With many of us feeling a serious pinch with the slow economy, travel seems to be one of the first things that gets scratched off of people’s lists. But, for those who may have just gotten laid off (and therefore have lots of time to travel) or for those who are lucky enough to still be gainfully employed (and therefore have an income to be able to afford travel), now is actually the perfect time to book a trip. With so many people forgoing their travel plans this winter, airlines, hotels and travel companies are rolling out some pretty sweet deals to encourage leery spenders to still get out of the house and travel this year.

This includes Expedia, who is offering a Holiday Kickback $200 travel coupon right now.

Here’s out it works: If you book any sort of holiday travel right now (meaning a flight or flight + hotel) on Expedia (for travel between now and January 3) and you get a $200 coupon to use on a flight + hotel stay of 5 or more nights in 2009. The coupon is valid for travel between January 3-March 30, 2009.

So, if you wanted an excuse to still travel home this holiday season, then this sure seems like the one. Not only are fares low right now (so you won’t even have to spend all that much on the ticket in the first place), you’ll have an excuse to go on some fabulous vacation to Mexico, the Caribbean or wherever later in the year. If visiting the family is part torture, than knowing you’ll have an extra $200 and an excuse for a fabulous vacation as a result is well worth it. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.