Traveling off-season, booking early, playing with flexible dates and going somewhere off the beaten path are tried-and-true budget travel strategies.
But each year brings traffic patterns and perennial sales that can cue savvy travelers on when to book and when to travel.
Whatever the timing, it pays to shop for travel during low-demand spots on the calendar well in advance; that means usually booking domestic airfares 30 to 60 days out and international trips three to five months in advance. Reserve lodgings ahead, too, but make sure they are refundable so that if prices drop you can rebook at the lower rate.
Caveats notwithstanding, the following are key times to put on your calendar for the best buys in travel.
January and February: ‘The best months’
The year kicks off with two of the cheapest months to travel — outside of ski destinations, anyhow.
Most travelers have returned from holiday travel and kids are back in school, leaving those with flexible schedules a lot of leeway on where to go at low prices.
“Prices are some of the lowest that you see throughout the year,” said Hayley Berg, the chief economist at the travel booking app Hopper, “and it’s a time of year where you can even book last-minute airfare, and still often get a deal.”
For trips in January and February, fliers can expect to spend 15 percent less on flights and 45 percent less on hotel rooms compared with summer rates, according to the online travel agency Expedia.
During those months, cities like Washington and Chicago lure visitors with dining and theater events in which meals and shows are discounted. New York now combines its dining, Broadway and hotel promotions in a single event, the NYC Winter Outing, Jan. 21 to Feb. 9.
“My tip for finding the off-season in any destination is to Google a city and ‘restaurant week,’” said Samantha Brown, the host of the PBS travel show “Places to Love.”
The period right after New Year’s isn’t just a good time to travel, but also to book trips further out. You may see tour sales — Exodus Adventure Travels has one through Jan. 20 — and Omio, the transportation booking app that covers trains, buses and ferries as well as flights, says January is the last chance to find low fares for European travel in May, June and July.
‘Wave season’ in cruising
Sales in the cruise industry crest in the first quarter, January through March. This is wave season, when cruise lines issue some of their biggest booking incentives of the…
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