Why I recommend traveling during the Academic year
The academic year is slightly different depending on were you live; in Texas, it’s between August and May. I love traveling DURING the school year. This does NOT include Thanksgiving week, Christmas vacation and spring break. Now, I understand if you have children who are in middle school and up, this might be hard to do. If you are a teacher or if your job revolves around the academic year, then this might not help you either. This is for the rest of y’all; the single travelers, married couples, families with young kids and for people who don’t work in the education field. Throughout my few years, I’ve learned there are several pros to traveling at this time… and here are my reasons! Let me know what you think below!
- Main reason first; during the school year, all the other people I mentioned above are busy going to school or picking up kids from school! That means less crowds at the tourist attractions. Having less crowd is a great thing, regardless of which destination you go to, international or local. Your wait time in lines will be significantly lower than the peak season. If you’re traveling with younger kids, it’s also easier to keep an eye on them in a smaller crowd.
- The difference between peak season and off season prices are big. Prices for airfare, cruises, and other methods of travel will be significantly lower. Hotels and resort prices also make a big difference and they will be less crowded- so more room for you in the pool!
- My husband and I both drive a lot for work and with driving comes the obvious dislike of traffic. I love working during the summer because there are so much less cars on the road than during school season. As soon as classes start in August, I automatically have a 15-30+ drive time in the mornings. So to avoid this as much as possible, I like to work long hours and all day during the summer and travel during the school year.
- For those of you with young kids in pre-school or elementary, GO NOW! The experience you give these kids out in the world is so much more than what they get in a classroom. Once they start middle/high school, you’re stuck until they move out for college.
- Get away from the cold weather (from October to February) and travel down South, to South or Central America or Asia. I live in Texas now, where the cold doesn’t compare to the New York cold I’ve once suffered. But I still dislike any amount of cold and if for one day, I am ready for a getaway! One October, my friend and I went to Belize, where the sun was still shining bright and the beaches were beautiful and warm. Another November, we went to Thailand- it was a great 2 week break from the cold. In February, my husband and I went to Dominican Republic; yet another great getaway from the cold, gloomy season.
- You’re more likely to get days off during the school year. This is because many people are not vacationing or taking any days off at this time. This makes it easier for your days off request to be granted!
So, what are you waiting for? Book that trip this October or March! If you are in school yourself, have kids in higher grades or work with the education system.. you can do smaller weekend getaways. Stay tuned for these weekend getaway ideas!
Now, it’s time to hear from you. Which months do you usually travel and why? Do you think the reasons above are.. well, reasonable?
Check out more of my travel perspective series here!
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