Advantages of off-peak travel

By Mark Verone

“Back to school” is music to the ears of many parents dreaming of getting back into a normal schedule. For us, “back to school” means family vacations with fewer crowds, shorter lines, less people and great travel deals. As parents of a non-school-age toddler, we find that travel is more enjoyable during off-peak periods.

Over the past two years, we have planned several family vacations during off-peak periods, and we’ve had the luxury of having pools, beaches and resorts all to ourselves. We know that in a few years we will be fighting the crowds during school break periods with so many other families, which is why we are taking advantage of our situation now and traveling as much as we can before our son starts going to school.

Traveling off peak has many advantages.

In addition to the cost savings, we find that we get better and more personalized service because the staff is not as rushed as they are when the hotels are at full capacity. At the same time, it’s important to note that many hotels and resorts manage their staffing to align with their occupancy. While we get more personalized service, the sheer number of hotel staff is fewer during off-peak periods.

I personally hate waiting in lines, or not being able to get preferred dinner reservations. During off-peak periods, we don’t have to worry about dinner reservations or getting sold out of activities or excursions.  It allows us to be more spontaneous in our travel decisions. We like being able to take a last-minute family vacation for a long weekend to a warm-weather destination without the crowds. Sometimes avoiding the crowds with an infant or toddler is not a bad thing. For us, my wife and I are less stressed out and more relaxed when we are not fighting for our beach chairs.

Some disadvantages of traveling off peak is that certain destinations tend to be seasonal and many attractions may be closed for the season or may offer reduced hours of operation. Other destinations are less popular during certain times of the year depending on weather patterns. During normal hurricane seasons, you can findsome fantastic deals the Caribbean if you’re willing to risk the chances of a storm.

Magens Bay on St. Thomas (Courtesy: USVI Department of Tourism)

Last Labor Day weekend, we took a spontaneous family vacation to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands during peak hurricane season. The weather was good — a little bit of rain and tropical storm activity, but luckily no hurricanes. We did experience a tropical depression pass over, and it was no different than a severe Midwestern thunderstorm minus the tornadoes.  The plus side was we stayed in a luxury resort, for almost 50% of the cost during peakperiods, along with daily breakfast and a resort credit. We literally had the entire place to ourselves, and dinner and spa appointment were wide open. The best part was we could sleep in without having to get up early and stake our claim for seats by the pool.

We have also visited theme parks during off-peak periods, and the biggest advantage is shorter or no lines for any of the rides. Last December we took a Walt Disney World vacation the weekend before Christmas, and it was almost like we had the entire park to ourselves.  We were able to ride more rides than we would have been able to during a peak period, and we had a memorable family vacation.

This Labor Day weekend, we are heading off to Grand Cayman, and then in October we are going to Walt Disney World to celebrate our son’s second birthday. We are looking forward fewer crowds at the pool and on the beach, and I can’t wait to hop on the rides at Disney without the long lines.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Family vacations
• St. Thomas hotels
• Walt Disney World vacation
• Grand Cayman hotels
  

Before his son was born, Mark Verone and his wife made a pact to keeping traveling even with a newborn in tow. They got a passport for the baby a week after he was born and took 29 flights in his first year alone.

Tagged: Caribbean, Disney, Family time