Fall
Best Time to Book Hawaii Trips
Hotels in Hawaii take up to 20 percent off room rates from mid-September to mid-December. The ideal time to find the lowest airfares, says T+L A-List agent Darlene Mulkewich, is between Labor Day and December 15. Hawaiian carriers slash fares at this time too. Aloha Airlines spokesman Stu Glauberman says, “We’ve gone as low as $99 one-way from the West Coast to Hawaii.” Sign up for e-mail alerts from Web sites such as AlohaAirlines.com and AirfareWatchdog.com.
Also Book Now for Hotels and European flights
To find the top European hotel and airfare bargains, A-List agent Judy Nussbaum suggests avoiding the end of May through mid-October. In southern France, you’ll find great rates off-season. At La Mirande, in Avignon, the rate in mid-June for a deluxe queen room is $562 per night, but drops to $436 if you go in mid-November.
Winter
Best Time to Book U.S. and European City Breaks
Consider city escapes during the colder months. Charleston, S.C., may be cold in the winter, but it’s warmer than up north, and hotels such as Charleston Place discount rooms by nearly 50 percent. And popular winter events like the city’s Lowcountry Oyster Festival tend to attract mostly day-trippers.
For Europe, A-List agent Tammi Van Volkinburgh suggests London in February, when the average rainfall is the lowest of any month. Make sure to look for hotels offering fixed dollar rates. The Stafford, for example, has a fixed exchange rate of $1.80 per pound—a discount of nearly 10 percent.
Also Book Now for U.S. National Park Trips and Skiing
Winter is the most spectacular time in some of the Western national parks—if you don’t mind the cold. According to Chance Jorgensen, general manager of Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel, it’s significantly easier to find deals in winter than in summer, even for the best rooms (doubles start at $426). Also, you can still get last-minute ski trips if you plan right. Trade Vail and Aspen for Breckenridge, for instance; packages can be booked within seven days of arrival at GoBreckNow.com.
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