First off season travel experience.

[jambo101]

Just wrapped up a two week mid march vacation, no particular destination other than coastal east coast starting in Ocean City MD, little chilly but we basically had the town to ourselves,what would normally be a $400 per day room in peak season we had for $70 per night,we were the only ones on the beach.Loved it.
Next we did the outer banks from Kitty Hawk all the way to Okracoke,again everything basically empty and at a fraction of the price of peak season.
Finally ended up in North Myrtle beach,again nothing crowded or full and room rates at Beach Cove Resort in the $70 a night range.
Think i'll now reschedule my vacations from mid summer with all the crowds and expense to a quiet week or so in March/April and another in October/Novembe
Who knew?

 

[Tree-dweller]

I hear ya! Since my wife was a teacher (and worked through many summers), our vacations always had to revolve around the worst possible times to travel - school vacation weeks. Our first off-season getaway was Quebec City last April. Not too hot, not too cold...just right. No crowds, no waits for restaurant tables, lower hotel rates. It was a great visit to a beautiful city. I too am looking forward to more of that.

 

[Keim]

My wife and I discovered this wonderful trick when we were first married, in the Days Before we had Kids (DBK). We'd go at least once a year in the off season to some vacation destination, based on wherever had cheap airfare. FUN!

The DBK are over, and we are now in the vacation stranglehold dictated by schooling. No more DBK vacations.

Looking forward to changing that as the kids grow-up.

 

[kz]

Hubby and I take all our vacations in the off-season. The savings are amazing! I do see a problem in the near future, though, in that a few National Parks we would like to visit have a pretty short window of good weather which means we will be dealing with crowds.

 

[omni550]

I do see a problem in the near future, though, in that a few National Parks we would like to visit have a pretty short window of good weather which means we will be dealing with crowds.

kz,

FYI.

Having recently visted a National Park, our guide mentioned that the NPs are part of the Sequester which will impact their staffing and even which ones remain open and for which time period(s).

omni

 

[Marita40]

Last year a friend and I traveled off season to the Amalfi coast--spent several nights in Positano. It was late October. The weather was perfect and the town was nearly empty of tourists. We were--literally--the ONLY guests in the beach-front hotel, and the rate was significantly lower than it had been just a few weeks before. It was pure heaven. Off season is the way to go!