Still haven't nailed down your summer vacation plans? Travel journalist Valarie D'Elia of travelwithval.com has the formula for families looking for a last minute getaway who don't have a lot of time or money to spare.

The “D’Elia’s Deals” include a breath of fresh-air mountain getaway, an unbelievably priced trip to the tropics, a history lesson that’s fun for the whole family and a visit to Europe in North America. Here are four, four-night or four-day packages for a family of four all for under
$400 a night this summer. They are either four hours flying or driving time and within four sections of the country. (Two of the destinations, Jamaica and Canada, have benefited from a recent passport reprieve. Instead of being required to have a passport for summer travel to these destinations, air passengers will only need to present a government-issued photo identification and official proof they have applied for a passport.)

1. Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge, Colorado is a 148-year-old Victorian town in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Summer offers 27 holes of golf at the Breckenridge Golf Club, the only Jack Nicklaus — designed municipal golf course in the country.

PACKAGE: Summer in the Rockies Breckenridge Family Adventure Package
RESORT: Varies — Breckenridge, Colorado
PRICE: $1,456 Family of Four
HOW: Within 2 hours drive from Denver
INCLUDES:

• 4 nights lodging in a two-bedroom unit (properties vary)
• Half-day whitewater rafting trip on Browns Canyon, including
  transportation.
• Two hour ATV tour with Continental Divide ATV Tours
• Hour and a half horseback ride with Kingdom of Breckenridge Stables
• Authentic gold mine tour
  

BOOKING: 800-GO-BRECK gobreck.com

Things to do:
For music aficionados,  Riverwalk Center welcomes the National Repertory Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra with classical concerts and ensemble performances. Other summer activities to complete a stay in Breckenridge include fly-fishing, hiking, rafting, horseback riding, historical walking/mining/museum tours, gallery visits, diverse cuisine and shopping in more than 200 stores around historic Main Street.

ATV Tours: Ride the Continental Divide with Colorado's highest ATV tour company and experience one of the most scenic and historic areas in the state. Views include some of Colorado’s highest mountains, high country streams and wildflowers.

Horseback riding: Horseback riding in Breckenridge takes your family high into the mountains to an elevation of about 10,000 feet. You'll have a bird's eye view of the city of Breckenridge, nestled far below in the mountain valley. The winding trail is thickly forested and you'll cross mountain streams as you ride to the summit. 

Country Boy Mine Tours: Breckenridge’s history began with gold and silver mining, and signs of its rich mining history are all over the town. Country Boy Mine, an authentic gold mine lets you explore the original workings of the mine as you feel, hear and smell what it was like to be a Colorado miner over 100 years ago. Outside the mine, you can pan for gold, pet donkeys
and examine original mining equipment, old photos and fun exhibits to revisit the past.

Rafting: Browns Canyon of the Arkansas River located near Breckenridge, is one of America's most popular whitewater rafting destinations. The character of this section is challenging to seasoned rafters, yet forgiving enough for first time rafters and families. Most of the large rapids in Browns Canyon are followed by a calm pool of slow moving water allowing an opportunity to either catch a quick breath of fresh mountain air or take a picture of the unique granite rock formations set off against the clear blue Colorado sky.

2. Colonial Williamsburg
This is the year to celebrate the 400th anniversary of America’s Roots with a visit to the
Historic Triangle — Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown — three places in Virginia that lay claim to where America was born. The first permanent English settlers arrived at Jamestown in 1607. At Williamsburg, the ideas of independence and revolution took form. The siege of Yorktown in 1781 was the last major battle of the American Revolution. In this Historic Triangle, Europeans, Indians, and Africans came together, and the result was the United States of America.

PACKAGE: “Families Free”  Flex Vacation
RESORT: Colonial Williamsburg, Governor’s Inn or Williamsburg Lodge
PRICE: $800-$1130
WHO: Family of four (kids 6-17)
HOW: Within 3 hour flight to Richmond and Norfolk Airports from NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami — then an hour’s drive from either city. 150 miles south of Washington D.C
INCLUDES:

• Four nights
• Tickets to seven areas attractions valid for length of stay:
  - Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and museums
  - Busch Gardens Europe
  - Water Country USA
  - Jamestown Settlement
  - Historic Jamestowne
  - Yorktown Victory Center
  - Yorktown Battlefield

BOOKING: 1-800-HISTORY, www.history.org

Sites to see:
Colonial  Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia — a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men  and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to  shopkeepers to soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia society and culture — stories of our journey to become Americans. As Colonial Williamsburg interprets life in the time of the American Revolution for its guests, it also invites them to interact with history. Call 1-800-HISTORY or visit, ColonialWilliamsburg.com.

Historic Jamestowne (Colonial National Historical Park): Original site of the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Visit, historicjamestowne.org

Jamestown Settlement: Jamestown Settlement explores the world of America’s first permanent English colony. Historical interpreters depict 1600s life at outdoor recreations of the colonists’ fort, the three ships that arrived from England in 1607, a Powhatan Indian village, and at a riverfront discovery area.  Visitors are invited to grind corn, scrape out a canoe, play games, wear armor and engage in other activities that make the 17th century come alive. Visit, historyisfun.org.

Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield (Colonial National Historical Park): Walk the fields of the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War where the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781 secured independence for the United States of America.
www.nps.gov/colo.

Yorktown Victory Center: Through gallery exhibits and living history, the Yorktown Victory Center portrays America's struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of a new nation.

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