I've always been a fan of traveling to places in what is traditionally the off season or "off-peak"
time for that particular destination. Today starts my series on 9 great off-season destinations.

When exactly is the off-peak time to travel?  Well, that depends on the destination.  Generally
speaking, off-peak months are the ones during which the weather might be the worst...the winter
months for example, when tourists are less likely to travel to that destination.
 
The benefits  of traveling off-peak are sometimes obvious, and sometimes not.
No tourists!  That's pretty obvious.  Lower prices, lots of availability.  Those are some
obvious ones as well.  But here are a few other reasons to consider traveling during off seaon.

No lines - During peak travel times lines at important tourist attractions can be extremely
long.  So bad in some cases that you may decide to forego seeing some very worthwhile things.
During off-peak times the lines will be much shorter if a waiting time even exists at all.

More attention - When every place around you is swarming with people, you stand the
chance of getting absolutely no attention or service at all.  During off-peak times everyone 
in your hotel, restaurant, shop or whatever will have less stress, less people
to deal with, and you will benefit by receiving their attention.

More money to spend - The cost to travel in the off season is lower than in the highest
tourist seasons.  You'll save money on airfare, hotels, and other components of your
trip which will give you more money to spend while you're there.  You could use it to
upgrade your hotel, dine in great restaurants, shop, visit the spa or simply entertain 
yourself in whatever way makes you happy.

Public transportation roomier - In many places the added burden of a busy tourist season
can overwhelm public transportation systems to the point that they are literally bursting with
people.  Not so pleasant, believe me!  During off-peak times you will have more room and this
will make for a much more enjoyable ride.

Space at the pool - Have you ever vacationed at a resort  that was so busy you had to set your
alarm at 5:00AM so you could rush outside and save your pool chairs? You're on vacation.
You don't want to use an alarm.  And in off-peak times you won't have to worry about your
chair being available either.  And this doesn't mean you have to forego a destination with great weather.
 

Stay tuned for my next postings which will feature 9 destinations that are better in the off season.