Colorado getaways from $100.20 O/W

By Clara Bosonetto Maerz

For ajc.com

What's the wisest thing a budget traveler can do in the middle of the summer? Book screaming deals for winter getaways. Why not get ahead of everyone and book that ski or boarding trip to the Rocky Mountains? Doing so today will save you hundreds of dollars on airfare alone!

- Travel one-way to Durango, Colo. with United at a tax/fee-included rate of $100.20. This rate, valid through June 10, 2010, is good only on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday. Give a two-week or more advance notice.

- From Dec. 17 through the last seasonal day of flight service on April 5, travel to Steamboat Springs-Hayden, Colo. with Continental Airlines. With all taxes included, one-way rates are $123.70.

- Travel on one-way rates of $134.60 to Vail-Eagle, Colo. Delta offers a daily non-stop flight with seasonal service operating from Dec. 19 through March 28. United matches this rate on service starting Sept. 1. American joins in with flight service starting Sept. 16. Both United and American offer this sale rate on trips finished on or before June 10, 2010.

Airfares are subject to change without notice. And the above deals are no exception as none have a ticket-by date. This means they could vanish at any moment! Act fast!

To ensure that this special rate is still valid when you get around to buying tickets, first visit Kayak.com and enter your city pairs. Next, start to fill in your travel dates. You should instantly see a calendar pop-up on the right side of your monitor with this sale price indicated on specific dates. If you don't see the special rate, try changing your dates/month of travel using the pull-down months shown just above the calendar. If you still don't see this rate, it is highly likely that the rate no longer exists. Good luck!