(MONEY Magazine) – Welcome to a year of fabulous travel bargains. Business has been lackluster throughout 1991, with occupancy rates at U.S. resorts now hovering at 66%, down from 69% in 1990, and with business travel slipping by about 10% nationwide in the past two years. As a result, most hotels and resorts are scrambling to fill rooms. In addition, the airlines are duking it out with fare wars: ''They're trying to get people on planes any way they can,'' reports Scott Dring at the U.S. Travel Data Center, an industry association based in Washington, D.C. For travelers, opportunity is called 1992. After canvassing industry analysts and agents, tour packagers and operators, we've picked the best-priced, best places in the world to visit in each of the next 12 months. The primary rule is: be flexible. Although overseas attractions, family getaways and adventure trips are all priced to sell this year, the most spectacular deals may show up as last-minute promotions. Prices are per person and are based on double occupancy. Here's where to go:

JANUARY Aloha bargains. Thanks to a glut of just-built resorts, Hawaii packages are terrific values: stay four nights on Maui at the beachfront 347-room Stouffer Wailea (800-468-3571), with a rental car, for $960. Short-term promotions turn up at the last minute. Ask your travel agent to check what's available.

Sun Valley reprise. Built in 1936 by the Union Pacific Railroad, Sun Valley, Idaho was Hollywood's getaway spot until the jet age dawned. Now, with air connections through Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho, this classic resort is accessible -- and reasonable. Sun Valley's 1,500 guest units run $55 (at Ketchum Korral motel) to $1,000 (a five-bedroom house). The Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce (800-634-3347) handles reservations. Lift tickets cost $40 a day.

FEBRUARY Family sail. Take a tropical cruise with the kids and drift from island to island, snorkeling, exploring beaches or browsing in port towns. Madden Enterprises runs February, June and October sails around the Virgin Islands on 42-foot-and-up yachts for six to eight passengers ($595 with meals). Call the American Wilderness Experience (800-444-0099).

Adirondack cross-country. The lake-laced woods of New York's Adirondack State Park boast miles of cross-country ski trails. Glide with a guide and 12 skiers (maximum), then rest overnight in cabins heated by wood-burning stoves. Adirondack Hut-to-Hut Tours (518-828-7007) arranges five-night treks, with meals and guide ($390), five-night inn-to-inn tours ($590) and two-night Easy Sliders ($135).

MARCH Mexican Mardi Gras. For the friendliest pre-Lenten carnival (March 3), head for Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf Coast. You'll find floats, marimba bands, spangle-clad dancers and an innocence too. Stay on the Plaza de Armas at the renovated Hotel Veracruz (115 rooms; $69; 52-29-31-22-33). For more quiet, try the 1980s-vintage Torremar (185 rooms; $99; 800-826-6842). Pack a Spanish phrase book.

New Age Arizona. Despite their hokey name, wellness resorts -- spa and sports combos -- fulfill varied vacation agendas. Two Arizona resorts blend this mix well. The 398-room Loews Ventana Canyon (800-235-6397), near Tucson, has a fitness center, 2.8-mile par course, tennis and golf (seven-night packages priced per couple, $2,005; with tennis, $2,115; with golf, $2,715). Marriott's 423-room Camelback Inn in Scottsdale (800-242-2635) has a 25,000-square-foot spa, exercise classes, golf and tennis. Best deal: unlimited golf, tennis, spa and breakfast, $394 a night.

APRIL ; Easter in Assisi. In St. Francis' hometown in Italy, the 13th century lives on in ancient rituals that re-enact the persecution, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ from Palm Sunday (April 12) through Easter (April 19). The roads to this partially walled city get packed with Easter pilgrims, so take a train from Rome or Florence. Stay at the 27-room Umbra Hotel near the Basilica of St. Francis ($70; 39-75-81-22-40) or the renovated 66-room Subasio Hotel ($140; 39-75-81-22-06).

Expo Seville. The glitziest Columbus quincentennial will be the 1992 World's Fair in Seville, Spain, which begins April 20. But finding a hotel room in Seville at this late date is well-nigh impossible. Instead, you can day-trip from the exotic city of Cordoba, with its mosque and medieval Jewish quarter; it's a 90-minute drive from Seville. Try the modern 94-room Parador la Arruzafa ($190). You can book any of Spain's government-run, moderately priced paradores -- which are often converted monasteries, estates or castles -- through Marketing Ahead Hotel Representatives (212-686-9213).

MAY Old World views. Before the Economic Community blurs the borders, see Old World Europe on a seven-day walking tour of the Swiss Alps (Progressive Travel; $2,495; 800-245-2229), with meals and stays at first-class hotels such as the Zermatterhof in Zermatt and the Carlton in St. Moritz, originally built for Czar Nicholas II.

Grand Canyon backpack. Yes, this scenic wonder gets crowded, but it's a bargain. A chosen few who reserve early can avoid the hordes with a self- guided, four-day camping trek down to the Colorado River. You'll need a use permit, free from the Backcountry Reservations Office (P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, Ariz. 86023). Only a few hundred are issued for each day.

JUNE Handcrafted getaway. From May through August, the innovative Peters Valley Craft Center in northwest New Jersey's Delaware Water Gap area offers courses in blacksmithing, photography, woodworking and more (for one-day workshops, $95; $325 for 10 days). For a catalogue and where to stay: Peters Valley Craft Center, 19 Kuhn Rd., Layton, N.J. 07851; 201-948-5200.

