There was an article recently published in the San Francisco Chronicle about how traveling in a tough economic climate can actually save you big bucks. With more people staying home in a shaky economy, airlines and hotels are making an effort to attract more travelers to keep those planes and rooms full. This means great deals for the traveler. Some of the biggest discounted areas of travel are Mexico and the Caribbean, where declining numbers of tourists combined with a falling peso in Mexico have combined for some truly amazing deals.

As the resident skier and snow lover around here, as of late I have been trying to scour the internet to bring you the best ski deals out there. Interestingly, I have been noticing the same trend of big discounts and huge sales in Mexico and the Caribbean also seems to be true at the ski resorts. With families trying to cut back and pinch their pennies, it seems ski resorts are having to roll out some pretty fantastic deals in order to attract people to the slopes this winter. In fact, the Associated Press affirmed my hunch when they reported yesterday that “Ski resorts combat tough economy with discount tickets, free nights.” Now, while you may be reeling from your damaged stock portfolio, now is really the ideal time to book a ski vacation. In fact, with free nights, extra free lift tickets and other big discounts, now is the perfect time to indulge your inner skier (or snowboarder) and head for the mountains this winter.

So, all you have to do this winter is scrape together a little extra cash and you can head for the mountains for less than ever before. Today I found one of the above mentioned great deals, with a free night at Telluride Lodge in Telluride, Colorado. Not only is Telluride one of my favorite places to ski, if you book now you can get 6 nights in a 1 bedroom condo in Telluride Mountain Lodge, 3 day adult lift pass and round-trip transportation from the airport all for just $670. So book now and start praying for powder.