One of the best bloggers covering budget-conscious travel is Tim Leffel, and today he spotlights a Spirit Airlines sale on flights to Guatemala from Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Fares on this sale are as low as $176, plus taxes and fees. That's roughly $250 off typical fares on these routes, says Tim. Click here for details. And for the best vacation packages all over the world, check out our Real Deals, which you'll find by clicking here.

You already know that Tahiti is a set of serene islands in the South Pacific. But you may not know that it was once the home of indigenous tribes that practiced unusual customs. For example, the typical victorious warrior used to "pound his vanquished foe's corpse flat with his heavy war club, cut a slit through the well-crushed victim, and don him as a trophy poncho," according to anthropologist Lawrence Keeley.

Um, on second thought, never mind about the customs.

Tahiti is bliss incarnate, which is why you should consider booking a last-minute air-hotel package for a six-night stay from Air Tahiti Nui, starting at $1,252 per person....

Participants get to befriend pandas at the Beijing Zoo, learn about the Chinese art of paper cutting, visit with a family, and tour a silk factory, where you can choose a fabric for your own custom-made, traditional qipao dress. Champion Holidays also covers the blockbusters you'd expect: guided tours of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, a Grand Canal cruise, and so on. You can find more details about the 12-night trip priced at $1,799 here.

And to spot some pandas closer to home, check out our adorable Zoo Babies feature, with fun facts and photos from five top U.S. zoos.

We're always on the lookout for tour operators whose packages meet our Real Deal standards, and Go Ahead Tours is one of the latest to show up on our radar. The Boston-based company is part of EF Education, the largest private student travel operation worldwide, and it uses locally-based guides for its escorted trips, which each average about 25 to 30 travelers. (Most of its guides actually start off with EF's student groups, so by the time they migrate to the grown-up trips, you can bet they've got the shtick down pat!)

Go Ahead Tours also gets points for its monthly last-minute travel deals, which just might put a trip to Europe within reach. If you book by August 4, for example, you'll save $250 per person, or $500 per couple, on trips departing in September. You could be spending ten nights in Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden, Bamberg, and Munich, with airfare, sightseeing tours, meals, local transportation, and more, from $2,499 per person. Note that the rate, like all of those listed by Go Ahead Tours, includes those pesky fuel surcharges (which can otherwise add as much as $250 per person to the total cost of a package).

And if you have five others in tow, you're eligible for Go Ahead Tours' family and friends program, which entitles everyone on the tour to $50 off--and can be combined with the last-minute rate. For more information on the company's 60 itineraries, among them new culinary and spa tours, call 800/590-1161 or visit goaheadtours.com.

We just got word of the web agency's 72-hour sale (Aug. 14-16), which offers a $50 discount when you purchase a two-night hotel or air/hotel package for travel between August 14 and November 1. You can comb through deals for Charleston, New York, Aruba, Hawaii, Mexico, and many more destinations at orbitz.com. Just be sure to enter the promo code 72HRSALE when booking--and act fast!

Some of our most popular Real Deals have been vacation packages put together by G.A.P. Adventures, a Canadian company that specializes in outdoor adventure travel. These packages include escorted, small-group tours, which come in cushy and rough-and-tumble versions.

G.A.P. Adventures has been launching "stores" worldwide. The latest store to open is at 364 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. Assistants can help custom-tailor the best package for you.

Photo: Rick McCharles, Creative Commons

Here are some recent Real Deals involving G.A.P. Adventures. Airfare is additional.
In the Buddha's Footsteps, $745 a Person.

Costa Rica Volunteering & Tour, $695.

Myanmar Revealed Over 13-Nights, From $905

Hiking Through Navajo History, 7 Nights, $1,395 Per Person.

Thailand for 11 Nights, From $870 a Person

Stoweflake, Vt., From $509 Per Person for 3 Nights
Celebrate Thanksgiving with a three-night stay at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa in a package that includes accommodations, a keepsake, daily breakfast, and Thanksgiving dinner. The package represents a 15 percent savings off of the typical rate. Guests who book by Oct. 15, 2007, can receive a fourth-night of accommodations for free by only paying an additional $15 per adult and $10 per child dining plan charge. When November 21 to 25, 2007. Details By availability. Minimum of three night stay required. Taxes and gratuity included; a service charge is additional. Based on double occupancy. Single travelers pay $286 per night. Contact 800/253-2232, stoweflake.com.

