I’ve never understood why health clubs hang banks of TVs in front of the aerobic machines and subject us to CNN (Constantly Negative News) as we work out, but they do. And based on the barrage of doom-and-gloom reports picked up during each workout, it seems that belt tightening is the order of the day, and luxuries like leisure travel should be put on hold.

But before you spend your next vacation cleaning out closets and refinishing furniture, be sure you know all your travel options.

Take a cruise:

The first thing to consider is taking a cruise. Cruises with their all-inclusive pricing have always provided the best value for your leisure travel dollar. You can’t stay in a comparable hotel and eat in comparable restaurants for anywhere close to the same price. That is even more so right now as the cruise lines offer incredible deals to fill up their ships.

I recently heard a story about a lady in her late 80s who was going from one cruise to another, nonstop. The staff on one of the ships finally noticed it and asked her why she was taking so many cruises. She told them living on the cruise liners was cheaper than her assisted living facility, and the food and service and company were a lot better! The story might be apocryphal, but the numbers actually make it believable—especially at today’s prices.

Available cruises range from a few days to round-the-world treks that take 4 or more months. If you live near the ports in Florida or Southern California, you can find 3- and 4-day cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean for under $300. Some are so cheap it costs you almost as much to stay home!

The different cruise lines each aim at a certain segment of the market, ranging from family-oriented Holiday Inn types to elite luxury liners with 5-star accommodations. In my experience, the ships for even the bargain cruises are equipped with multiple restaurants, a theater, a gym, indoor and outdoor pools, a full-service spa, a library, a games salon, and all the usual hotel amenities.

Cruise liners also have meeting rooms, and they are a great place to hold small conferences, retreats, and reunions. And having a floating hotel following you along can really take the complexity out of traveling with small children. I know parents and grandparents who won’t consider traveling any other way.

If you are vacationing alone, cruises with their controlled environment are also a very safe option. You can also find all kinds of “affinity groups” to join on cruises, or even form one yourself. These groups are people with a common hobby or other interest who go on cruise vacations together.

I personally resisted taking cruises until fairly recently, because I didn’t like the idea of being so confined. However, my first cruise ship was so big, and there was so much to do, that I never got even a hint of cabin fever

Great travel deals:

But there are also great travel deals available for those of you who are plagued by seasickness or simply don’t like venturing out into the deep.

You can take advantage of the domestic and international consolidators IF you have the flexibility to travel on short notice to some place that strikes your fancy. These consolidators buy up excess capacity for pennies on the dollar from travel vendors and then can offer the public some incredible deals.

Don’t give up on traveling:

So don’t write off leisure travel reflexively as you think about your budget for the new year. We all need and deserve some decompression time, and traveling to new places and meeting new people is both intellectually and physically stimulating. You can make some new friends and maybe even pick some new business contacts, or come up with a fabulous new idea.