked my big trip to Iceland in the spring! I surprised my mom for Christmas. I'm so excited to bask in all the spectacular scenery and take thousands of pictures. My Instagram is going to explode. Since the package was out of D.C., I'm also flying to D.C. five days early and crashing with a good friend. I haven't been to D.C. in years, so I'm excited to hit all the restaurants and bars."
--Jen Lee, Los Angeles
"My 2015 bucket-list trip is to take my whole family on a cruise through Alaska. Spotting orca whales from my balcony cabin and taking an off-shore excursion to a glacier would be my travel dreams come true. If the weather and time permits, I'd love to go salmon fishing or dog sledding too! Sailing out of Seattle would be ideal, so we can kill two birds with one stone and explore the city (and Pike Place Market)!"
--Mary Walker Baus, Los Angeles
"In February 10 girlfriends and I are spending a week in Denver and nearby ski parks like Vail and Breckenridge for a bachelorette party. In addition to hitting the slopes, we are going to dance at the outdoor Winterwondergrass Music Festival and warm up in the heated beer tents. This will be my first time skiing out west, and I'm most looking forward to nursing sore muscles at the resort's spa après ski."
--Elisabeth Barker, New York
Searching for the Big Five
"My big Experience trip will be a Tanzanian safari for my honeymoon thanks to an amazing flight deal on KLM (roundtrip Toronto to Kilimanjaro for under $1,000 -- and with only one stopover!). We start the trip with a week-long safari of Tanzania's northern circuit, where we'll fly to each destination, including the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. Following our safari we'll head south to Zanzibar for some quality beach time."
--Jenn Austen, Toronto
"I'm planning on booking the Botswana, Cape Town and Victoria Falls deal that we ran through Lion World Travel."
--Warren Chang, New York
European Escapes
"I am hoping to go to London and work from the office for a few days before traveling back to Israel and maybe jumping over to Greece. It will take a bunch of planning, but I am hoping it'll all work out!"
--Lilli Albin, Austin
"For 2015 I am planning on looking for great airfare deals to Barcelona. I'd like to spend two days in Barcelona, and after that I am planning five days in Majorca. Hoping to do some snorkeling, visit historical sites and do lots of eating!"
--Stephen Aviano, New York
"Munich's Oktoberfest is calling my name! Come September next year I plan to embark on a one-week adventure starting in Frankfurt and driving along the romantic road for about four days, stopping at the real Sleeping Beauty castle [Neuschwanstein Castle] and the walled medieval town of Rothenburg. The road trip then culminates for the opening days of Oktoberfest in Munich."
--Blaire Constantinou, Los Angeles
"I've had Croatia on my travel wish list for years. Although its popularity as a tourist destination has boomed, it's still more affordable than its neighbor Italy across the Adriatic."
--Kelsey Rexroat, New York
"In 2015 my main focus is France. I envision myself sipping wine, devouring delicious cheese and savoring macaroons throughout Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille."
--Jessica DeBolt, San Francisco