Traveling outside of peak times can be cheaper and less crowded. The off-season might just be the best time to get away.
Do you want to travel, but want to avoid crowds and expensive holidays? Consider traveling during the “off season.”
It is the period of time, which could last months or just weeks, between a region’s high season and its low season.
The term was first recorded in the 1960s, but there is no definitive explanation as to how it got its name.
It may be that the shoulder season tends to be spring or autumn when you may need a sweater when going out. Or maybe because your head (high season) is between your shoulders (low season).
Whatever the origins of the phrase, shoulder season has become a key time for those who want to travel without stress or stress. price label.
When is shoulder season?
Every part of the world has its shoulder season.
If the high season is summer with the low season being winter, the shoulder season would be spring and fall. For most areas, the shoulder season runs from March to April and from September to October.
If peak travel in an area occurs on a holiday weekend, the shoulder season may be the weekend before or after.
Advantages of traveling in the low season
If you want a more affordable vacation, you’ll usually find yours flight ticket cost 23% less during the low season than traveling in the high season.
Hotels tend to offer deals or reduced prices to encourage visitors to stay during both busy periods. The reason for the drop in prices is supply and demand. If more people book beach holidays in the summer, demand will be higher, allowing airlines and hotels to raise prices.
There is also a high demand for business and restaurants during peak season, which means you might have to wait in long lines or even not get to experience that outing, exhibition or meal you’re talking about.
Even if shoulder season is quieteractivities and restaurants are still open, meaning you won’t miss out on the highly-reviewed experiences offered in high season.
Fewer people also guarantees fewer tourists, so your holiday will feel less chaotic and more authentic, giving you a taste of the local culture. You’ll also help the local economy by extending the travel season for employees whose finances depend on tourism.
“Traveling in low season means you will get the best price and can enjoy the lack of crowds,” Huw Owen of tour operator TravelLocal told EuroNews Travel.
“Having spent less money on booking your trip, you will have more money to spend on destinationso you can do more things when you’re there.”
The weather should still be idyllic in the low season and, in some cases, will be even better than in the high season. Temperatures are likely to be moderate, skipping the boiling heat and freezing cold you might feel during the more popular months.
“The off-season is the best time of year to travel, and if you’re able to do it, then you absolutely should,” Owen said.
Are there any disadvantages to shoulder season?
Occasionally, there are specific reasons to travel to certain destinations during the high season or low season.
“For example, Carnival in Brazil is an experience that people will travel to have specifically, and to do that they will therefore have to go in high season,” Owen said.
He added that there are also some countries where the low season is still a great time to travel.
“For example in Cambodia, June is low season. It rains about an hour a day, but other than that, the landscape is beautifully lush and green and there are very few people around.
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