No, it's not too late to book that last-minute ski trip

Bummed that you canceled that winter break because of omicron? It’s not too late to hit the slopes. But it will be pricey. Below, we shares some tips and insight from booking our own last-minute trip to Vail. 

But first, let’s check the news:

Russia-Ukraine fallout

Just as travelers and the travel industry began looking forward to a return to more normal spring and summer travel, Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens a new round of disruptions.

It’s way too soon, to know, of course. But many Western cruise lines and tour operators are already altering or cancelling 2022 itineraries that include Russia or the Ukraine. And executives we talked to say they are keeping a close eye on its potential to impact travel to other parts of Europe.

The latest crisis comes just as European river cruise lines – which sail a number of popular Danube cruises through countries that border Ukraine – are  getting ready to open their 2022 season. 

So far, tour operators and river lines say, they have gotten a few inquiries from customers with questions about travel to Europe, but they aren’t anticipating widespread cancellations or route changes unless the conflict spreads. 

If not Europe, where?

If the war has you reconsidering European vacation plans, it might be time to check Galapagos and Ecuador off your bucket list. Check out Jeri’s in-depth account in Travel Weekly of the perfect mix of land and sea on a 10-day itinerary from Ecuador-based Metropolitan Touring.

The Caribbean is also always a favorite destination, and countries there continue to ease their entry requirements.

The last-minute traveler’s guide to a great ski trip (Vail edition)

By Barb DeLollis

If you’re sitting around wishing you hadn’t let Covid-scuttle yet another ski trip, stop fretting and get going.

I took a last-minute trip to Vail with my youngest two weeks ago for our 10th annual mother-son ski trip out West. Too many moving parts in our lives prevented me from booking in advance, but we didn’t want to miss it since it would be his last one as a high school student. Plus, we’re living in a pandemic. And now there's a war.

So, in the six days leading up to our Feb. 16 departure (the Wednesday evening before President’s Day Weekend), we succeeded in planning almost everything except for ski rentals, which I knew we could take care of at the mountain.

Here’s my step-by-step guide to booking last-minute: 

Step 1: Start by picking a ski resort or two to focus your planning efforts.  Or you'll lose your mind searching choices. We decided to narrow ours between Park City and Vail. They are two of the biggest resorts in the country. And both hold hold sentimental value given our past memories. We finally decided on Vail for its legendary back bowls and extra-majestic setting.

Rates for walk-up lift tickets were a staggering $219 per person per day, but we paid less since we’d pre-purchased money saving Epic Passes last year. Vail’s Epic Passes are good for resorts around the world. They also provide discounts on Vail Resorts’ rentals, food and lodging. While it’s too late to buy an Epic Pass for this season, you shouldn’t have a problem buying a full-rate ticket now since the high season’s over. We recommend checking first, nonetheless, to make sure the resorts haven't already exceeded their Covid-era capacity limits.

Step 2: Which airline and flight? We’re not loyal airline fliers when it comes to skiing. Our ultimate goal is to get there quickly. So we look for the airline that offers the most-frequent, most-convenient flights to our destination -- plain and simple.  For this trip, with a nod to our budget, we booked one-way tickets on Frontier Airlines and added the $96 per passenger “bundle” to avoid bag-check stress. This also gave us a refund option and and let us board early, which, from the looks on faces of people who boarded later, was priceless. We paid $449.96, so about $225 per person. Our return tickets were complicated, since I was headed to Miami while my son flew home. But, once again, we avoided sticker shock. My son’s ticket on United Airlines to Newark cost $196. Tip: If you do fly out of Denver International Airport (DIA), keep in mind the mind-bogglingly awful TSA security checkpoint set-up that, at least as of last week, dedicated one entire checkpoint strictly to TSA Pre-Check. That left the masses to funnel through security on the other side of the terminal. For some reason my TSA Pre-Check failed to load onto my boarding pass, so I wound up buying a Clear membership ($179, walk-up rate) at the airport to make my flight.

Step 3: Ski chalet, hotel or condo? Each year I probably agonize over this step more than any other. But exorbitant, last-minute prices made it easy. Usually, our first choice is to book at an inn or hotel that’s within walking distance to a lift or gondola, such as the charming Tivoli Lodge in Vail Village. But when I checked the ski-in/ski-out options left, I found prices of $2,000 -- or more -- a night. We used American Express points to book a hotel far from the mountain, the Highline Vail -- a DoubleTree by Hilton, for the still rather stunning amount of $1,000 a night. Unfortunately, the hotel’s description of being “one-mile away” from the closest Vail drop-off point didn’t factor in the wait time for the shuttle, which at times took 20 minutes or more -- plus the 10 or more minutes it takes to walk from drop-off to the lift or gondola.

All was not lost, though. The recently renovated hotel was stylishly decorated, with a nice outdoor pool, a large (and packed) hot tub, good fitness room, decent bar and separate restaurant next door with an overworked waiter. We walked to a supermarket next door for water and snacks, and one night ordered good Mexican food via Uber Eats. The brand’s signature warm chocolate-chip cookies hit the spot after intense days of skiing. Our stay, though, taught us a lot about how a hotel in a seasonal resort destination operates on minimal staffing in the COVID-era. Almost every employee talked about the low staffing level, with one noting that the ski storage room was now “self service.” The one staffer who displayed good, old-fashioned hospitality was Ben, our affable and interesting shuttle driver. He alone upgraded the entire hotel experience.

Step 4: Drive or Uber? This step might be easy for you, if you always rent a car wherever you go. But the last thing I ever want to do on vacation is navigate icy, snowy roads in the mountains! And the rental market remains tight, thanks to lingering Covid-19 supply chain issues. So I was especially happy to have booked a shuttle van with Peak 1 Express, despite the $260 price for two people, because we landed at DIA just as snow began falling and the main highway to Vail was closed. Our shuttle van driver took care in getting us there safely, though it took about four-and-a-half hours instead of the normal two-ish. There are other less-expensive providers such as Epic Mountain Express, although last-minute availability can be difficult. 

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