January 26, 2000
Web posted at: 4:50 p.m. EST (2150 GMT)

From Beverly Schuch
CNN Financial News Correspondent

NEW YORK (CNN) -- If the post-holiday winter blahs have you longing to hit the beach or the slopes, travel experts say now's the time for bargains.

"It's a great time to book vacation travel for the winter," says Terry Jones of Travelocity.com. "After the first of the year, airplanes are empty, resorts are empty, and they are very excited to get early bookings."

Warm-weather seekers may consider Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before Carnaval starts in February.

"There's an energy in the air that you don't get any other time of the year," says Bill McCoy, executive editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. He says you can get five nights plus airfare for $699 per person.

If you'd rather visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Big Ben in London, McCoy says, "January and February are absolutely the best times to travel to Europe in terms of getting the most bang for your buck."

Frontiers Travel Company is offering a five-night hotel and air package to Paris for a little more than $400.

Skiiers can find bargains too. Some the best ones come from Rocky Mountain Tours, according to Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine.

	RESOURCES
Ski Report: Get snow conditions at hundreds of resorts

The agency is offering a five-night trip including lift tickets, car rental and air from a number of East Coast cities to Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada, for $599. The same deal to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or Breckenridge and Steamboat, Colorado, costs less than $750.

If those places aren't cold enough for you, how about a trip to Russia? Five nights including air, accommodations and circus and theater tickets are $499 per person from Morris Travel Group at (800) 339-6967.

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