Traveling at the Right Time of Year Costs Less

The best time to travel is in the holidays, right? Not if you want to make big savings on your traveling costs it’s not. If you travel in off peak (or low season) periods, or even in the shoulder season, you’ll find traveling costs a lot less.

Where are you traveling? Do you know the peak travel times for this destination? Summer and spring, no matter where you are, are generally considered the peak seasons to travel, unless you are a winter sports enthusiast. In that case, ski resorts will be having their peak season in winter. And what hemisphere are you thinking of visiting? The seasons differ depending on whether you are north or south. For example, the North America summer months are June, July, August but in Australia the summer months are December, January and February. You will need to research your destination to find out the low season times to visit.

First of all, what type of savings can you expect to make if you travel in the off-peak season?

1. Air fares are much cheaper. There are less people wanting to fly so air carriers drop their prices to attract customers. Take advantage of these great savings. If you are traveling in the high season, see if you can book a flight mid-week. These flights are generally cheaper too.

2. Accommodation is cheaper and more readily available. In high season it can be difficult to find a place to stay in popular tourist destinations and when you do find somewhere it can be up to twice as much as when traveling in the off peak.

3. Eating in restaurants can be cheaper too. Owners will be trying to attract patrons so see what sort of deals you can find when eating out.

There are some other positives to traveling in the off peak season, other than saving money. There are fewer tourists for one, so visiting any cultural sight will be much more enjoyable. You can get more of an idea of what a destination is really like without the thousands of extra people. Experiencing the true culture is a real bonus. Did you know that opera season is in full swing in Europe in winter? Or that winter in Australia is often the best time to visit places in the north when the humidity and heat are bearable. Or how about visiting the best holiday markets in Germany in December? Do some research to find out what your chosen destination can offer in off peak, ones that you won’t experience in high season travel times.

So what are the negatives of traveling in the off peak? Well there are a few, but if you plan well you can overcome most drawbacks. Off peak usually means traveling in colder weather and that also means less daylight hours. Pack wisely and remember to dress in layers for the cold weather. Some tourist places close earlier or do not open at all in the off peak, so check up before you go so you are not disappointed. You will also find that in some areas the public transport system does not run as often as in peak tourist season. Find out what options you have to get to places and don’t be caught out missing the last bus home in the middle of winter, in the middle of nowhere! Some hotels and museums close down for the winter to re-furbish and get ready for the next high season influx of tourists. You can gamble and bargain your way to a great accommodation deal once you get to your destination, but all your bartering skills will be of no use if the hotels are all closed. It’s best to check what’s open before you go.

If traveling in the off-peak doesn’t sound attractive to you, then you might like to try the shoulder season and still get some travel price reductions. The shoulder season is considered the period leading up to and away from the high season. Usually in this time you’ll get decent weather, less crowds and lower travel costs – not the great bargains you’ll get in off peak, but lower costs nonetheless.

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

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About Author

Stuart S. Travel / Your All World Online Travel Guru:
Sherry Hardesty has been a professional flight attendant for over 15 years. Her experience is extensive and she provides professional travel consulting and booking services at http://www.stuartstravel.com

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 17:40 and is filed under airline cheap travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Responses to “Traveling at the Right Time of Year Costs Less”

aries44 Says:

Please email me. Your situation is alot like mine. Yes I am a non-custodial parent and it has been very hard. I will tell you all about it. Answers to your questions:
1) Yes
2) Yes
3) They are happier with me
4) His father is a liar! Face it now! He will NEVER let your son live with you. Face reality as it is. The only way is if you go after him in court or if your son becomes an angry teenage runaway and his father can't control him and he gets sent by the state to live with you.
5) No I am not, as I am not able to work at this time due to 2 car accidents that has left my right side on my back really bad. I can walk and all and I am not over weight or anything, but I live in pain at times. My ex tried to get child support from me but since I have a case pending for SSI medical he cannot get anything from me. I am so sorry about his bad luck!
6) Yes, contact me at my email on here.

July 15th, 2010 at 18:44

Kelly S Says:

What it will cost varies alot based on what you like to do during your travels. if you like to hike/sightsee, it will cost alot less than if you want to shop everywhere and go to theme parks and such. I have done alot of traveling and a van is definatly the way to go. Cars are too cramped for long trips and SUV's are nothing more than big cars with crappy mileage. With a van, you can live out of it while you travel. Spend some time and fix up the interior nice so it is comfortable and you dont look like some homeless drifter. You will save thousands on hotel bills. also if you outfit it with a little kitchenette you can shop at the grocery stores and farmers markets along your route and prepare your own meals for way less than you would spend eating out every night. A regular van gives you the convinience of an RV, but costs way less to buy/operate, dosent have the height/weight issues, can park in a regular spot, and gives you the flexablility to design it to suit your tastes. For my money nothing is better. Here are a couple vanning links you may enjoy. the first one is my favorite.

http://www.geocities.com/goatfolksvan...
http://www.vandweller.org
http://www.vanning.com

also i STRONGLY suggest reading "Blue Highways" by William Least-heat Moon. its a great book about a cross country van trip.

