September Means Savings For Vacationers
Most vacationers travel during peak travel times, but if you're
looking to save money this year, make your travel plans for
September.
For the most part, vacation sites come in
two flavors:
1. Beautiful in the summer, but intolerable
in the winter
2. Beautiful in the winter, but intolerable in
the summer
The northeast, where I live, falls under the
first category. The summers are absoutely beautiful with
beach-lovers traveling to the coast and tourists coming to shop
in the quaint New England towns. Summer is always busy, but by
the time that first snowfall comes the beaches are closed and
many of the shops have closed their doors.
The frugal
vacationer travels in between the summer months and the cold
winter. Not only can you usually find ch
eaper flights and c
heaper gas during this time, you'll also find other great
reasons to travel during the off-peak season.
Less
Traffic
Sitting in traffic for hours on end is not the
way anyone wants to spend their vacation; we do enough of that
commuting to work! In fact, road rage has been known to ruin a
vacation or two. Traveling during the off-peak season means
there are less people on the road and less people in between you
and where you want to go. The less vacation time you spend
sitting in your car, the better.
Beautiful
Weather
People usually think that the weather changes
immediately after Labor Day, but this is not the case! For
instance, Newport,
RI has an average high temperature of 71 degrees in the
month of September, according to weather.com. Now, this may
not be ideal beach weather, but you can certainly enjoy the shops, bars, and many other events that Newport has to offer.
Discounts
Many businesses based in beach towns offer
specials or have sales immediately after Labor Day. They have
already made all the money they are going to make for the
summer, and they are now in "stay busy mode" where they are
desperate for your business. Do yourself a favor and get their
goods while the price is cheap! The best deals can usually be
found at stores that will close for the winter and don't want
extra inventory, or activities such as tours or excursions where
the owners are trying to squeeze in as much business as possible
before the snow sets in.
Downside to Off-Peak
Travel
Unfortunately, there is a downside to traveling
in the off-peak months. Several businesses close immediately
after Labor Day, so if you are travling somewhere to see
something in particular be sure that it will be open when you
get there.
Overall, I believe the benefits of off-peak
travel outweigh the drawbacks. Next time you're planning that
vacation during the peak travel months, stop and think if it
would be just as nice if you left a couple months later. Your
wallet will thank you for it!