News

Yes, it really is July 19. That means most people have already booked their summer getaways. In fact, your pod-mate is already back from zip-trekking in Whistler.

Then there's you. No flight. No hotel reservation. Just a desperate need for a break before it snows again.

But there is hope. And even some deals on offer — both across the country and to destinations from Vienna to Vegas. Herewith, a look at last-minute late-summer escapes.

VIENNA AFTER THE GAME

The holiday Now that all those footie fanatics are gone, travellers may actually get a seat at a kaffeehaus in the Austrian capital. And on Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, Transat Holidays is offering a one-week getaway for just $1,672 a person, including all taxes and fees.

The deal The Imperial Vienna City Package includes airfare from Toronto, seven nights at the Flemmings Hotel, a half-day tour of Vienna, a concert in the Orangerie Schönbrunn, a visit to Mozart's home and (since you know people will ask if you've tried it) free torte at the Café Sacher Vienna.

The fine print For details, visit transatholidays.com.

ISLANDS IN NEWFOUNDLAND

The holiday You want to pub hop. Your wife wants to ogle very large whales. Thus a standoff on how to spend your summer vacation. But Maxxim Vacations offers a compromise: Their Tale of Two Islands trip covers St. John's and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon — where travellers can check out both nightlife and nature.

The deal This trip covers airfare to St. John's from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. It also includes a one-week car rental, the ferry to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and seven nights at select hotels, B&Bs and inns. And since your wife will probably have to visit various Newfoundland bars, the least you can do is look enthused during city tours, a visit to a heritage museum and on a whale-watching boat tour — all part of the package.

The fine print Prices range from $1,689 to $2,479 a person plus taxes. Trips run year-round. For more information, visit maxximvacations.com or call 1-800-567-6666.

LAS VEGAS FOR LESS

The holiday You deserve one lost weekend before Labour Day: From Aug. 26 to 29, Expedia is selling flights from Toronto to Las Vegas plus three nights at the Mirage Resort & Casino for $699 — yup, including taxes and fees. Just don't post the photos on Facebook. You friended your boss, remember?

The deal The Mirage Resort & Casino is home to the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show Love. It's also home base for Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden — where you can see (don't pet them) white tiger cubs. There's gambling too: Poker, slots, roulette, pai gow and … Good luck.

The fine print For details, visit expedia.ca.

PARTY IN QUEBEC CITY

The holiday Yes, Harper whooped it up in Quebec this month — or at least watched the pomp from under an umbrella — but that doesn't mean the party is over. Celine Dion is singing on the Plains of Abraham Aug. 22. The Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec is showing gems from the Louvre through October.

The deal For $435, tour operator Simply Escapes will put you on a train to Quebec and book you two nights at the Best Western Centreville. Spend $995 and add a stop in Montreal that includes two nights at the Fairmont, museum passes and a tram tour — plus two nights at Quebec City's Manoir Victoria and a tour that highlights the city's 400-year-old history.

The fine print Prices are valid for travel through Aug. 31. For details, visit simplyescape.ca.

BANFF DRIVING ADVENTURES

The holiday You've always dreamed of whitewater rafting in the Rockies. Or was it a tree trek in Whistler? Either way, you haven't booked that fantasy holiday quite yet because ... You have your reasons — and Anderson Vacations' Freedom to Explore package means all you need to do now is drive to Calgary to get started.

The deal This package ranges from $1,165 to $1,535 a person and takes you from Calgary to Vancouver — with stops in Kananaskis, Banff, Emerald Lake, Jasper and Whistler. The price includes eight nights' accommodations and activities such as whitewater rafting, a half-day horseback ride and zip or tree trekking in Whistler.

The fine print For details, visit canadatravelsolution.com or call 1-866-814-7378.

ALL OVER AUSTRALIA

The holiday This November, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will star in Australia — a film sure to spike travel Down Under. So why not go before the tourism onslaught? It's midwinter in Australia, but that just means you won't broil while sightseeing.

The deal You get yourself to Los Angeles or San Francisco. But once you're there, the $1,480 Goway pass from Qantas (which includes all taxes and fees) will take you to Sydney — then on three other flights within Australia. That's a savings of more than $1,000 on domestic travel.

The fine print This deal is available for flights until Sept 21. Add-on fares from Canadian cities can be arranged. For details, visitgoway.com.

MONTREAL ON A WHIM

The holiday Whether you want to see Venus Williams's first attempt at the Rogers Cup or do some serious shopping, a $141 flight from Toronto to Montreal makes a last-minute getaway seem downright economical.

The deal Sunwing Airlines's Montreal seat sale is on Friday to Monday trips and includes all fees. The company also has special one-way fares from Toronto to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

The fine print Travel must be between July 20 and Oct. 31. For details, visit flysunwing.com.

