Flying out of Australia before xmas destination.... cheap!

hey,
just need some help on finding somewhere really cheap to go for xmas. My friend and i will have been in Australia for close to 4 months and are looking to go somewhere relaxing for over xmas and new years.
We would like to fly out around dec.20th. --somewhere warm with a nice beach, local markets with fresh fruit, etc.-- And then fly from that place to catch our plane back home on the 6th of january.
So flights would look like... Australia to ______ to San fransisco to Canada
We can fly out of anywhere on the east coast of australia, but we will most likely be close to sydney or melbourne

i am only 19 so cant be anywhere in the states (cant drink there yet haha)
we booked out trip with Orbitz, and we do have our return flight booked but we can change the flight out of aus. with a fee. I have looked at belize but cant seem to find flights under $2000USD.
We are hoping to do this as cheap as possible as we are backpacking and wont have much money left in the end.
I have been to Nicaragua and loved it there, i would love to take my friend but flights again are over $2000.

If anyone can find any cheap flights or has an idea that would be sooooooo helpful!
Thanks a bunch!
Kim

I read about this website that helps around the world travellers book their airfare cheaply. I tried it out for fun, and essentially you name the places you need to fly to in order, and they find the cheapest airfare to do. The catch being that the website may pick stops between to reduce the overall cost of your airfare. Like say you wanted to go from Sydney to San Francisco - it may find that it is cheaper to fly from Sydney to LA where you would stay for a day or two before flying on to San Francisco when the fares are cheapest. It is quite fun to play around with - Good Luck!

http://www.airtreks.com/

Are their any places you really 'Don't' want to go?
There are some incredibly cheap destinations in Eastern Europe that will be blessed with snow and so easy on the pocket.
PS.. Beaches in Canada in winter - and fruit markets? Ooooer.

[ Edit: Edited on 06-Oct-2009, at 13:05 by BedouinLeo ]

Quoting BedouinLeo

Are their any places you really 'Don't' want to go?
There are some incredibly cheap destinations in Eastern Europe that will be blessed with snow and so easy on the pocket.
PS.. Beaches in Canada in winter - and fruit markets? Ooooer.

Haha! not Canadian beaches.... Canada is home. Want to go somewhere where there are beaches and fruit markets. gotta stay away from the bitter winter as long as possible haha

Sorry, I totally misread that.
How about the Canaries? Hot weather all year round, lovely once away from the crowds and resorts and plenty of beaches and markets everywhere to enjoy. Ever seen Canaries tomatoes? They're not far off the size of grapefruits ! Very cheap region too.
Once done, a 2 hour flight to Madrid then back to Canada with Iberia.
I've done Canada in the winter and although it's pretty, especially over in Alberta and BC, it's also pretty cold too. Give me the almost unbearable winter sunshine anyday.