THE $639 DEAL

By Chris Erskine

March 29, 2009 12 AM PT

Airfare is not included, but a 12-day family vacation to Italy at $2,559 for a family of four -- or $639.75 per person -- is a tough package to top. Try doing 12 days in Atlanta for that.

The deals: The TourCrafters family packages combine city stays with country and seaside stays. The deal includes a rental car or minivan. You’ll save on meals too, since all the apartments included in the package have kitchens. A 12-day Florence and Tuscany package includes four nights at the Palazzo Ricasoli apartments in Florence and seven nights in the countryside at the Principe del Trasimeno apartments on Lake Trasimeno. That lodging includes a pool, gardens, barbecue and laundry. The offer runs from July 13 to Aug. 31, with slightly higher prices for the same package in June and early July. Another deal at about the same price is for a nine-day Rome and Apulia package for a family of four.

Info: For reservations, call (800) 482-5995, or go to www.tourcrafters.com.

-- Chris Erskine

Travel & Experiences

Chris Erskine

Chris Erskine is a nationally known humor columnist and editor who retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2020. Previously he wrote for the Sports, Travel and Saturday sections and edited with the paper’s features staff. As an editor, he has been a part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams at The Times (for his graphics work on the Northridge quake and the North Hollywood bank robbery). He is best known to readers for his weekly humor pieces on life in suburban Los Angeles. His latest book, “Daditude,” released in 2018, is a collection of his favorite Times columns on fatherhood. He has written two other books, “Man of the House” and “Surviving Suburbia,” which reached the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. The Chicago native has also worked for papers in New Orleans and Miami.

THE $639 DEAL

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