Gordon Dirker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Brendan Travel, took time away from his vacation to speak to us about holiday travel bargains for 2010. En route to a Mediterranean cruise vacation, Gordon talked about destinations for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This is the “shoulder” seaason in Europe when Europeans return to work from their summer vacations. Queues at the major tourist attractions are shorter as a result.

Gordon recommends Christmas in Germany. The Germans do Christmas right, according to Gordon.  Other holiday destinations include: Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, South America, Central America, Vietnam and Cambodia.

I pinned Godon down on his favorite destination. He chose Cairo, Egypt, although he also likes Buenos Aires, Rio, New York City and Shanghai. A complete trip to Cairo costs as little as $3,200 per person—2,000 for land arrangements and $1,200 for air travel.

Gordon’s tips for surviving modern air travel: 1) be relaxed. Allow time to make your flight. 2) Remember, the security personnel work on our behalf. They are doing their job so we can be safe. 3) Overcome jet lag by immediately embracing the time zone you are in. Do not go to sleep when you arrive at your destination. Go for a light walk. Try to adjust your body to the local time zone. Don’t think about what you’d be doing at home at that hour.

Gordon’ s final advice. Use the Internet to track down bargains, but trust a travel agent to save you money when making the final arrangements.

Listen to the entire interview below: