It used to be that for those who could travel and escape the winter clime that their options were rather limited. Not so now. The new buzzword for those of a certain age is the "long stay" vacation. The genre is wide and covers a multitude of possible styles and destinations. The common denominator however is the desire to escape the depths of winter. Who can blame them?

For years the destinations for winter snowbirds were the standards ? Arizona, Palm Springs and Texas and Nevada. However the rapidly rising dollar of the early 1990's made other destinations possible. The weak Australian currency, coupled with a low season for accommodation that started in late January encouraged some travelers to the warmth of the Australian Gold Coast for their winter.

In the Australian Gold Coast apartments are still a bargain, and range from $ 400 to $ 800, and coupled with an airfare of about $ 2000. Thus the math is simple and works out well, Go for it.

And now the world is yours. In a word why limit yourself. The world is your oyster so to speak. From South Africa to South America and more recently the Mediterranean Coast. Choices are plentiful, prices are reasonable and the weather always wonderful. Certainly better than back home at that time of year.

Probably, for those on a more modest budget looking for a destination that differs from the norm Portugal is a great destination.

Further field, but still around the Mediterranean the Adriatic Coast of Croatia is delightful with the ancient towns that ring the picturesque coast. Further south, the resorts in Tunisia offer a tremendous balance between the facilities of a bustling resort town with access to the desert to the enchanting culture and hospitality of the Middle East.

South America too, offers good options. Uruguay and its coast line sweeping northeast offer a number of pleasant beach towns. Most popular in Uruguay is Punte del Este , a mecca for both the world's rich and famous but also home to a lot of family apartments.

A peaceful place to hang one's hat so to speak. Uruguayans are charming and delighted to find international tourists are coming from farther afield than the traditional source of their tourism which used to be Argentinean based. To visit Uruguay is somewhat what it was like to visit Spain or Italy 25 years ago when the pace was unrushed and one could stay, enjoy and linger whether it is a long lunch or dinner or a stroll along the promenade.

Across the South Atlantic Ocean lies South Africa a country whose tourism industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the last five years. There are many condos available for rent along the beautiful, scenic coast, principally between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth that cost in the range of $ 1500 - $ 1900 a month. You can always use the condo as a base from which to stage wonderful weekend jaunts to either the wine country or to the game parks. Be reassured that flying to South Africa has become much more economical throughout the years with flights originating in European airports.

So long cold long winter. Long-stay vacations are exciting and now very affordable.