Mother's Day is just a few weeks away. This year instead of giving Mom, Grandma or the mother of your children a bouquet of flowers or membership to the Jell-O of the Month Club, why not give her the gift of travel.

Known for its whimsical boutique hotels and gourmet restaurants, the Kimpton Hotel Group is offering 30 percent discounts on its rooms from now through the end of May. (Rooms range from $99 to $199 a night). The discount is available at all of its 35 hotels and 29 restaurants in 12 cities throughout North America. Go to www.kimptongroup.com to learn more about the different hotels, including the pet-friendly Hotel Monaco hotels.

At least this is the case at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. This package is set up for families looking to treat mom to breakfast in bed, a day at the spa or a trolley tour around Vancouver. Mother's Day Rates start at $242 (U.S.) but you can add an adjoining room for $62 a night. The package includes truffles and other gifts for Mom, a $50 restaurant credit, a choice of activities in the city, and an in-room Nintendo game and movie. Baby sitters are optional.

Visit Spa Finder to search for spas by zip code, buy gift certificates and learn about spas that specialize in everything from yoga in the Himalayas to weight loss in Texas. Under the "Hot Deals" section, you can find spa packages at 10 to 50 percent discounts. At the Lake Austin Spa and Resort in Austin Texas, for example, you'll get one night free if you book a three-day "refresher" package between now and the end of May. Between now and June 20 you'll get 20 percent off all-inclusive packages at the Vista Clara Ranch in Galisteo Basin, New Mexico. Mom can soak in the "ozone pool" (the water is purified by ozonization) and take cooking classes by day and be massaged and mud-wrapped by night.

Featured places       • Vancouver, British Columbia • Austin, Texas • Santa Fe, New Mexico

If you book a flight on Southwest between now and April 25 and you can get a companion ticket for free. In many cases roundtrip fares are only $118, which means that two people can fly for about $60 each. Unlike many airfare deals, which apply to just a few cities, this special is valid on flights going out of nearly every Southwest city. Though seats are limited, the offer is good for any day of the week from now through September 13 this year. Visit the carrier's website or call for specifics.

Many of the major carriers, including Northwest Airlines and Delta, sell gift certificates for travel. With Northwest for example you can order travel certificates from $50 to $500 valid for travel within one year anywhere Northwest or KLM Royal Dutch Airlines fly.

United Airlines lets you buy up to 15,000 miles to deposit in Mileage Plus accounts of friends or family. Of course, whether this is a bargain depends on how many miles your recipient already has and how she plans to use the award. Considering that 15,000 miles will cost you $418.13, it may not be a good deal for domestic flights between major hubs, but it could be a bargain for flights going to and from out of the way places.

At American Airlines you can buy senior coupon books for anyone 62 and over. The coupons are $676 and are good for two round trip tickets anywhere in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

If you'd rather just buy a specific ticket, keep in mind that most every airline will give you 10 percent off the price if you book a flight for any card-carrying senior citizen.