One of the common questions I get asked is, 'When is the best time to travel?' The specific answer depends on your destination, but there is a more general answer I'm sharing here today.
If possible, you don't want to travel during peak season to avoid overcrowding, high prices, and general disappointment that peak season travel can cause. These will be holidays (especially around Christmas) when the weather is perfect for the area and any time school is out (such as Spring Break).
My go-to suggestion is always the shoulder seasons. These are the time frames on each side of peak season. For example, if you are headed to the beach, the highest crowds will be in the summertime when the water is warm and school is out. So shoulder seasons for the beach would be late spring and early fall when the water is still a little warmer than in winter, but children are in school, and the crowd levels aren't as high.
But, if you're like me, the first thing you check when planning vacation times is your kids' school schedule. Sometimes it is just not possible to travel during the shoulder seasons. Is there a good alternative?
I think so! About five years ago, we discovered that the week of Thanksgiving is a great compromise for an amazing travel experience with semi-low crowds and reasonable pricing.
The kids are out of school, the weather is still nice for tropical locations-but it's cooling down in the traditional winter destinations-- and the decorations are usually already up. You'll get the best of Christmas without the crowds.
So next time you sit down with your calendar to plan your next vacation, give the weekend before and the week of Thanksgiving a second look. It could be the perfect time to take that relaxing getaway.