GOING GREEN IN OTTAWA

The holiday Last year, it was named a World Heritage Site. This year, it's ground zero for a new zero-footprint festival. From Aug. 1 to 4, visitors to the Rideau Canal Festival can check out flotillas and cycling demos — then offset emissions from the event by "adopting" a metre of the canal for $20. Proceeds will go toward carbon credits.

The deal Ottawa Tourism is offering two-night packages starting at $145 a person. They include admission to major museums, a treatment at Holtz Spa, dinner at Le Cordon Bleu Signatures Restaurant and whitewater rafting.

The fine print For details, visit ottawatourism.ca or call 1-888-OTTAWA-8.

A LONG STAY IN BALI

The holiday An August at home sounded restful. Until you thought about all those chores that need doing. Not to mention visits to relatives. Maybe a long tanning session in Bali is in order.

The deal Silk Holidays is offering a 29-night getaway to Bali starting at $2,299 from Vancouver, including all taxes and fees. The package includes a flight on Japan Airlines via Tokyo, hotel accommodation, breakfasts, plus three full-day and two half-day tours.

The fine print This package runs through Dec. 23. For details, visit silkholidays.com.

ONTARIO'S COTTAGE COUNTRY

The holiday Gas is expensive. Commuting is hell. Hitting Highway 400 and Highway 411, however, will lead you to a True North escape — and at 400eleven.com there are more than 50 August getaways just off these roads.

The deal Packages include $935 weekly rentals at the Algonquin Woods Cottage Resort and $735 weekly rentals at Cedars Cottage Resort near the Bruce Trail.

The fine print For details, visit 400eleven.com.

CRUISING TO BERMUDA

The holiday Even bankers need to swap suits for shorts sometimes. And where better to do that than that haven of pink sand and offshore accounts that is Bermuda?

The deal On July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23, the Royal Caribbean will sail from a port just outside New York to the island — spending three nights on the water and two nights in Bermuda. Prices start at $979 (U.S.).

The fine print There is a daily fuel surcharge of $10 a person. For details, visit royalcaribbean.com or call 1-800-722-5059 ext. 80882.

BUFFALO BILLS IN TORONTO

The holiday When the Buffalo Bills announced eight games in Toronto, 180,000 seats sold within a month. But even if you didn't get in on that first National Football League feeding frenzy and don't live in Toronto, you can enjoy a summer football getaway.

The deal Greyhound Canada is packaging games with bus tickets to give fans from 16 cities across Southern Ontario the chance to see the Bills take on the Pittsburgh Steelers Aug. 14. Prices start at $399.

The fine print For more information, call 1-800-594-3310.

LONDON SLEEPOVER

The holiday Banksy is an undercover agitator no longer. Still, checking out his graffiti between visits to Big Ben and Buckingham Palace has its charms. And if you can shell out for your own flight, DH Tour will put you up for six nights at a four-star hotel in London for $990, including taxes.

The deal The DH package includes breakfast, Heathrow transfers, a seven-day metro card and sightseeing and river cruises. As a bonus, a West End show and three-course dinner are also part of the deal.

The fine print For details, call 1-888-597-3519 or visit dhgrouptours.com.

ONTARIO COUNTRY SPAS

The holiday If the stress of a last-minute vacation is getting to you, perhaps what you need is a shvitz in an infrared sauna or a Thai massage. Enter Ontario's Finest Inns and Spas, which has more than 20 summer packages.

The deal A case in point: the INNdulgent Escape at the Millcroft Inn & Spa, about an hour north of Toronto. For $436, couples get a gas rebate of $40, a two-night stay, breakfast, dinner and an all-important $100 credit at the spa.

The fine print Millcroft's gas rebate is available until Aug. 31 for arrivals Sunday to Thursday, but their package is on sale until Oct. 31. For details, call 1-800-383-3976 or visit ontariosfinestinns.com.

NUNAVUT FOR BRAINIACS

The holiday The Baffin Expedition offered by the Walrus Foundation and Adventure Canada either extends summer vacation past Labour Day or starts off the school year with one heck of a field trip: From Sept. 2 to 12, intrepid eggheads hit Canada's North to see polar bears and bowhead whales — and hear experts and talking heads such as CBC's Shelagh Rogers.

The deal At $2,700 to $6,500 a person, this trip may not seem like a deal. But the package actually saves travellers about 25 per cent. It includes a night at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa and nine nights on board the Lyubov Orlova, which sails from Resolute to Iqaluit past fjords, icefields and thick-billed murres.

The fine print For details, visit adventurecanada.com.

Patrick Dineen is Globe Travel's deals columnist.