While they last! Travel deals are what I'm talking about. Not since the '60's have I seen travel deals and accommodations that abound across the board as I have seen surface in this past month. They are crazy making deals, to be sure. I mean, really, Newark, New Jersey to Rome, including 6 nights hotel with continental breakfast for $499.00! New York to Paris or Frankfurt on Icelandair for $250.00! Los Angeles to Las Vegas for $50.00 and rooms going begging in any strip hotel for $49.00 a night! (Circus -Circus for less if you play your cards right - excuse the pun) The bargains out there makes one's mouth water, one's feet itch and wants to drive one to pack an overnighter, screw the baggage and inspections, and just go! Go! Go! Go anywhere! Come back home, take care of business and go again!

I know that the WTC Tragedy had turned our world upside down and things don't make sense anymore but drastic things happen in times like these to make things right again. It's as if we all were an army of giant beetles turned upside down, each of our eight legs flaying, thrashing in a desperate attempt to save ourselves from starvation, to turn ourselves right side up again and go on as if nothing had happened to our secure world.

The holidays and the rest of our lives are coming for most of us. What are your holidays plans? Have they changed since the September 11 attacks? The word we're getting from airlines, train, bus and tour operators is that travel in general is picking up slowly, and mostly only in the immediate future. It seems like many people are becoming more comfortable booking trips for a week or two ahead, but are holding off from nailing down vacation plans for the months down the road. It's a "wait and see" period for many folks.

It's no secret that the winter holidays are always one of the busiest times of year to travel. Whether it's an escape to the sunny Caribbean, a skiing trip to the Rockies, or a cross-country trek to visit the relatives, the holiday season is usually a hugely popular time to get away from home, to get your mind free and clear again, to go on for the good of your self, your family and friends. Normally, people do begin planning their holiday vacations months ahead, sometimes at the end of summer or in early fall. This year, as we all know, is far less than normal times. Strive to make them normal again.