Traveling in the off peak season

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Traveling at the right time of year will cost you less.

If you travel in off peak (or low season) periods, or even in the shoulder season, you’ll find traveling costs a lot less. Saving money has to be a priority right now.

The seasons differ depending on whether you are in the north or south hemisphere. 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/shoulder season times to visit.

Positives of traveling in the off peak season are that air fares are much cheaper, accommodation is also cheaper and more readily available and eating in restaurants can be less expensive too as owners will be trying to attract patrons.

So what are the negatives of traveling in the off peak? Off peak usually means traveling in colder 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. In some areas the public transport system does not run as often as in peak tourist season and some hotels and museums close down for the winter to re-furbish and get ready for the next high season influx of tourists.

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. 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 is my preferred time to travel as I get good weather and lower prices. For North America or Europe I prefer to travel in April/May or around September/October. There are less tourists about also so its more enjoyable.

When you are planning for your next vacation think about going in the off peak season and have fun and save money too.