Planning a winter vacation

While summer might be the season most associated with vacation, winter also is a great time of year to leave everything behind. Winter break at the kids' school and time off from the office around the holiday season make winter a great time to get away.

But planning a winter vacation is different than planning one for the summer. The following are a few pointers to ensure your winter escape goes off without a hitch.

* Double check school schedules before booking a trip. Families should check with their local school district to confirm when the school or schools are having their winter break. Such information might be available on the district's or school's Web site before the school year even begins, allowing parents to plan their trip months in advance. College students often have longer winter breaks, so they should be free to travel. But confirm the dates of their winter break as well. No parent wants to book a trip only to discover that vacation is forcing a child to miss school and possibly fall behind in the classroom.

* Pack accordingly. When traveling in the summer, it's often unnecessary to pack items like sweaters or overcoats. However, traveling in the winter, even if your destination is a warm beach, mandates such items for anyone living in a locale where winter weather dips below freezing. You won't want to return home in flip flops and tank tops if the temperature outside is frigid.

When packing, it's also good to note that items like sweaters and coats take up more space than T-shirts and bathing suits. Consider this when packing and factor in how larger suitcases may affect your traveling budget if you're traveling by air and your chosen airline charges for excess baggage.

* Expect delays. The weather is not often a consideration when traveling in the summer, when the skies are generally clear and the roads are not delayed by things like snowstorms or poor road conditions. However, winter traveling might be affected by inclement weather. Consider the weather when traveling to and from the airport, checking the forecast the night before your trip to determine when you should leave for the airport. Such delays also can influence security lines at the airport, which may have more people to accommodate if flights have been cancelled or postponed.

* Keep weather in mind when reserving a rental car. Travelers, and families in particular, typically rent a vehicle while on vacation. When vacationing in the winter at a ski resort or another area with winter weather, rent a sport utility vehicle or a car with all-wheel or four-wheel drive. Such rentals may be more expensive than renting economy cars or mid-sized sedans, but they're also more capable of handling winter roads and winter weather.