| Vacations are all about having fun, but they can | | | | are fairly certain that by November there will be |
| be pretty expensive. If you like to take a lot of | | | | snow on the ground. Likewise, they are |
| vacations, but you don't have a lot of money, one | | | | reasonably sure that the snow will last through |
| of the best things you can do to save money is | | | | February. While the months of October and March |
| to plan your trip during the shoulder season. You | | | | will be on the books as low season, thereby |
| can save more money by a booking your trip in | | | | saving you some vacation dollars, there is a more |
| the off-season, but there is a reason that it is | | | | than 50-50 chance that the conditions will still be |
| called the off-season. Almost all vacation spots | | | | right for a great vacation. By booking in the |
| have a high and low season, and everything to do | | | | shoulder season, you are thereby increasing your |
| with that vacation is priced accordingly. Your | | | | chances for a great vacation while decreasing |
| airfare will be cheaper, as will your | | | | your outlay of money. |
| accommodations, food, and activities. | | | | Hotels and motels are not the only ones who |
| The bad thing about traveling in the off-season, is | | | | have high and low seasons. Everything else to do |
| that the conditions for that particular vacation are | | | | with the tourist season also has high and low |
| not at the optimum levels. Most people travel to | | | | seasons. While a restaurant may not actually |
| Vale for the skiing, and so the off-season is during | | | | change the prices on its menu for the low season, |
| the summer when there is no snow on the | | | | they will often run more specials during the low |
| ground. Likewise, almost all places are high season | | | | season that will help you stretch your dining |
| during the months of June, July and August, | | | | dollars. The same is true for activities. Sometimes |
| because that is when school is out and | | | | tour operators will actually lower the prices of the |
| schoolchildren are on holiday. There are a few | | | | tours during the low season, but even if they do |
| exceptions to that June, July, August time frame, | | | | not, you can be assured that almost always they |
| in places where it gets so incredibly hot during | | | | will be running some type of specials during the |
| those months that it is definitely considered the | | | | low season. If you are vacationing by yourself, |
| low season. | | | | this may not make much of an impact on your |
| But what exactly is the shoulder season? That is | | | | bottom line, however, if you are traveling as a |
| the small window of time on either side of the | | | | family this can add up to quite a bit of savings |
| high season, when the conditions are near | | | | over the course of the entire vacation. |
| optimum levels for a vacation in that spot. For | | | | So the next time you start planning your |
| instance, in Vale, if the high season is November | | | | vacation, the first thing you want to do is figure |
| through February, the shoulder season would then | | | | out what the dates are for the high and low |
| be October and March. If I were going to book | | | | seasons. And then start looking at the periods of |
| this particular vacation and I wanted to save | | | | time just before and just after the high season. |
| some money but still have a good shot at doing | | | | The ideal time, in my opinion, is the two weeks |
| some skiing, I would book it for the last two | | | | before and after. However, I am never opposed |
| weeks of October, or the first two weeks of | | | | to going as much as a month on either side of |
| March. If you are going solely for the skiing, you | | | | the high season. By using this simple strategy, I |
| may or may not get lucky with this plan. Since | | | | often save enough on my vacations that I can |
| the high season starts in November, the resorts | | | | squeeze out an extra vacation a year. |