A Budget Destination for Every Month of 2018

Where to go in 2018? For those on a budget (the 99%, in other words), Booking.com has a suggested destination for every month of the year.

To compile its list of value destinations, Booking.com considered the average rates for 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels in popular destinations, and then looked for the best deals given the monthly rate fluctuations.

Here’s the calendar:

• January – San Diego (37% more affordable than high season)
• February – Las Vegas (43% more affordable than high season)
• March – Montreal (22% more affordable than high season)
• April – Toronto (27% more affordable than high season)
• May – Orlando (18% more affordable than high season)
• June – Miami (39% more affordable than high season)
• July – New York (25% more affordable than high season)
• August – New Orleans (45% more affordable than high season)
• September – Washington, D.C. (26% more affordable than high season)
• October – Los Angeles (14% more affordable than high season)
• November – San Francisco (31% more affordable than high season)
• December – Atlanta (24% more affordable than high season)

While the recommendations are based on hotel rates, airfares are also likely to be lower for travel to the listed destinations during the specified months, since both hotel and air prices rise and fall according to the same changes in travel demand.

More valuable than the specific suggestions, perhaps, is the underlying strategy for picking destinations where your travel dollar will go further: Be a contrarian. If it’s the dead of winter, most travelers will choose to travel to warm-weather destinations, and their travel expenses will spike accordingly. So do the opposite. Instead of Miami or Honolulu, book a trip to Dallas or Chicago or Minneapolis. Your wallet will thank you.

Reader Reality Check

What’s your strategy for choosing a good-value destination?

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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.