Can you travel Off-Season? Your vacation may be more enjoyable.

One of the most common requests that my clients have asked of me as their travel agent is that they want the best ‘deal’ available for their vacation. The reality is that a travel deal is not as clear cut as it is in the retail sector. We have learned, for example, not to ask fellow passengers what they pay for their ticket price. This is not only impolite but it exposes you to feeling gutted by their response. And that is not the way to start a vacation. We pay different prices for the same trip, on the same date.  In addition, many popular destinations are overwhelmed by the high number of tourists during the summer months. We have lost (and seen others) many hours awaiting in queues for popular attractions. Hence my question, can you travel off-season?

in case you haven’t heard, I’m putting the word out, traveling can be amazing and you can realize savings in time and money by traveling when most people are not. The law of supply and demand is in full force in the tourism industry. Because nowadays many people work remotely, and many children are home schooled, they are not obliged to stay in one location for work or education. Others are empty nesters or have no children. In these circumstances, I strongly advise to travel off season, unless you absolutely must. Many destinations increase their calendar activities during the summer months to facilitate the higher demands, however, most activities are usually available at other times. I concede that there are some exceptions, for example, if you want to see cherry blossom in Japan, the best time to visit is late March to mid-April. Otherwise, why not visit in October to early December or mid-January to early March? You will still be able to enjoy many popular activities and save money on airfare and accommodations.

Taste of Luxury. There’s a growing trend of customers wanting to experience luxury while on vacation. To these clients I also recommend off-season travel. Let’s take Australia for example, their high season is from December to February, which is their summer month. Why not visit in March? I was able to find an air package with 5 five-star hotel accommodations for less than $2k. The deal was so good, I ended up adding a helicopter tour of Sydney. The weather was great, no heat or cold. Hawaii is as much spectacular in early to mid-December and so much more affordable.

Europe is a popular destination in the summer months. If you can, my advice is stay away. I have only been to London in the summer because I went with my nieces, they attend regular school and that is the only time all of us could fit it in. I personally believe end of September to October is the best time to visit Europe. I have visited France, Switzerland and Italy during the early autumn and loved every minute of it. The best part is that I paid considerably less money to visit the same exact places that cost others a fortune. On one occasion, I spent 5 days in Paris from the US with airfare and hotel stay for $500. I walked the streets of Paris comfortably without any suffocating crowd. I visited South America in September and spent no time in line to enter Iguazu national park.

There are destinations where off season is not option, one such example is Antarctica (top of my current bucket list). However, with proper planning a vacation can be much more enjoyable outside the peak tourist seasons. Even when affordability is not an issue, think of the time it costs. And if prices are important, you can still visit all the amazing places of this beautiful planet, off tourist season. Furthermore, think of your impact in supporting the local businesses by providing income during their downtime.

To start your next adventure planning during or off touristic seasons, contact CanaryXplore Travels.

Aerial view of Sydney Australia