The Summer's Best Travel Values

Fly for Less
Airlines, too, are rolling out deals. Low-fare pioneer Southwest Airlines (Stock Quote: LUV) is offering fares from $49 one-way between Los Angeles to Phoenix and Jet Blue (Stock Quote: JBLU) has $69 one-way fares between Washington, D.C. and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Airline travel subsidiaries also often feature very good package deals that include air fare and hotel bookings. Among the leaders are American Airlines’ (Stock Quote: AMR) AA Vacations and JetBlue Airways’ JetBlue Getaways.

Hit the Road
It’s going to be a good summer for the classic family road trip . Oil prices, which soared to $147 a barrel last July, hover just over $50 per now, and gasoline prices should be lower this summer. That makes car trips more affordable. Tourism authorities in car-crazy California are distributing a free guide to low-cost family road trips and scenic summer walkabouts.

Ride the Rails
If you don’t want to brave the hassle factor at airport security and would rather avoid crowded highways, take the train. From June 1 to Aug. 31, Amtrak is rolling out a deal that allows two children to ride one-way for $19 each when traveling with an adult on Amtrak’s Auto Train, which carries passengers and their cars between Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Fla.