Offseason Traveling12/9/2010
Truly the best time to travel is..well..NOW!
The winter is here in the Northern Hemisphere and travel deals couldn’t be better. This includes North America, Europe, Russia, and most of Asia. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s quite expensive for people to travel in the Southern Hemisphere. South America, most of Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia are in the middle of peak travel season.
Depending on where you live, I highly recommend taking advantage of off season travel. The main reasons include less crowds and cheaper prices.
Less Crowds
Imagine waiting an entire lifetime to view the insides of The Vatican, only to find that touring is booked for the next 3 days! Your plane leaves back to the States in two days. Travel during off season ensures that the crowds will be scarce. Off season travel is ideal for viewing museums, monuments, and art galleries.
In addition, transportation will be less of a hassle. Buses and trains frequently overcrowd during the high season. This means that scheduled stops become less on time. Off season travel usually allows for quicker and more efficient travel. (Note: Off season or peak season, if a transportation system is inefficient, it remains inefficient. Trains and buses don’t get better /w changing of seasons, they get less crowded).
Lastly, overall movement within very popular tourist destinations will be easier. You won’t have to keep fighting constant crowds to watch a football match (soccer) in a local England pub, long lines will be non-existent to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower, and walking in Rome on a frosty winter day will be a much more pleasurable experience than a mid-August tourist infested afternoon.
Prices
The #1 reason to travel during the off season is prices. EVERYTHING is cheaper!
The whole purpose of this blog is to save you as much money as I can. Once the month of September rolls around prices begin their steady free fall, jumping occasionally for special events.
Flights can be as much as 2-3x cheaper, depending on the location. The way to counter the high airfare prices is to plan months in advance. However, travel plans can change from day to day and last minute travel arrangements frequently occur. Airline companies cannot have flights leaving with empty seats. Thus, they are willing to sell seats at a severe discount than leave empty seats.
The same is true for lodging. Hotels, hostels, villas, resorts and other rental properties discount fees during the low season. I remember a hostel in Belgrade I stayed at where I was the only guest. One day, the owner decided to take me around the city on a personal tour. I highly doubt that i would have this kind of experience during peak season. I saved money and got a better understanding of the city from a local, a great deal!
Food, transportation, attractions, events, and anything you can think of is discounted during the low season. You escape the pressures of paying for overpriced goods and spend the time hunting for bargains. During the off season there are bargains-a-plenty!