Shakespeare on the Pacific. Since 1935, the college town of Ashland, Ore., between Portland and San Francisco in the Siskiyou Mountains, has hosted the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This year, performances include Othello as well as Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic and J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World. For schedule and tickets ($16 and $22): 503-482-4331. Stay at the 54-room Mark Antony Hotel ($62 to $104; 800-926-8669) or the 53-room Best Western Bard's Inn ($82 to $92; 800-528-1234).

JULY Family classic. For a sunny two weeks away with the kids, try The Elms, a mineral springs spa half an hour's drive from Kansas City, Mo., where F.D.R. took the waters (136 rooms and condos; $79 to $115 plus children's activities; 800-843-3567). Rock on the veranda of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich. (317 rooms; $135 to $235 with some meals; 800-334-7263). Or, on the East Coast, check into the 510-room Grove Park Inn ($115 to $185; 800-438-5800) on 140 acres near Asheville, N.C.

Northern exposure. Enjoy world-class freshwater fishing 300 miles from any roads in the streams of Alaska's Katmai National Park -- featuring rainbow trout, grayling, char and salmon. In this controlled area, you must sometimes throw back the fish you catch. Each morning, Kulik Lodge (800-544-0551) flies its 20 guests in groups of three or four, plus a guide, to remote fishing spots ($2,250 for three nights, $4,150 for seven, with meals, gear and air fare from Anchorage). Katmai Lodge (206-337-0326) ferries as many as 35 guests in powerboats ($3,000 a week, all-inclusive).

AUGUST Fantasies West. Gather round campfires at the base of the Rockies. Four days, with meals, for Wagons West out of Jackson, Wyo. costs $465 per adult, $365 per child under 16. Bozeman Trail Wagon Train's four-day trip from Reed Point, Mont.: $480 for adults, $380 for children eight to 14. Call American Wilderness Experience (800-444-0099).

Out of Africa. Overseas Adventure Travel (800-221-0814) runs a two-week photo safari (Aug. 7 to 23) for 15 parents and children six and older in some of Africa's best-preserved parks. Guides and drivers cover chores for $1,595 a person (over 12) and $1,195 for kids six to 11 -- plus air fare and park fees.

SEPTEMBER Toujours France. The meadows and forests of the Normandy region are studded with history from William the Conqueror to the D-day beaches. Best idea: book an American Express tour (800-241-1700) for a four-day bus excursion from Paris ($699, including meals and first-class accommodations, with a group of 26, maximum). Or try the stately 28-room Chateau d'Audrieu ($150 to $325; 800-677-3524).

Bonjour Quebec. If France is too far afield, see the copper-green mansard roofs, winding alleyways and cafes of this centuries-old European-style city overlooking the St. Lawrence River. Stay at the Canadian-Pacific's 551-room Chateau Frontenac ($160 to $200; 800-828-7447), which perches atop a cliff.

OCTOBER Caribbean Columbus. On his third transatlantic voyage, in 1494, the explorer reached Hispaniola island. The trip's anniversary in the Dominican Republic's capital, Santo Domingo, will be a bash. The Alcazar de Colon, a palace built by Columbus' son Diego, still stands. Stay at the 55-room Hostal Nicolas de Ovando ($55; 809-687-3101) or the more modern 220-room Hotel Santo Domingo ($115 to $150; 809-221-1511). Book in advance.

Raft the Rio Grande. In Texas' Big Bend region, five hours' drive southeast of El Paso, the Rio Grande carves steep canyons and a green oasis as it cuts through the desert mountains. Far Flung Adventures (800-359-4138) runs one- to seven-day raft trips through the five canyons ($75 to $600, inclusive; $5 a day additional to rent a sleeping bag).

NOVEMBER Day of the Dead. On Nov. 2, families in Mexico take picnic baskets and flowers to the graves of departed loved ones. The ceremony's charm is captured in Patzcuaro, a five-hour bus ride from Mexico City, or 45 air minutes to Morelia (about $150) and an hour by rental car. Book now and insist on written confirmation at the 25-room Meson del Gallo ($20 to $25; Dr. Jose Maria Coss, 20, Patzcuaro, Michoacan 61600, Mexico; 52-45-42-14-74) or at the 102-room Posada Don Vasco outside town ($59; 800-528-1234).

Slowed-down Santa Fe. As the holidays near and tourists head home, this Southwest mecca becomes more like itself. The hot new hotel, the 59-room Inn of the Anasazi ($155 to $270, with kiva fireplaces; 800-688-8100), adapted designs from the pre-Pueblo Indian culture. Another choice: the 160-room La Fonda ($115 to $335; 800-523-5002). Taos ski slopes, a 90-minute drive away, are open on Thanksgiving.

DECEMBER Mayan ruins. In the jungles of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, you'll see remains of 1,000-year-old Mayan temples. Explore waterfalls and caves from Chaa Creek, a rustic lodge with 16 thatched-roof cottages in Belize's backcountry. Packages are best: four days, with Belize City airport transfers, horseback riding, guided walks, treks to ruins and an excursion to Tikal, are $560. Tropical Travel (800-451-8017) can book Chaa Creek, adding a few days on Ambergris Cay, Belize's northern island ($350 to $650 for four beach days).

Once-in-a-lifetime Antarctica. The Southern Hemisphere's summer is the time to visit this fragile, ice-shrouded area. With the sun shining almost 24 hours a day, the air warms to 32 degreesF or so. Visitors are limited to guided expeditions, such as Mountain Travel/Sobek's (800-227-2384) two-week trips: three days in Buenos Aires, then a cruise on a 135-passenger ship to the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic. You go ashore twice daily in 14-person motorized rafts and see penguins, whales and glaciers. Despite the steep tab -- from $5,395 with meals, plus $1,400 fare from Miami -- the trips sell out quickly.