Travel Wise

NEW ORLEANS ‘ And now a tip from your friendly sports columnist/travel agent: You can save a ton of money on holiday reservations ‘ as long as it doesn’t include the holiday.
Marriott hotel rooms in New Orleans were as inexpensive as $75 a night prior to Dec. 31, then jumped to around $300 through the holiday.
I found it the same in Las Vegas. One year I was there for the Las Vegas Bowl and ended up at the Venetian for $110 a night. It was normally a $300 room. A front desk employee told me the cheapest rates of the year are between Thanksgiving and New Year.
So if you want to have a getaway, make it between late November and late December.
One final travel tip: Avoid staying where a marching band is staying. The Marriott Convention Center in New Orleans has had the elevators jammed with high school kids for a couple of days. They have been participating in Sugar Bowl activities. Several times they’ve clogged the elevators by pushing buttons for all the floors.