Finding Cheap Trips in the Summer

Let’s say you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like to run with the crowd. You’re the sort of traveler who prefers to hit any place others might call “out of the way” instead of destinations listed as “popular.” But despite your contrarian ways, your only opportunity for a vacation is smack dab in the middle of the summer when everyone and their brother is also taking a trip somewhere.

Now, your choices are to skip the trip altogether or to make the best of it and plan to travel anyway. So if you’re in the second camp (and you should be), then here are some tips to help you avoid the worst of the summer crowds – and to help you save money on your summer trip while you’re at it.

>> Don’t miss how to find cheap summer airfare, and in case you want to be where everyone else is you might want to learn more about finding summer travel deals to popular places.

Visit the Other Hemisphere

When you think of summer, you probably think of sunny days, beaches, and cool drinks. But summer in your neck of the woods is winter on the other side of the world – and that can sometimes mean big savings.

From the United States or Europe, for instance, trips to Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa can be much cheaper during the northern hemisphere’s summer months. If you’re traveling from (let’s say) Australia, South Africa, or South America during the southern hemisphere’s summer months, trips to Europe, the US, and Mexico are likely to be cheaper.

In some of the opposite-hemisphere destinations, you’ll definitely experience their winter. Avid skiers might think that’s the best way to spend a summer break, but if you’re less enthusiastic about cold weather in the middle of July then look for places with mild temperatures year-round. Along Australia’s Gold Coast or in southern California, for instance, the weather is still going to be nice during their winter. It’ll just cost less, and there will be smaller crowds. Double win.

Explore the Homeland

We’re not suggesting you go to the diner next door to your favorite diner and call that a travel adventure. No, we’re suggesting that you look to destinations within your own country’s borders that you may have had on your “I’ll get to that place someday” list. Why not make someday this summer?

Some cities and attractions in your home country are likely popular vacation spots during the summer, but it’s likely there are other places that aren’t so popular. To really get away from the higher pricetags and the bigger crowds, start looking at some of those second-tier destinations. Check their local tourism board’s website to see what they say are the reasons to visit, and look for special travel discounts they’re offering to entice visitors away from the more famous places.

Two Words: Road Trip

We know that the idea of a summer road trip is a popular option for many, but even though it’s popular it can be both a cheaper summer vacation and get you away from the crowds, too. Whether it’s with family or friends, a summer road trip is a fun way to spend a couple of weeks – touring parks, visiting roadside attractions, telling ghost stories over campfires.

But if you’ve taken so many road trips recently that you know all the road signs in your area by heart, then try this for a road trip with a twist. Find a city in a different part of the country that you’ve never been to that happens to have cheap flights from your home airport. Fly there and rent a car, and off you go. New roads to explore, new roadside attractions to gawk at. It’s not as cheap as the trip where you don’t have to buy a plane ticket, but if you can find cheap airline tickets and a deal on a rental car then it’s still cheaper than an overseas flight and expensive hotels.

Consider Package Trips

This last tip is more about money-saving than it is about crowd-avoidance, because in some cases this will put you right in the middle of the crowds. But the truth is that some package vacations do offer substantial savings over booking things separately. And if you’re really looking for a trip where you don’t have to think about anything, a stay at an all-inclusive resort or a cruise could be ideal.

Again, especially with resorts and cruises, you’re not really getting away from the crowds. Some vacation packages aren’t group deals, though, so you could still take off on your own and enjoy some peace and quiet at a discount. Just be sure you do the math on any package you’re looking at to make sure it’s truly the deal it says it is.

Go Last Minute

If you’re less particular about where you go and just want to get a good deal, then taking advantage of last-minute travel deals could be the way to go. Many booking websites have a “last minute” section, and some have a weekly email they’ll send you that has all the last minute deals from your home airport.

Either way, you may need to be ready to travel within a few days to a week after you book your flight – but not knowing where you’ll be until the very last minute only adds to the excitement of travel, right?

photo by daryl_mitchell