Summer is not yet officially over, but it’s already time to start figuring out winter holiday plans. For the past two months, we’ve been fielding questions from members who were planning their Christmas/New Year’s vacations from the beach. It used to be that you could wait until late September or early October to book flights to the Caribbean or secure rooms at ski-in/ski-out lodges. Unfortunately for procrastinators like me, those days are gone.

I learned the hard way last year. Assuming that I was ahead of the game, I tried to book ski school slots for my two children at Deer Valley in late September. The operator politely informed me that she had no spaces at all for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, except on the wait list. I should have called when the reservations lines had opened in June, she told me. Thanks to a member’s query on the Ask Advice board about renting condos in Aspen that posted in July, I was reminded to make plans earlier this year.

I am returning to Deer Valley, where we do have instructors lined up every day, and then heading to Mexico for some sun. We tried the snow/sun or turf/surf holiday last year, and I loved it. (Full disclosure: it worked primarily because we flew direct to Salt Lake and direct to Cancun. We also FedExed our duffel bags with our ski gear home and took small wheelie bags with our beach wear.) There’s no better multi-generational bonding trip than a ski one; because lodges are set up for boisterous meals, and slopes keep everyone together (yet apart) for hours of exhausting fun. But you may return home exhausted, especially when your kids still need help with ski boots, poles and finding their mittens. By contrast, my days in Mexico involved little more exertion than raising my head from the pages of a novel to observe the antics on the water slide. Yes, you have to pack for two separate vacations but I’ve spoken to a number of other mothers who have tried the bi-climate break and been equally pleased. If you have similar experiences to share or other vacation tips, please send us an email or post a comment below.

To inspire your winter plans, we have posted a number of new destination reports on warm weather getaways and have many more in the works.

—In our Palm Beach report, Daphne Nikolopoulos, editor of Palm Beach Illustrated, shares her insights on the evolving Florida enclave.

—Suzy Buckley, a Miami transplant who writes for Lucky and Ocean Drive magazines and appears frequently on the Travel Channel, wrote our Miami guide.

—Senior editor Simone Girner spent a week on St. Lucia to bring back the news on the Caribbean’s newest hot spot.

—For the first in a series of reports on the Hawaiian islands, Diane Tegmeyer, who has been a Kauai regular for a decade, reveals her favorite places on Oahu and the Big Island. Don’t miss writer Paul Theroux’s He Said/She Said exchange with his wife, Sheila Donnelly, on their preferred hangouts in and around Honolulu.

—The Family Passion Point also includes answers to a member’s question about short beach getaways with kids for winter.

As for skiing profiles, we will soon post reports on Deer Valley and Vail. In the meantime, the Family Passion Point has suggestions for Christmas ski resorts with kids and the Ask Advice board has Deer Valley tips and great sources for condos in ski areas. Again, if you have recommendations to share on favorite mountain resorts, please add them to the Discussion Boards. Or if you want guidance, post a question on the Ask Advice board.