(MONEY Magazine) – Scrambling to save a sagging year, the travel industry is breathing hard and promoting heavily -- perks, packages, deep discounts, ''twofers'' -- the works. And jittery travelers, put off by worries about terrorism and the recession, are being lured back on the road. The big question is, of course, what's the smart move? Should you lock in a vacation at current fares and rates? Or gamble on price reductions later on? Our advice: buy now -- especially for U.S. trips or for Western Hemisphere cruises. A survey by American Express among 50 of its travel agents turned up a 20% increase in domestic bookings since the gulf war began in January, and peace will make travelers even more confident. So waiting won't get you a better price, and others may beat you to prime dates or accommodations. As for cruises: ''People put off their vacation plans last fall,'' says Tim Gallagher ) at Carnival Cruise Lines (800-432-5424). ''Now they're ready to travel.'' Assuming continued peace in the gulf, European bookings too may trickle back. Therefore, don't count on last-minute low fares from international air carriers. ''There will be a reasonable number of discounts this summer, but not like what we're seeing now,'' predicts Dan Bohan at Omega Travel, a travel agency with 150 offices nationwide. ''A lot depends on whether terrorism is still perceived as a threat after the war,'' adds Bohan -- and whether airlines book enough seats for their crucial summer season. While you're shopping for deals, read the fine print carefully. Free golf will do nothing for your tennis game. And stay alert for bargains. Says Tom Parsons of Best Fares newsletter: ''Air-fare discount coupons of $25 to $200 are showing up everywhere, from cereal boxes to credit-card mailers.'' This is also the time to cash in frequent-flier miles. ''All kinds of award seats are being opened up,'' reports Frequent editor Randy Petersen. Some of the best values this season are in the Caribbean because, as tourism fell off, resort operators moved fast to attract travelers. The 489-room Wyndham Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for instance, offers free air fare for a companion through year-end (booked by most travel agents). Says marketing v.p. Mack Koonce, Wyndham's (800-822-4200) Nassau and Barbados packages ''are now discounted 15% to 20%.'' Overseas, you can find terrific deals on Europe's less traveled paths, such as in Portugal or Finland. Plus, as you might imagine, tours to our war allies' capitals -- London or Paris -- are priced to sell. Jet Vacations (800-538-0999), for example, has an August trip to Paris for $2,035, including round trip on Air France, six nights at the top-drawer Hotel Crillon and three restaurant dinners. You needn't wait for promotions, however. Hotels and resorts everywhere, saddled with empty rooms, may sweeten your deal now if pressed. After getting a hotel rate, just ask: ''Is that the best deal you have?'' You may wind up with a reduction, an extra night's stay, a complimentary dinner or the like. Hotels are also taking lessons from the airlines and rewarding bankable bookings. Trust-house Forte (800-225-5843), for example, recently announced a 30% discount at 100 of its worldwide hotels when you confirm reservations with a major credit card at least 30 days in advance. The upcoming travel season is volatile and ticklish, no question. After canvassing travel agents, tour operators, industry analysts and resort managers, we've found well-priced choices for family trips, wilderness R&R, active or learning vacations, beach time or historic sites. Take your pick.

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME Maine. If you feel an affinity for the briny deep, good food and strong exercise, check out windjammer cruises -- refurbished 19th-century sailing ships ply coastal waters. Maine Windjammer Cruises (800-648-4544) operates out of Rockland or Camden: $435 to $565 per person per week (May through September) covers everything. North Carolina. Cycle the Carolinas' scenic (and mercifully flat) Outer Banks -- a 130-mile stretch of National Seashore barrier islands -- with Country Cycling (212-874-5151). Groups of 18 to 20 leave from New Bern, N.C., spending nights in inns while vans shuttle the luggage ($839 a person, double occupancy, including breakfasts and dinners). Colorado. Since 1907, the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park Center (303-586-3341), has attracted families to its 1,300-acre rustic resort adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are tennis, swimming, hiking and day camp ($10 a day) for ages three to 17. Hour-long trail rides on horseback, for adults and kids, cost $12. A two-bedroom log cabin, porch, fully equipped kitchen and fireplace, for $42 to $76 a night plus a $75 membership fee, makes this one of the best vacation values around. California. About an hour's drive east of San Diego, you'll find the Anza- Borrego State Park (free camping; 619-767-5311). At the park's center, stay at La Casa del Zorro ($180 a night for a cottage; 800-325-8274), with six pools, tennis and bike riding ($2.50 an hour) on 35 acres of desert landscape.

