Cold weather brings warm thoughts -- at least, that's the case with Worry Free Vacations this week.

Now that the snow is falling (albeit early) in the Twin Cities, you'll start to see more of the getaways out of MSP to the warmer climes. When I start looking for last-minute deals, one of the first sites I hit is www.worryfreevacations.com, where this week I was finding airfare-only deals to Cancun, Cozumel and other Mexico locations for as low as $279 roundtrip -- package deals were also available -- and flights to Jamaica in the $300 ballpark.

The site usually is offering deals up to about three or four months out.

If you're looking for more of a getaway next weekend (Oct. 24-26), United Airlines is answering that last-minute call.

United is offering last-minute airfares out of Minneapolis next weekend to more than a dozen cities, including Chicago ($104), El Paso ($182), Reno ($206) and Saskatoon, Canada ($338).

The usual fine print -- purchase by this Friday (Oct. 16), fly out Saturday, return Monday or Tuesday, etc. -- applies here.

Whether you want to take a chance with United, after this story, of course, is up to you.