ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601140007
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
SNOWSTORMS notwithstanding, experts say January is often a busy time for vacationers who want winter relief.
You wake up this morning, and you realize it's been a week since the first snowflakes fell.
A week, and your road is still icy, muddy slush.
A week, and you still can't see your car.
A week, and your kids are still parked in front of the television.
You've tried all those say-no-to-cabin-fever tips, but you're going loony. So what now?
Get out of Dodge.
That's right: Take a Caribbean cruise. Or spend a few days on a sunny Florida beach. Throw in the shovel and admit defeat.
You wouldn't be alone. Jeff Hummel, branch manager at AAA Travel Agency in Roanoke, says January is always a busy time for cruises and vacations. But this year, more people than ever seem to be heading south, to destinations including Key West, Cancun and the Lesser Antilles.
"This weather certainly has reminded people that there are sunny beaches elsewhere in the world," said Lew Bishop, owner of Travel Network in Roanoke.
Bahamas vacations start at around $300, Hummel said, if you hop a charter flight from Richmond or Raleigh/Durham and stay three days. If you'd rather cruise, set aside $500 or more.
Bishop said he can have you on a plane to Florida today or tomorrow. A trip to the Bahamas or another foreign destination takes a bit longer to throw together, because there's more paperwork involved.
You can't spare the time off, you say. But consider this: Temperatures in the Bahamas are averaging 75 to 80 degrees. And the water is perfect for swimming.
You're hooked. So now you need shorts and tank tops and a bathing suit. Not as impossible a quest as it may seem. You may be wearing boots and mittens, but most stores began stocking warm-weather duds around Christmastime.
"We always do a great women's swimwear business every year," says Jack Dickerson, assistant manager of Leggett at Tanglewood Mall. He figures sales of bathing suits and lightweight cruisewear - and leftover winter sweaters, for that matter - will start to pick up today, now that main roads are clear and people are venturing out again.
Judy Allee, assistant manager of E.I. Randle at The Forum, on Starkey Road in Southwest Roanoke County, said linen clothing - a perennial cruise favorite - has been selling well. The store carries a full line of swimming apparel, too, although Roanokers haven't been quite so quick to buy anything itsy-bitsy.
"We haven't had anyone trying on bathing suits yet," Allee says. "But they've been looking."
Maybe they're afraid their bodies are a little too winter white to face scrutiny on the Nassau beaches. But this, too, can be remedied. A number of tanning salons are offering beat-the-winter-blues specials. In Vinton, at Caribbean Tan - the name alone conjures up visions of bronzed bodies lounging on white sand, doesn't it? - you can get 10 tanning sessions for $19.95. Normal price, said owner Al Fisher, is $27.50.
Business has been pretty slow since the snow hit, he said. But now that Mother Nature has called a cease-fire, Fisher expects customer traffic to pick up.
"Oh, it's going to make a difference," he said. "I figure, Saturday they'll start coming in. Hey, a couple of people just came in right now, trying to get out of the mess out there."
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. This sign for a Vinton tanning salonby CNBmay point the way for those weary of the season's offerings. color.