Hooray, you’re thinking of planning a vacation this year (since you missed out on traveling last year)! You know that now is the perfect time to plan and book your trip for 2021, you’ve got a destination (or 2) in mind, and you’re familiar with their cancellation policies should something come up to change your plans. So what’s next? Deciding when you want to go!
“But Nancy, I’m not sure when the best time is for me to take my vacation this year. Is one time of the year better than another?” I hear your question loud and clear, because it’s one I get asked all the time. So, let’s chat a bit about that today.
First of all, when deciding “the best” time to travel, you have to define what you mean by “best”. As in, what is most important to you and your family? Are you looking for:
- The best weather?
- The lowest crowds?
- The best price/lowest cost?
- Particular events or activities (that may potentially only be offered at certain times of the year)?
As is often the case when you’re talking about travel, there’s no easy/right answer because really what’s best is truly different for every person/family, based on their priorities. Having said that, we can still take a look at some generalities that will give you an idea of where you can start, and your travel agent can then advise you more specifically.
In general, prices will often be highest when kids are off school, and/or major holidays. And along the same lines, crowds will also typically be higher when kids are off school as well. The reason for both of these is the same: most families choose to travel when kids don’t have school, or for adults, around holiday leave (to maximize vacation time). So for the most part, if you want to travel during Christmas week for example, you’ll likely pay the most and have lots of company. On the other hand, if you have flexibility and can travel when kids are in school – and can avoid holiday weeks, you’ll probably have some better options, price-wise and crowd-wise.
Beyond these general guidelines though, when it comes to planning travel, we can look at some things a bit more closely to help you narrow your vacation timeframe down.
Flights: If your vacation will involve flying, the cost of your airfare may be something you want to consider as you plan. Based on our general rule of thumb above, not surprisingly June, July, and December are the most expensive months to fly. On the other hand, January and September/October – right after popular vacation times – may be the least expensive months to fly. If you must travel during summer vacation however, look at August, as that is often the cheapest month in the summer.
Caribbean: “Best weather” is often the highest priority for that all-inclusive vacation to the Caribbean and the good news is that for the most part, the weather is lovely year-round. While it’s rarely too hot or too cold (perfect for Goldilocks and all vacationers), hurricane season is something you may want to keep in mind (although hurricane season also often has some of the best pricing, so you’ll want to balance your priority here). The months of December through April are often some of the most popular (because if you live where it’s cold, who doesn’t want to plan a warm and sunny spring break), but keep in mind that popularity often equals higher prices (supply and demand, right?). You’ll also likely find more people on the beaches because a lot of folks had the similar desire to get away from the cold. And if there is a particular experience you’re interested in – such as seeing nesting sea turtles – you’ll need to find out the most likely time of the year for this. So, you’ll need to think about what your vacation priorities are then, because the best time for you to visit the Caribbean may ultimately depend on your budget and interests.
Hawaii: As with the Caribbean, weather is often a prime consideration when planning a vacation to Hawaii, and as with the Caribbean the weather is pretty great year-round, so you have quite a bit of flexibility in terms of when to go to experience beautiful weather. June, July, and September have the least amounts of rainfall typically, so that may be something to consider. Peak crowds on the other hand are generally mid-December through March/April (including spring break times), but as you might expect, tourists also increase over the summer months. So, if you’re looking for a true “off-season” – where crowds (and prices) will be at the lowest – and you’ve got flexibility, consider late April through mid-June, and September through mid-November. Oh, and what about whale-watching that you may have heard about in Hawaii? Whales migrate to Hawaii in huge pods between late December and early April, and can often be seen off the coasts of Maui and the Big Island. So add that to things to think about for your vacation to Hawaii as well!
Disney and Universal Theme Parks: As you may guess, based on what we’ve already discussed, if you’re going to visit the Disney or Universal theme parks when kids are out of school, in general you’ll likely find a lot of company – and higher prices than at other times of the year. Interestingly though, in recent years (pre-pandemic at least), the theme parks had actually started showing slightly lower crowds over the summer than what had historically been the case. Why? Weather – as in heat/humidity. As school breaks have increased in the fall over the past years, vacationers have found the cooler weather in October to make for a more pleasant time touring theme parks than mid-summer. That’s not to say that summer isn’t still busy, but with lower crowds have often come lower prices and discounts. So, weighing weather vs. crowds (and correspondingly, cost) is important. Thinking spring break for better weather? Keep in mind that spring breaks are not consistent nationwide, and that elementary schools generally have different spring breaks than colleges, where breaks usually start in early March. If you want to avoid spring break crowds, then avoid early March through late April. Sooooo, all that being said, when’s the best time to visit the Florida theme parks? If you have flexibility, and want great weather and low(er) crowds, look at early November, early December (right after Thanksgiving through middle of the month), January and February (excluding those holiday weeks), and May up to Memorial Day. One caveat here though: Orlando can still get chilly in the winter, and some rides often have lengthy refurbishments during this time so if hitting the water parks and/or spending lots of time in the pools is important to you, then winter dates may not be for you.
These are not, of course, the only options for vacation destinations, but there are some general themes here running through all of them, that in general will apply to other vacation destinations. So to sum up, as you begin to decide when to take your long-awaited vacation, consider the following:
- Consider traveling during the “off season” of your destination, for best pricing/lower crowds
- Consider the weather to see how that may affect your travel plans, especially if it’s likely to be a central part of what you want to see/do
- Consider activities or experiences that you may want to see/do, and make sure that they will be happening, and/or won’t be closed when you want to go.
Then, talk to your travel advisor for specific recommendations on what is the true, “best” time for YOUR family to travel!
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