Expense wise, When i travel by van I usually figure out how many miles i will be covering and divide that by the fuel mileage of what i am driving. That will tell you how many gallons you will use on your trip. Multiply that by the average fuel cost and you will get a rough idea of how much you will spend on gas for your trip. always overestimate what you will need. Aside from gas and groceries, I dont need much so only you can decide how much other things will end up costing. Whatever course you take, do it, you wont regret it.

July 15th, 2010 at 19:21

weiner Says:

I fly international alot. The best way to get good airfares is to check the individual airlines often, at least once a week. They often have sales for a short time, less than week, but you can get some great ticket prices if you will spend the extra time working on it. Check the links below and watch them. I fly to Japan mostly and I have never paid over $900 to fly there and that was during a peak season. By doing a little extra work, I save hundreds of dollars on my tickets. A little work can go a long way.

July 16th, 2010 at 12:36

lmc Says:

Try the following discount sites: http://www.kayak.com, http://www.qixo.com, http://www.mobissimo.com, http://www.cheaptickets.com, http://www.cheapflights.com

Good luck.

July 16th, 2010 at 15:42

KT Says:

Theoretically you could make about $3900 in a year if you can pull in just $15 a day by doing odd jobs around the house and neighborhood. Working 5 days a week shoveling snow, raking leaves, cutting lawns, kid-sitting, dog walking, or anything like that, just $15 a day average.

Sorry, but I'm not aware of a website that you're looking for. Have your parents help you open up a savings account, though, and put your money in there. It will help you draw interest, and also help keep you from spending it whimsically.

$15 / day, 5 days a week. That's all you need.

July 17th, 2010 at 16:45

Johnie v Says:

You shouldn't need to pay to volunteer there are many local organisations in need of volunteers. I used to volunteer at the Animal Anti Cruelty League and I also did on and off stuff for Avril Elizabeth homes, the World Primate Sanctuary, Acres of Love etc I was also an honorary ranger for San Parks and a police reservist (B) and in high school I was a first aid respondent with St John’s. Some of my friends volunteered at the zoo, the fire station and other children’s homes. There are many ways you can help without paying (sometimes you have to pay for courses but it is a nominal amount and you get certificates to boost up your CV anyway). If you are looking for something to do for just a month I would suggest calling your local animal shelter or if you are in Gauteng and want to work specifically with primates then call the World Primate Sanctuary (if you want the number e-mail me). Habitat for Humanity also sounds like a great option.

Good luck

July 18th, 2010 at 04:28

Karen W Says:

There are occasional boats from the US to Europe, but they are infrequent and more costly than flying.

It's possible to get a room on a non-passenger boat for less (but still expensive), many shipping companies have one or two rooms per journey that can be rented by non-crew. Standards can be low, and many US companies no longer do it due to insurance, but you may be able to find someone. Contact local companies that do international shipping, and ask if such facilities exist on their boats.

July 18th, 2010 at 05:56

canaria Says:

This is pretty standard procedure, and you will always see this when you lose something that had value to you, but not to the insurance company. This doesn't mean that you have to accept it though.. I have worked at a costumer service for years, and if there's one thing I learned it's that complaining helps. Companies hate bad publicity and will often try to make a compromise with you. You might not get your suitcase fully repaid, but I think you'll be able to settle it in some way that you get more out of it.

As for the back problems, can't you take a stroller? If you lose 60 Euros on the deal, this means that your suitcase costed you 600 Euros right? This seams awfully expensive. Even if you get only 540 back, just buy a 100-200 Euro one, they are fine and won't cause you back probems if you have a stroller.

I will give you a link to some more information about selecting a good suitcase, I don't know if you want it, but it's just a suggestion

Good luck with Easyjet!

July 18th, 2010 at 22:00

homer742 Says:

Always do it yourself. Travel agents charge more. I just got back from South Padre Island. That part of Texas is sub-tropical. Go to Suncountry.com. They fly out of Minneapolis to a lot of different warm locations. Also, I would look on Southwest Airlines website, Travelocity and Expedia. There are a lot of last minute deals from these sites. Good Luck!

July 19th, 2010 at 00:55

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