If you chose to spend the dog days of summer basking in your own local sunshine instead of joining the ranks of holiday seekers, take heart! Not only did you save money on high-season accommodation prices, you’ve avoided the crowds at popular tourist destinations. However, that doesn’t mean your whole year has to be all work and no play. Low-season travel is a great way to see some sights while having an affordable, relaxing vacation. Here’s how it’s done.
Jumping on a plane is more affordable during the low season when kids go back to school.
Four Easy Steps to Travel in Style When You Travel in the Low Season
Step 1 – Think about the type of vacation you want to have. Theme parks? Mountain retreats? Skiing?
Step 2 – Look up the prices of accommodations and attractions for where you want to go. Most will list two-tiered pricing. One for the high season, one for low season. For example, a Trip Advisor and Booking.com price comparison of hotels in Jasper, Alberta show that many prices exceed $200 per night in September, but drop into the $100s in early December.
Step 3 – Carve out some time. Summer is the preferred time to travel for families with children because they have two months off of school. However, PD days or even the occasional day of hooky just before a weekend can make for a great three or four-day getaway.
Step 4 – Save even more with coupons and deals. This time of year most schools are selling ticket books to raise money. These books contain valuable coupons for travelling, skiing and discounts on popular attractions. Attraction’s websites are also great places to find discounts and deals. Combine these savings with off-season travel and you’ll be amazed at how much you can save.
Great Places to go Off-Season:
Think outside the box when booking your low-season travel. Sure Jasper for local Canadian travel and Disneyland for a kid’s vacation spring to mind, but you can have just as much fun in:
- Las Vegas: It’s not just casinos. Vegas has two massive outlet malls for brand name shopping, tons of nature attractions just outside of the city and plays suitable for children as well as adult-only entertainment.
- Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill: The astounding falls are surrounded by waterfall-themed attractions (take a boat to the falls, walk behind the falls) but when you get tired of basking in the mist, it’s a short cab ride to Clifton Hill. Think of it as a very pared down Las Vegas where the weird and wonderful abound. Wax museums, Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum, a massive sky wheel, miniature golf, a ghost blasting adventure, mazes and funhouses – for a little bit of money you can have a ton of fun with the whole family.
- Osoyoos: If you can’t jet away to a resort in Mexico, head down to Osoyoos, BC. Irresistible beaches, wine tours, warm weather – this gem of a location doesn’t get the praise it deserves, making it your ideal get-a-way location until the rest of the world catches on.
You Don’t Have to Sacrifice Your Vacation
When you travel off season, use readily-available discounts and coupons and explore some of the lesser known or not-yet-trending locales, you can have an amazing vacation. This year, avoid the crowds, high fees and same-old attractions of the tourist hot spots. Instead, discover new places and start making memories while saving money.
