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- iHaveNet.com: Travel
By Ed Perkins
By now, if you haven't arranged a major summer trip, you probably won't go, and instead plan to travel in the fall. Overall, that's often a good idea -- traveling when workaday folks are otherwise tied up has some advantages. Here are my suggestions for planning that fall trip, and when to make your decisions and arrangements.
WHERE TO GO.
In the fall -- Labor Day through mid-December -- prices at most U.S. and Canadian summer-season visitor centers and attractions drop to their lowest levels of the year and crowding is less of a problem, while weather is likely to be fairly good well into October in most of the country. U.S. airfares generally don't show much seasonality.
Fall is also the slowest season of the year in the offshore beach destinations in the Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico, so hotel and resort prices are at their lowest. And fall-season cruises, too, are usually a good deal -- if you don't mind a slightly increased risk of encountering a hurricane. Airfares to Europe usually drop precipitously in fall -- typically, they're at off-season rates by the end of August, although they may drop a bit more through September and October. Hotel rates, on the other hand, are usually up from their summer lows by August.
GET THE TIMING RIGHT.
You can decide where you want to go anytime. But the best time to buy varies depending on what you're buying:
Airfares
Mid-June is probably a bit too early to score your best airfare deal for September through mid-December. The main current "sales" cover travel just through July. Instead, keep up with whatever sources you use to notify you of air deals, and wait to buy until you see a good promotion that includes the period when you want to travel. I don't see any major risks in waiting for an airfare sale: Fares are already about as high as the market will allow, and you can almost count on doing better with a good promotion.
Hotels
Some good deals are already available, but major hotel chains seem to be following the airlines' lead in mounting short-fuse promotions. Currently, for example,
Cruises
The fourth quarter of the year is generally the slowest in the cruise business. Even list prices are low, and the big online cruise agencies are already showing some really good rates for September through December in the Caribbean and Mexico, and you can even catch a late Alaska sailing through early September. Fall's very best cruise deals are traditionally transatlantic "positioning" cruises, usually in October: Rates already posted are as low as $40 per person per night.
Rail Travel
Insurance
If you plan to buy travel insurance, be sure to buy within a few days after you make an initial payment. That way, you can avoid hassles over "preexisting medical conditions" and also be able to buy "cancel for any reason" coverage should you want it.
© TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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Travel | Time to Plan for Fall Vacation