Most people love the festive season and all that Christmas and New Year brings. However, some people, for many reasons, are not all that fussed staying at home during the cold winter months. In that case, there are many great Christmas getaways to choose from.

New York is a popular destination at this time of year, along with many major cities. Dublin is great for bringing in the New Year as the Irish really know how to celebrate. There are many ski holiday packages available online if that is your kind of thing. There is also the opportunity to go somewhere a bit warmer and fly away to a place with more sunnier climes where you can bathe in the sun.

Whatever you decide to do, there are many places for you to get away over Christmas and spend New Year.

This coming weekend is the Thanksgiving holiday for Americans with an estimated 38.4 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home. This is an increase of 1.4 percent over last year, according to the AAA.

Most of this increase is expected to come from New England, with an 8.8 percent increase over last year. Most of these New England travellers are expected to travel by car.

Thanksgiving travel had fallen 25 percent in 2008 from 2007 as the recession started to take hold in the wake of the housing and financial crisis. Many Americans now feel the worst is behind them and have started to travel again.

Maybe we will see this increased confidence converted into a boost for the holiday travel industry in 2010.

The worldwide travel industry may be in a decline at the moment as it continues to feel the effects of the recession however this has not stopped Americans from enjoying their traditional holiday.

The number of American citizens travelling away from home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family and friends is up from 2008 according to a research report from the AAA organisation.

Despite this show of defiance from the American public, with 33.2 million travelling by car this year, air travel is still continuing its decade-long decline with just 2.3 million travelling by air (6.7 percent decrease from last year).

The general overall increase reflects improved consumer confidence compared to last year, with Americans beginning to travel again.

The budget airline easyJet has announced that more than one in every five passengers were now travelling with them for business purposes.

Many flight carriers and travel companies are feeling the effects of the recession as travel budgets are put under pressure. However, easyJet have found they have benefited from the trade down from traditional carriers to budget airlines.

Andy Harrison the chief executive of easyJet said: “We have definitely grown our share in the business market.”

The company did warn though, it expects a tough winter ahead as rising unemployment hits the demand for travel. The travel industry is bracing for more price cuts in flights and lower profit margins. This news is certainly good for those looking to get away and find a great bargain.

A new survey has revealed that the tourism industry faces another difficult year as holiday-makers remain cautious about spending their money on holidays abroad. This research shows that more than 40 percent of consumers worldwide are planning to travel even less in 2010. This is despite a recent economic boost and more of a positive outlook towards a worldwide recovery.

The industry survey, published by the Boston Consulting Group, showed that every third consumer wishes to spend less on accommodation in 2010. This was especially true with the Italians and French. Consumers in Germany and Japan aim to cut their overall travel costs.

Travel companies are trying to find new ways to cope with this drop in demand and some tour operators like Thomas Cook have made travel bookings more flexible along with lower prices and special offers.

This is one of the best times of year to visit the Big Apple. There is so much geared up towards the festive season on the island of Manhattan, it is unbelievable. There are various flight sales on at the moment with deals offered by BA and Virgin, so, if you want to do some great shopping before Christmas there really is no better place to go.

As well as the shops on Fifth Avenue, Fashion Avenue and Soho, there are allsorts of stalls and markets to get some festive presents to take back home. While you are there you may also want to take in a show, go up to the top of the Empire State building, or even go ice skating on the rink at Central Park or at the Rockefeller Centre.

Whatever you want to do, you can do it in New York and get into the festive spirit in one of the most amazing cities in the world.

The finance department of the supermarket giant Sainsburys is sending out a warming to holidaymakers planning on going away this winter by reminding them about the need for adequate travel insurance.

They have estimated that over a third of people went away without insurance to cover the entire trip. This piece of research found that most people didn’t take out insurance because they felt they didn’t need it, or couldn’t afford it.

I, for one, have needed to make use of my insurance in the past and can vouch it certainly is worth the cash to be covered. With the great deals on cheap annual insurance these days, there really is no excuse not to have it.

When the weather starts to get colder and we enter into winter, it is often the case that people decide to go abroad for their holidays to get some sun. While this is totally understandable it is a shame that we forget how beautiful the natural beauty is in this country.

I have often been to the Lake District around this time of year and, depsite the weather, have been on some great walks and enjoyed the warmth of the restaurants in the evening and cosy hotel even more. When the snow is on the hills and you are all wrapped up and warm it is great to be there at this time of year.

There is also plenty of shops to get some gift ideas for your loved ones this Christmas.

This weekend I got lots of emails about the latest flight sales from BA and partners about its latest deals on discounted travel. If you are planning on going away between now and March 2010 then be sure to take a look at the many offers on www.britishairways.com.

This may be an ideal opportunity to get away somewhere like New York to do your Christmas shopping. There are many deals on the BA site to places such as Amsterdam and Dubai. All classes of flights are on sale until 17th November, so take advantage of these excellent flight prices by getting there before everybody else.

Welcome to this online travel guide and blog. Over the next few months we will be looking at some of the exciting destinations you could choose to go to this winter, as well as a look at the array of options for 2010.

Remember, it is still not too late to book the weekend of a lifetime in New York to do your Christmas shopping, or get away to the sun for a while over Christmas and New Year, if the festive period really isn’t your thing. Maybe you enjoy winter sports such as skiing? In this case, there are plenty of great deals to take advantage of over the next few weeks.

Whatever you decide to do, there are many holiday bargains to be found online.