End-of-Year Destinations on the Cheap

Beach Destinations

Typically, the fourth quarter of the year is the slowest in United States, Caribbean, Central American and Mexican beach destinations. Instead of vacationing, many Americans are preoccupied with holiday planning and shopping, and schools are still in session. As I'm writing this, for example, one big resort in Cancun is pitching a "sale" rate of $249 per person for a five-night all-inclusive stay. The best deals are pre-holiday; once the pre-Christmas weekend rolls around, you see fewer deep discounts. And the slow season can suddenly turn very high: Typically, the Christmas to New Year period is the busiest week of the year in Hawaii.

Cruises

The cruise business pretty much parallels the beach pattern. One cruise website is pitching an early-December departure for a five-day Caribbean cruise starting at $199 per person, with promised "upgrades." That's less than half the rate after the end of the slow season. These deals come and go quickly, but they can be really great. As with beach destinations, rates for departures during the mid-holiday period between December 21 and January 2 are a lot higher.

Mountain Destinations

The fourth quarter is also slow for mountain resorts. In most, it's after the summer peak but before they get enough snow for winter sports. Mid-December rates in Aspen, for example, are less than half the typical rates in mid-January. The main problem is that you don't find much going on at this time of the year, although enterprising destinations are trying to cultivate off-season events and activities to help extend their seasons.

Child-Centric Destinations

Periods when school is in session are obviously the best times to visit the several Disney complexes and other theme destinations keyed to kids. According to data posted by Disney, the weeks between Thanksgiving and the Christmas/New Year weeks are among the lowest of the year, with "moderate" resorts averaging a tad more than $190 per night. The end of the quarter, however, is not the absolute bottom season: Rates are a tad lower in early January. But rates rise dramatically for the holiday week starting December 21 and again for spring-break weeks.

Big Cities

Business travel tends to wind down during December, and it often doesn't pick up for several weeks after the holidays. As a result, business-oriented hotels often slash rates or offer promotional packages. For the holiday period, the website NYC Tourist posts a bunch of holiday-week rates that are roughly half of high-season rates. Check, too, for holiday-event hotel packages. In Chicago, several hotels are offering packages for the many seasonal Nutcracker performances by the Joffrey Ballet. The slow season can extend a few weeks after the holidays, too.

But that holiday lull isn't universal. According to Hotwire's TripStarter data, you'll find the year's lowest rates in most big U.S. cities in January and mid-February, not December.

Finding Your Deal

Once you decide where you want to go, you have several ways to find the best promotions. Check with one or two of the big online travel agencies for specials and promotions. Log onto the official visitor website for the area you've chosen, where you'll usually see a list of promotional deals. For hotel accommodations, consider placing a really low hotel bid through Priceline or finding a big discount on Hotwire. Consider a vacation rental. And check a few of the "flash" sale websites for deals.

Airfares are apt to be your biggest challenge, and here you'll find no consistent patterns. Again, Hotwire's TripStarter is probably the best place to start looking for seasonal patterns, but you can never predict last-minute sales. Just cast as wide a web as you can for airfare information and pounce when you see something that fits. Good luck!

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