ShoulderSeasons.com

What & when is the shoulder season?

The time between the "high" and "low" tourism seasons at your intended destination is when to book air fare and lodging.

 

In between the high and low season

Everyone knows that the busiest tourism seasons - the "high" seasons - are expensive. High season can be as long as summer and as short as New Year's Eve weekend, depending on the location.

Whether it's the Caribbean in winter, a ski resort in February or a lake resort in summer, this is when promotions dry up and you'll find little or no room for negotiation.

Low seasons, however, gain that distinction for solid reasons. Prices are at their lowest because hurricanes are blowing through the Caribbean, Egypt feels like the inside of an oven and the Andes are obscured by clouds.

Between low and high, however, there is "shoulder season." These are the times to score bargains while the destinations are worth visiting.

Prices drop often for lack of demand, not intrinsic value. Now that the end of summer brings the end of high season in many areas (not Florida), plenty of bargains will be available in the months ahead. Here is where to find the best deals.

September is still swimming weather in the mid-Atlantic, with warmer water than in June on many beaches. Yet, house or condo rentals on the coast of the Carolinas may be half what they were a month earlier. (Do keep an eye on the storm predictions).

Because of the end of the typical summer recess for schools and colleges, folks who can get away will find lower rates around many U.S. attractions now that Labor Day has passed. Rates do go up again for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But national parks are less crowded, and you can find better deals on lodging.

This can also be a time of great weather in the hot, dry areas out west and in usually hot, sticky spots such as New Orleans and Washington.

Fares for flights to Europe usually start going on sale next month, and package deals get much cheaper as well. In southern Europe, the weather can be pleasant through mid November.

The summer crowds and college partiers will have left the Greek Islands and Turkey, but the early fall weather is still sunny, and many hotels are open to bargaining.

Mid October to mid December marks the transition from the wet season to the dry season in Costa Rica and Panama. You could enjoy the lush ecotourism before the big crowds arrive.

 

 

Winter

 

While most people are obsessed with shopping for holiday presents, travelers can find great values at tropical beaches until Christmas week. December offers early-bird rates at ski resorts until the holidays. Skiers heading to Europe can take advantage of the cheapest flights of the year from the United States.

Plane fares to Asia generally are cheaper in the winter because of waning demand. In Japan and Korea, this can mean experiencing snow-covered temples and cozy rooms with heated floors, while in other parts of Asia it's a tropical paradise.

Despite this time of year being the equivalent of our summer in South Africa, the best flight prices and package deals are on offer January through April.

 

Spring

 

In late March and early April, ski resorts have a deep base and sunny days, but prices for lift tickets and condo rentals take a dive as the country's attention moves away from cold-weather sports. This also is a quiet time to visit the western United States, before the summer vacationers arrive.

Flight prices to Europe start rising when temperatures do, but rates are still far cheaper than during the summer. So are hotel rooms and package deals. This can be a good time to see the tulip fields of Holland or the green hills of Ireland.

Starting in mid April, hotel rates and flights to Mexican beaches and the Caribbean drop sharply, because Americans who live in the our northern regions are experiencing spring. From Jamaica to Tobago (include the Bahamas, though they are not in the Caribbean Sea), the water is warm and the beaches are less crowded.

Flights to Central and South America often drop in tandem, except around Carnival and Easter.

Many cruises offer their lowest rates in May, especially "repositioning cruises," in which vessels move from the warm-winter ports of Florida to their summertime ports, especially in Alaska and to the Mediterranean. March through May is also a good time for deals in Hawaii.

These months are autumn in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, meaning shoulder-season rates on flights and lodging. March through May are great times to visit hot, dry countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Jordan.

 

Summer

 

Summer is the toughest time to find a bargain, mostly because demand is so high from vacationing North Americans, Europeans and the Japanese. Add June weddings and honeymoons to the mix and a lot of people are on the move.

However, in June and early July, Caribbean and Mexican destinations are at their lowest shoulder-season prices, before Europeans start filling resorts in August and the rains start afterward. Flights from Tampa to the Bahamas, for example, can drop below $150 during this time.

Beautiful but less-visited destinations provide great lodging and diving deals: Venezuela's Margarita Island, the Bay Islands of Honduras and the coast and islands of Belize.

June to September is shoulder season in Kenya and Tanzania; the weather is still cool and dry. This is an excellent time to go on a safari.

In Canada, there is a short shoulder season for national parks in the first two weeks of June and the last two weeks of August. Top it off with a stay in a Canadian city, where even high-season prices are lower than the United States because of the favorable currency-exchange rate.

While it is summer in North America, it is winter in the southern hemisphere, but you will find beach weather without the summer humidity in Rio de Janeiro. Few Brazilians are on the move during this time, so rooms are plentiful.

If you can stand the heat, you will find flights and hotels only slightly higher than the spring in Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile, in the United States, prices fall where the heat rises the most: Orlando, New Orleans, Phoenix and Las Vegas.