ISLAND HOPPING Grenada. Besides the frisson of a former war zone, this spice island -- nutmeg is the major export -- offers miles of unspoiled white-sand beaches and lots of local color, such as hiking in the rain forest and trips to the island of Carriacou to see big-drum dancing. The island's only major hotel is the 186-room Ramada Renaissance (20 landscaped acres on Grand Anse Beach, $100 a night for two; 800-228-2828). Guesthouses, however, offer more charm. Try Blue Horizons Cottage Hotel, 32 suites with kitchenettes, just 200 yards from Grand Anse Beach ($80 to $110, April 16 to Dec. 15; 809-444-4316). For a list of guesthouses, call the Grenada Tourist Office (800-927-9554). Aruba. Off the coast of Venezuela, and beyond the hurricane belt, Aruba is featuring a fifth night's free stay anywhere on the island, April 15 through Dec. 15. All hotels require midweek arrival. Typical cost for an eight-day package: $1,250 for two adults and $89 each for kids (without air fare). Call the Aruba National Tourist Office (800-862-7822) for a list of hotels. Bonaire. July is family month on this coral-ringed island, famous for snorkeling and scuba diving. If you'd like to windsurf but don't swim well, try Lac Bay -- terrific 15- to 20-knot winds but a sea no deeper than four feet. Accommodations from budget (try Sunset Beach Hotel, $65 a night for two; 800-333-1212) to superluxe (the just-opened Point at Bonaire, $1,138 a week; 800-926-6247). Cruises. For value in the Caribbean, cruises are hard to beat this year. ''There are drastic reductions because of a plethora of new ships,'' says Larry Fishkin at the Cruise Line, a Miami-based discount agency. The Cruise Line (800-777-0707) books discount cruises and will send you a free listing of available cruises. Sample: two-for-one deals on the S.S. Norway from Miami to St. Martin, St. John and St. Thomas, starting at $1,515 a couple for seven days.

HEADING SOUTH Argentina. Summer skiing becomes a reality if you travel south, way south, to Bariloche in Argentina. Miami-based Intervac (800-992-9629) offers an eight-day ski package at the 180-room Panamericano Bariloche Hotel, including breakfasts and lift tickets to nearby Cathedral Hill -- $1,713 a person. (Bariloche is 2 1/2 air hours from Buenos Aires -- plus the eight-hour flight from Miami.) The Galapagos. Declared a national park by Ecuador in 1959, these 16 Pacific islands are expensive to tour but a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here's where Charles Darwin came to test his theories of evolution amid giant tortoises, sea lions, penguins, fur seals, iguanas and more. Tourism is strictly controlled. Take a 15-day naturalist cruise out of Quito: Special Expeditions ($4,300 a person; 800-762-0003). Air fare runs about $450 round trip from Miami.

SAFE BETS IN EUROPE Portugal. Inexpensive and filled with low-key charm, Lisbon and the rest of the country are littered with gorgeous castles and historic ruins. The Algarve region, Portugal's playground, offers golf, beaches, whitewashed fishing villages and grand resorts. Globus-Gateway (800-999-8800) features a 15-day tour for $2,000 a person, with air fare and meals. Or rent a villa, $1,200 to $2,000 a week (At Home Abroad; 212-421-9165). Finland. Home to saunas, midnight sun, reindeer and modern design, Finland is surprisingly varied. Finnair features a $1,695-a-person (double occupancy), eight-day tour of Helsinki and Leningrad, leaving from New York. Throw in a $465-a-person weekend at Haikko Manor spa, north of Helsinki.