Baby Boomer Travel (part 5)

Fall and winter travels offer some of the best values as long as you know where, when and how to go.

To really stretch your travel dollar, visit locations that are considered “off” or “shoulder” season destinations. It is important to remember that even within these low-cost seasons, there may be a festival or other event that will return prices to peak. An example of this would be London between the 15th and 23rd of December. This is the “shopping season” so prices for air, hotel and other travel related items return to peak. Travel a week before or after this period and the prices will be 30% to 50% lower. This year of course, all bets are off as Foot and Mouth disease has decimated the U.K. tourism industry and off-season has extended itself through the summer.

October and November are excellent times to visit Europe, especially Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. The weather is moderate, crowds are diminished and the prices are excellent. Snowbirds in search of a different winter nest should consider Spain’s Costa del Sol for late December through February. Efficiency apartments here rent from $40 per day, and when combined in a package of airfare and apartment, the savvy shopper can find deals for two weeks less than $1,500 per person.

Destinations in Southeast Asia like Thailand. Malaysia and Singapore will surprise late fall travelers with per person rates for air, hotel, airport transfers and a daily breakfast for less than $1,500 for a seven-day trip. The northwestern part of Africa, particularly Morocco, offers unbeatable values even though fall and winter is considered mid to high season destinations for European vacationers.

On the home front, avoid the high traffic fall color tour locations in New England. Instead, consider the Great Smokey Mountains where the change will be later in the season. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, just a one-day drive away, are ablaze with fall color. A quick check of http://www.weather.com in early September will direct you to the peak fall colors throughout the season. Just before the snow flies in the Pacific Northwest, towns like Leavenworth, Washington, Bend, Oregon and Shasta, California are glad to have you and show it with savings across the board. Arizona and New Mexico are great destinations for early fall.

When considering the “How” aspect of your travels, think about Amtrak and the options available here. You can train one direction and fly home on United or, upgrade to first class and enjoy comfortable sleeping accommodations and all your meals. Two of my favorite trips are the northern route to Seattle via Chicago and Seattle to Los Angeles. Truth is that you can make a circle trip out of the journey and really enjoy yourself. Visit http://tickets.amtrak.com for details and booking on Amtrak’s new site.

Preplanning can also save you in the “how” category. Many hotel chains offer discounts for seven to 21 day advance purchases of rooms. There is a penalty of up to the full amount if you cancel so look at this option carefully and make sure it is something you want to do before you book. These are the better hotels and a weekend night will normally include a real breakfast, not just a stale Danish and coffee! If you are considering a weekend getaway, think about leaving Betsy in the garage and take a weekend car rental. This way, you can drive a vehicle that fits your outing, and if you are traveling in excess of 1,000 miles over a three or four-day weekend you will not be adding to the depreciation of your car.

On the opposite side of the coin, last minute travel can also save you especially for packages and cruises. One of the outstanding fall cruise values is the “Repositioning Cruise” which moves ships from Alaska back to the Caribbean or from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean. Many of these are in the $75 per person, double occupancy, per day range including port fees. Most are over a week in length. Remember too that you will need one way or open jaw air travel to and/or from the cruise. Several Internet sites offer substantial discounts for last minute travel. Take a look at BookingWiz.com as well as the major sites like Expedia and airline sites. Many airline sites now offer cruise bookings in addition to air, hotel and car. Shop wisely and keep some cash in your wallet.

Always, always, always ask about discounts for AAA, AARP, Sam’s Club, and any other organization or membership club to which you belong. If you don’t ask, they are not going to volunteer the discounts.

Please feel free to send your travel questions on any topic, not just "how to," to:

Bob-Jones@bookingwiz.com