What does going out of season mean?
Going on vacation out of season is going on vacation outside the busiest tourist periods of the year. In general, these periods coincide with school holidays. Indeed, these are the only times when families can go on vacation without causing the children to miss a day of school. So stay bookings are more important at these times. The high tourist seasons are often localized, in seaside resorts in summer, and in ski resorts, in winter. To develop tourism outside these periods, which are generally much calmer, professionals no longer hesitate to offer competitive prices on accommodation rental and other tourist activities.
Why go out of season?
More and more vacationers prefer to book off-season stays. The first reason that motivates them is undoubtedly the promotions and preferential prices practiced during this period. Off-season rental prices can sometimes drop up to -50% compared to high season. The same goes for the rates for on-site activities, which may vary depending on the season and the number of people. Going in the off season is therefore a real bargain for your holiday budget .
The other advantage of traveling out of season is to avoid traffic jams . The crossover of the Julyists and the Augustians will only be an old nightmare. And who says fewer people on the road, says fewer people during your on-site visits. So less stress in perspective. In addition, tourism professionals and locals are delighted to receive tourists out of season, so you will be well received. The tranquility on site will allow you to fully recharge your batteries. A real vacation, in short.
Finally, in companies, taking off-season holidays is often appreciated by management and this allows employees with children to leave during school holidays. The organization of the company is thus facilitated. However, certain periods are more favorable for taking leave, so do not hesitate to discuss this with your employer before booking your stay.
The principle of off-season holidays is to avoid school holiday periods and peak periods such as long weekends. Before deciding on a destination, take the school calendar and establish the periods when you can go on vacation. In general, you can book an off-season holiday:
Depending on the activities you want to do, you will not leave at the same time. Obviously, if you want to go skiing out of season , you don’t have to wait until June. January and early February are perfect times to enjoy quality snow. Conversely, if you want sun and mild temperatures, prefer spring and the end of summer (September) to go on vacation.
Leaving out of season: how to choose your destination?
One of the first received ideas about off-season vacations necessarily concerns the weather. It’s not because we leave outside school holidays that the weather will necessarily be bad. We all experienced a rainy month of July and a warmer month of September than usual, so the weather, if you have to take it into account when leaving, should not be an obstacle to your off-season holidays.
When choosing the destination of your next off-season vacation, you will have to determine the period of your stay and especially what you are looking for there. Sport, rest, the mountains, the beach… Depending on the seasons and everyone’s desires, the answer will not be the same. If you are looking for sunshine, the south of France is generally the destination of choice in almost all seasons. You can also choose the north of France, Brittany or the Alps and the Pyrenees for example. These destinations promise you breathtaking landscapes, even under the winter mist. The opportunity to take beautiful poetic photos .
Should you plan your stay out of season?
When planning a vacation in high season, you have to plan ahead to avoid finding yourself without accommodation on site. Out of season, this constraint is no longer relevant. Institutions are generally more flexible and offer more availability. In some places, you will even have a choice. However, you have to organize yourself a minimum and plan the activities you want to do. Not only can the opening hours of tourist sites vary outside of peak seasons, but sometimes some sites are completely closed out of season. To avoid disappointment, once there, it is therefore essential to check that everything is open beforehand.
Can we go on holiday out of season with children?
Holidaymakers who favor off-season stays are very often singles, childless couples or even retirees who are not dependent on the school calendar. But it is quite possible to go out of season, with babies and very young children, not yet in school. They have no other imperatives apart from being with their parents. In addition, many structures offer childcare services, to allow parents to free up time for themselves during their stay. When the children go to school, it inevitably becomes more difficult to leave outside the school holidays , even if some parents do not hesitate to do so. Before embarking on a reservation, consider asking the teacher in charge of your child for advice.With teenagers , off-season reservations are even more complicated because of the busy schedules and the various exams (BEPC, BEP, baccalaureate, etc.) scheduled for the end of the school year. It should be noted that students in second classes often end the year in June. This might be the time to plan a family trip .