Atlantic City, N.J., From $99 Per Night
The Holiday Package at Tropicana Casino & Resort offers a stay at the resort, a $40 shopping credit, and two tickets to the Holiday Extravaganza Show for $99. When Nov. 18 to Dec. 23, 2007, Sundays through Thursdays. Details Taxes of $20.76 not included. The parking is $5.00 for the length of your stay. The credit will be issued as a Tropicana Gift Card which can be used for food and beverage, shopping, spa, and entertainment throughout the complex, except for gaming and The Palm restaurant. Based on double occupancy; no single supplement. Call to book, asking the agent for the Holiday Package. Contact 800/345-8767, Tropicana.net.

For more packages, see our daily Real Deals.

Update: Look at some of the incredible holiday deals that AirfareWatchdog has found.

BudgetTravel.com readers can receive discounts of between 10 and 20 percent on Sex and the City and The Sopranos TV set tours in New York City from Viator.com, a site that sells excursions worldwide. And anyone can receive discounts on harbor and walking tours of New York City (see below). Viator offers a money-back guarantee that its prices for these excursions are the lowest available.

Sex and the City tour This tour covers 40 locations featured in the popular TV series, with the inside skinny on the upcoming movie with the same characters. Book by: Dec. 31, 2007. Travel within one year of purchase. There are no blackout dates. Use coupon code NYCSAVER on checkout to receive a price of about $35 (regularly $39).

The Sopranos tour This 40-location tour lasts about 40 hours and gives you a peek into the Bada Bing strip club and other sites. Book by: Dec 31, 2007. Travel within one year of purchase. There are no blackout dates. Use coupon code NYCSAVER on checkout to receive 10 percent off the regular $42 price.

Here's the Fine Print—plus some other tour deals that don't require coupon codes.

If you're flexible enough to travel to a semi-exotic destination on less than a month's notice, you'll find great deals via Intrepid Travel. Escorted tours of semi-exotic destinations, such as the Dades Gorge in Morocco, Nairobi, Cairns, La Paz, and Denpasar are discounted by 20 percent when the date of the tour is fast approaching.

For example, a seven-night Inca Trail escorted tour departing Nov. 12 costs $908 per person (no single supplement) after including a local payment. The trip includes lodging, local transportation, entry fees, some meals, but no airfare. Groups (of a maximum of 16 travelers) tend to dine together.

Intrepid specializes in making solo travelers comfortable in its small groups. It doesn't charge a single supplement, unlike most tour package companies. A team of local porters will carry your bag and sleeping gear while you're on the Inca Trail. Intrepid is committed to giving decent wages to locals.

For a list of their latest 20 percent discounts, visit Intrepid Travel.

Each winter, Chinese New Year celebrations bring business to a halt for three days: Costumed dancers and drummers parade through the streets, fireworks burst over Victoria Harbour, and locals turn out for horse races, sales, and temple prayers. Festivities begin on February 7, 2008 for the Year of the Rat, which is luckier than it may sound (those born in the Year of the Rat, the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, are typically considered ambitious, charming leaders).

Chinese New Year is a tricky time for visitors to navigate Hong Kong, so it's safest to opt for a tour package. If you book by October 31, you'll lock in a price of $1,029 per person for Globus's Chinese New Year in Hong Kong package. It covers five nights at the Harbour Plaza, reserved seats for the parade, a dinner cruise during the fireworks show, a cable car ride to Victoria Peak, and a trip to Stanley Market—the place to find silks, paintings, and toys. Note that airfare and arrival/departure fees are not included.

You can find details on another Chinese New Year package, which does include airfare, in the November issue's 40 Best Deals section: Party Like It's 4705.

A photo of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline taken during an afternoon ride on the Star Ferry (Kate Appleton).

RELATED: Trip Coach: Hong Kong and Hong Kong Gets Green.

The Five Gables Inn & Spa in St. Michaels, one of many charming towns by the Chesapeake Bay, is offering a special package for readers like you (as if reading Budget Travel weren’t reward enough!).

If you and a companion stay two nights in one of the inn’s stylish, pastel-colored rooms and book two spa treatments, you’ll receive a 15 percent discount on Aveda products and a $50 credit for dinner at a local restaurant. Bistro St. Michaels and 208 Talbot are among the choices. Rates start at $300 per room for the two-night stay.

When Mid-week stays (Sun.-Thurs.) through Mar. 31, 2008. Details Be sure to refer to the Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Mid-Week Retreat package when booking. Taxes are an additional 10 percent. Based on double occupancy only. Spa treatments start at $110. Contact 877/466-0100, fivegables.com.

St. Michaels, Md., is 40 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and less than two hours from Baltimore. For inspiration and tips on what to do in the area, read Crabby in a Good Way, a story about road-tripping on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

RELATED Real Deals, posted online every weekday.