I know how much you all enjoy my Top 10 lists. Being the authority on so many topics is really quite tiring. But I know I can't continue to deprive my audience of my extensive knowledge. :-) So, today I will let you in on the best times to travel. There aren't 5 or even 8 good times to travel. No sir, in order for a list to be worthy of my attention, it requires 10 entries. So, here we go....
10.) The last week of August before your school starts. If you need to travel when school is out because of kids or because you are a teacher, this is a good week to do it. Many others in your same circumstance are at home preparing for a new school year and those of us who do not travel with kids are afraid that people with kids will be traveling so we tend to stay home. Generally, the closer you are to school having started the lower the prices. However, I wouldn't suggest planning a trip to the Caribbean during this time unless you are doing it last minute so that you can be sure that the weather will cooperate. Of course, you can and should always purchase travel insurance, but then you have the headache of dealing with it, plus you have already taken off from work and gotten really excited about the trip and now, a terrible storm is ruining everything. Also, the cruise lines generally will do anything to avoid canceling a cruise, so without the travel insurance, you are stuck. The last thing you want to do is avoid high prices and other people's kids who are less perfect than your own only to be accosted by a category 5 hurricane.
9.) The 1st week of June. This is sort of the same as August only you don't have to worry about hurricanes in the 1st week of June. Public schools in the Northeast go until the middle of June so the crowds can still be better at this time. If you are looking at an Alaskan cruise, these first two choices would be ideal. The further you go into June the more the prices go up on Alaskan cruises. In late August those prices start to come back down a little.
8.) The last week of October. Kids are in school so prices are down. Most of hurricane season is behind us and if you live in the north, temperatures have already started dropping making you long for a nice Caribbean vacation. Halloween is a blast on a cruise. Everyone dresses up and there are huge parties. Plus, think of all the money you will save by not buying Halloween candy!!!! That could pay for your vacation....
7.) September 12-30. I know what you are thinking, that sounds pretty specific, right? But I have a rule against traveling on 9/11. I just don't see the point in doing it if it can be avoided. But September is a great time to travel since even the schools in the Northeast have started back up but the weather is still pretty good throughout most of the northern hemisphere. Again, if you are planning on going to the Caribbean, I recommend doing so as a last minute trip so that you can look at 10 day forecasts and make sure that there are no evil looking storms out there. Also, this is a great time to get on a repositioning cruise as they are coming back from Alaska and Europe to begin the fall and winter Caribbean cruise season.
6.) First week of May. School is not out yet, but the weather is perfect for enjoying many parts of the US. If you want to come and see us in Texas, you can't beat the 1st of May. May begins Alaskan cruising season and fares are lowest in May since the weather is still pretty cool up there.
5.) Last two weeks of January. I know that you are thinking I am insane, but the winter months are the best months for any trip to the Caribbean. Imagine boarding a ship in late January in the US. The weather is in the 60's to 70's at best and that's only if you go to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to board. It could be in the 30's or 40's depending on your luck. You leave your port and go to bed that night. The next morning you wake up and walk out on your balcony to a perfectly sunny 80 degree morning. January is the start of the dry months in most of the Caribbean. There is no better time of year to get away from the rat race and enjoy some warm Caribbean sun and blue water.
4.) The weekend before Thanksgiving.... now hear me out. I have found that if you are traveling to other parts of the world and not returning until after the weekend following Thanksgiving, the crowds are not so bad. Americans stay home or visit family in the US during this time of year. So you can get decent fares to Europe and such if you don't mind some cold weather during your visit. I visited southern Europe during this time of year and the crowds were practically non-existent and the temps were generally in the 50's and 60's most of the time.
3.) First two weeks of March. Obviously, no hurricane season in the Caribbean, school is in as long as you travel before Spring Breaks start up and again, the prices are lower as long as you steer away from Spring Break weeks.
2.) Last two weeks of April except in a year with a late Easter. See #3.
1.) Call me crazy, but I think the last two weeks of February are the very best time to go on vacation. The weather here SUCKS! Cruise prices are lower after Valentine's Day than any other time of the year. Practically every kid between the ages of 5 and 18 in the world with the exception of home schooled kids, Australians and African's are in school. The weather in the Caribbean is perfect! If you are a skier, there will be no resort in the northern hemisphere that will not have powder at the end of February.
I hope this helps you narrow down some times to plan your 2013 travel assuming we all survive the end of the Mayan calendar on Friday. Obviously, if you have kids that you travel with, the summer months, Spring Break and the Holidays will usually be your only options. There are a lot of things to be said for traveling during those times. But to get the most bang for your buck, you will always come out ahead if you can arrange to travel while the kiddies are in school. Have a good day and happy trails.
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