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Travel doesn’t always have to be exotic. While journeys to faraway locales have their place, for most of us, balancing affordability with convenience and the chance to spend quality time with our families is the real bottom line.

In fact, sometimes the most surprising experiences can be right around the corner. Experiencing our home turf like a tourist can open up all kinds of possibilities. Here are a few ways to sneak in that winter getaway without breaking your budget.

* Be a big city tourist. Pick a city within easy driving distance and visit with a fresh eye. When was the last time you toured the Liberty Bell, sailed around the Statue of Liberty or took in the view from the top of the St. Louis Gateway Arch? It’s fun to be a tourist, and if you stay in the city center, many popular attractions will be within walking distance.

* Off-season hotel packages offer great deals in winter. Off-peak prices make even upscale lodging affordable. Ask about special rates, packages and incentives such as free in-room movies, breakfast and coupons for in-hotel dining. Radisson’s Bed & Breakfast Family Package, for instance, includes a Sleep Number bed guestroom along with breakfast for a family of four.

* Get pampered close to home. If a destination spa isn’t in the cards, full service hotels sometimes offer spa or salon services along with fitness centers, indoor pools and whirlpools to give your body and spirit a lift.
* Discover small town America. Another way to explore the local landscape, taking a road trip to a nearby small town offers a dose of down home charm, family attractions and genuine hospitality.

* Consult the concierge. If you’re not familiar with a destination and want to get the most out of a short getaway, your hotel concierge can offer timesaving advice on attractions, dining, kid-friendly entertainment and more. Or, in advance, do some online research. Hotel brands like Radisson Hotels & Resorts partner with websites like www.10Best.com to note a city’s best sights, restaurants, clubs and shops.

* Cash in your points. If you’re a member of a hotel rewards program, when was the last time you cashed in on the benefits of your membership? Programs typically offer points redeemable for free hotel nights, airline miles, prepaid cards and more. The goldpoints plusSM program from Carlson Hotels Worldwide was recently enhanced, now offering up to double the earning potential and redemption at nearly 1,000 hotels and resorts around the globe.

JARVIS HUMBY are to follow up a triumphant New York show with an intimate one-off Teesside gig this weekend.

Screaming through the stratosphere with a sound so spine-tinglingly cool but so insanely danceable, Jarvis Humby have embraced the groove of ’60s garage and soul and blended it with a large handful of ’70s punk to form their own sweet hybrid sound.

Their debut album, Assume the Position, It’s... Jarvis Humby, on Acid Jazz Records was picked up in the USA by Steven Van Zandt (aka Little Steven) and became a huge favourite on his internationally syndicated radio show.

The boys were then invited to play at his International Underground Garage Festival in New York and flown out to share the stage with Iggy & The Stooges, The New York Dolls, The Strokes, Bo Diddley, The Fuzztones and many other luminaries at the hippest New York music festival there’s ever been.

The album was released in America on Hard Soul Records and an acclaimed US tour followed, including such great cities as Los Angeles and San Diego.

Little Steven was so interested in working with the band that he bought out their contract with Acid Jazz and signed them to his own Wicked Cool Records.

Assume the Position, It’s… Jarvis Humby has been given a worldwide release on this new label and the band has been in New York recently to promote it.

A second album is finished and bubbling on the stove, waiting to spill out onto the world with scalding hot new tunes, produced by the one and only Graham Day, of the hugely revered Prisoners and Solarflares.

More US dates are to follow and European dates are planned for this year.

Support for the show comes from highly rated local singer songwriter SUZANNE ELIZABETH MARRON and emerging Leeds six-piece KID ID, who are also gaining rave reviews.

Both supporting acts will be playing extended sets at the Knights gig on Southfield Road and the show begins with Suzanne on stage at 7.30pm.

Doors open at 7pm.