First, it’s important to realize there is no “perfect” time to go anywhere. The “perfect” time is the one that works best for you. Trying to figure out travel dates can be challenging between work schedules, school schedules and availablity at the destination. So keeping both these facts in mind, here are a few things to think about when deciding WHEN to take that next trip:
1. Consider traveling during “shoulder season”, that is the less popular times between summer and holidays when there are generally fewer people traveling. While this does tend to fall during the school year, depending on when your kids’ school starts and ends, if you can travel right after they get out or right before they have to go back, many places will be less busy than in the middle of summer. Shoulder season is often less expensive too, so that’s an extra benefit if you are able to go during mid-September to mid-November or mid-January to February or in May. If you are limited to summer, holiday, and spring breaks because of school schedules, consider going someplace similar but less visited than the popular destinations – think Silver Dollar City instead of Disney or Albania instead of Greece.
2. Consider the weather. Do you hate heat and humidity? Then Florida in July and August would not be a good time to take that trip to the beach. Many popular destinations like Costa Rica have rainy and dry seasons, so if you want to do lots of outdoor activities while there, you will need to plan it for those drier times of year (unless being soggy is part of the experience you are looking for). If you are not a cold weather person, then definitely plan that Alaska cruise for the middle of summer rather than the beginning or end of cruise season there. And speaking of cruises, keep in mind that in the US and Caribbean, hurricane season is from June 1 until November 30, with the most active time being August through October.
3. Plan around events. Sometimes you may need to plan around a specific event, like the Olympics or the Albuqerque balloon festival, either to ensure you are there for it or to avoid being there with all the extra people that such events bring. If you are wanting to be at the event, then start planning early! If you want to avoid the area during that time, then simply choose dates that don’t overlap with it. Maybe the event is more personal like a wedding, graduation, or anniversary celebration. In that case, you could spend a few extra days before or after and find some fun things to do in the area. We did this when we flew in a few days early, rented a car and drove up to Niagara Falls for a couple days prior to my brother’s wedding in Pennsylvania. So now, we not only have fun memories of the wedding but also of someplace we might not have specifically traveled to otherwise.
4. Holiday season. Many people travel during the holidays to see grandparents and other extended family, something we did for years before we had kids and decided to start our own family traditions. We still went to visit but we could then plan our travel for a couple weeks before or after the holidays in order to still see everyone and celebrate the season with them, but without the headache and extra expense of traveling during the busiest and most expensive times of the year. So maybe think about whether choosing another date to celebrate together might be something for you to try.
Remember: the “best” time is what works for you! If you are able to be flexible and use some of the tips above, great! But if you are limited to a specific range of dates, then embrace that and plan the best trip you can during the time you have available. Your mindset and attitude are going to be the biggest factors in how much you enjoy any trip anyway, so start looking at the calendar and get something scheduled! And stay tuned for the next blog post about deciding WHERE to travel.
