Get on board with off-season travel benefits
Enjoy quieter, emptier streets and cheaper accommodations when the big crowds are gone
After Labour Day, the kids are back at school, summer memories begin to fade and most people settle back into familiar routines that lead us into the fall and winter.
Yet it’s just the start of some travellers’ favourite time of year — the off-season — when flights and accommodation are cheaper, airports are less jammed and fewer tourists crowd streets, sidewalks, restaurants and entertainment and cultural venues at home and abroad.
Tour buses go into hibernation, much to the delight of cabbies and other motorists, and all the local folks, whether in Toronto or Toulouse, begin to relax as the busy season winds down and things go back to normal.
There are three seasons in the travel business; peak (June to August), shoulder (April to June, September and October) and the off-season (November to March). Christmas (Dec. 16 to Jan. 7) and March break (March 1to 31) are low-season exceptions.
That’s in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas it’s the other way around south of the Equator in places like Australia, where summer runs from December to February and June, July and August are cooler winter months.
Likewise, in South America, December and January are the hottest, where temperatures sizzle at more than 40 C. Tourism peaks in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere, during Carnival on the days leading up to Lent in February or March.
The Marriott Hotel chain has an off-season travel guide listing the best time of year to visit a variety of popular destinations around the globe.
Some see drawbacks in off-peak travel, as the days are getting shorter, the weather’s cooler and wetter and requires packing warmer clothing, and some seasonal events and attractions can be closed at summer’s end.
But those are pluses for a segment of the population who have no kids in school, dislike crowds and fanfare, and looks forward to the time when lineups are scarce and seats are available with elbow room to spare at pubs, cafés and restaurants.
And it’s easier to mix with locals and experience their culture in less hectic travel periods. Off-Season Travel Tips:
Research: Know before you go. With a wealth of information online, there’s no excuse for arriving at a destination without knowing what you’re in for. Sites such as Frommer’s, Fodor’s Travels, Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor list things to do, places to stay, eat, shop and, most important, reviews from travellers who’ve been there and done that.
The Government of Canada’s website also provides valuable information for Canadians planning to venture abroad.
Booking: Most people like the security of reserving airfare and accommodation well in advance, but the advantage in off-season trekking is saving a lot of money on last-minute flight deals and scouting the best lodgings after arriving at a destination.
While one airline charges a certain rate for a flight, it’s worth checking out its partner carriers’ price for the same seat on the flight. Savvy passengers have been known to save hundreds of airfare dollars this way.
After the first night in your hotel, you can check out better lodgings the next day, haggle the price for an extended stay and request upgrades or perks like breakfast included.
Packing: While it can still be summerlike in early September, be ready for chilly or wet weather with a range of clothing from swimwear to sweater, jacket, shorts and long pants. Just take less of everything and consider buying locally, if the need arises. After all, you’ve already saved on the flight and accommodation.
Pack less. Fewer books and gadgets gives you more time to explore and frees luggage space for clothes and other things you can buy if needed.
Go local: With fewer tourists, eateries and shops offer better deals and proprietors have more time to interact with guests and customers.
Many restaurants scale back their menus when the high season ends. If you choose the chalkboard meal of the day, you’ll likely be having what the owners or employees are eating and you may even break bread with them.
Canadians are warmly welcomed wherever we travel, and a lot of people we encounter have relatives or acquaintances here. When your nationality is a social icebreaker, it’s easy to mingle with local folks, enjoy their hospitality and get advice about things to see and do and which troubled spots or situations to avoid. hstancu@thestar.ca