Summer of Savings for Families: Don't Let Bad Travel News Ruin Your Plans

Ken Shapiro is the Editor-in-Chief of Family Getaways.

As a travel editor based in Los Angeles, I’ve been lucky enough to travel frequently to Mexico. It’s one of my favorite getaways. So the problem the country is having now with drug-related violence is especially sad to me.

I recently wrote an editorial about the State Department travel alert for Mexico, and mentioned that my 4-year-old daughter has an image of Mexico as looking like “sunny roses.” (Don’t ask me where she got that from.) I wrote that I’m hoping to take her to Mexico this summer.

After the piece ran, I received some emotional responses. Some said I was irresponsible for even thinking of bringing a child to Mexico, while others said they were relieved to hear a voice of reason instead of more hype.

“Just a note to let you know how nice it was to read your article about the Mexico alerts,” wrote one travel agent from Oregon. “That blanket alert came out right before I took a group to Loreto and it did cause some concern for one couple. Once they got there, they loved it and had a great, carefree time. I hope your article will lend confidence to agents who have been spooked."

What I didn’t get a chance to say, however, is another reason for taking a family trip to Mexico this summer. Namely, it has never been this affordable.

Like many destinations, Mexico tourism has been hit hard by the U.S. recession, but it has also had the double whammy of safety concerns as well. As a result, resorts and tour operators throughout the country are doing whatever they can to put “heads in beds” (as they say in the biz).

Two recent deals come to mind:
-- From April 19 through Oct. 31, parents can take advantage of the Kids Stay and Eat Free program at select Pueblo Bonito resorts. Participating properties include Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, Pueblo Bonito Rose Resort and Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos, in Cabo San Lucas; as well as Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan and Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay in Mazatlan.

-- Pleasant Holidays is offering savings of up to 40 percent off on select hotels in Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Los Cabos, and kids stay and eat free at many of these resorts as well. Through Aug. 20, three-night air and hotel packages to Los Cabos from Los Angeles start at $238 per person. Sample three-night vacation packages to Cancun, including round-trip airfare and all-inclusive hotel accommodations, begin at $354 from Houston; $359 from Los Angeles; $385 from San Francisco; $397 from Portland, Ore.; $424 from Phoenix; and $455 from Dallas/Ft. Worth.

These are just some of the deals available this summer. Whether you’re thinking of traveling to Mexico or elsewhere, if you do some homework before you go, you should save a few bucks. Plus, if others are too spooked to travel, that just means you should have no trouble getting the best spot by the pool.