Labor Day travel deals are calling. Time to get to work! Labor Day can actually be a great time to catch a great travel bargain. All you need to know is the secret word: flexibility. Here’s how to achieve it.
Think about it, global warming has made summers longer for all of us here in North America. So, why not keep the summer vacation spirit going deep into September? They say September/October is the new June/July in the wedding business. And the travel industry wants to help you out, as long as you’re willing to work with them and their needs. That is, being “flexible.”
Think “deals” over “destinations”
As encouragement, savings of 23% await “last-minute travelers,” compared to folks who book four plus months out, according to a study by hotels.com. Where do find these deals? A recent article in the New York Times covered some of these ideas.
Start with the airlines themselves. We’ve mentioned this route in previous posts, so head to your favorite airline website. They likely will have a section labeled “last-minute travel suggestions.” Don’t be afraid to use your frequent flyer miles; many airlines no longer put a cap on how many seats can go to frequent flyers like they used to so there still might be available seats “on the fly,” so to speak.
Kayak has also gotten into last-minute bargain hunting with a new feature that tracks the cheapest flights by month or by region of the country. You can sample it here.
Another angle for your search is to check for bargains at “all-inclusive resorts.” For example, there might be lots of left-over inventory that some hotel chains are trying to get rid of now that their primary travel season is over, or before their big season begins. This is the “shoulder season” for some destinations. Here’s one source from Westgate resorts. Or, you can try a site that features many different properties, like this one. Or, the old reliable booking.com covers a lot of ground.
One thing you may not have thought about is the VRBO/AirBnB rental versus hotel decision, probably believing that any non-hotel, rental property would have been booked far far in advance. Well, now there’s a website that searches last-minute options for vacation rentals that just might fit your schedule. Check out Savvy, once you figure out where you‘re going.
As far as destinations, you could give yourself a general framework before you start searching, so you can pounce quickly. Here are a few things you might want to consider:
Staying away from crowds
While everyone is headed to the beaches for one last big summer fling, you might find lots of fun activities in coastal cities to be quite pleasant and unpopulated. Take Boston; it’s friendly, walkable, with a wonderful mixture of Greek Revival and Romanesque architecture, not to mention the historic Freedom Tour pathway snaking around town. And the seafood is just as good as on Cape Cod. Without the beach goers.
You’ll find similar population shifts in cities like Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Jacksonville, Florida. Or take Providence, Rhode Island; in addition to a large collection of colonial structures to admire and tour, there’s a wonderful children’s museum and boat rides along the river through town. Lots of farmer’s markets all the way through October, too. Not too crowded, either!
And if you thought warm weather has disappeared for the year, not so in Hawaii. Temps are still in the mid-80s on Maui. But the best thing is the water is still warm! Snorkeling in the Pacific can reveal more fish varieties than you ever imagined. And like Maui, both Kauai and the Big Island offer lots of interesting non-beach activities, from jungle-like forests to coffee plantation tours to up-close-and-personal volcano experiences. And, of course, when nearly every inch of an island’s coastline is a beach, you’ll find plenty of sparsely populated sand to enjoy.
Stay inland
Another way to look at post-Labor Day travel is to choose cities whose the overall likability and attractiveness remain way past Labor Day, long after the summer vacation crowds are gone. Take Kansas City. The barbecue spots still offer tasty outdoor dining. There’s baseball and football. On the Kansas side (KC is located in Missouri) are the trails and boat rentals in Wyandotte County Lake Park. And you can get wonderful views of the beautiful KC skyline from Kaw Point.
Then there’s Cincinnati, also a big baseball/football town far away from any ocean or lake beaches. They have a nice zoo and many museums plus the big Ohio River running right through town, across of which, in Kentucky, sits an excellent aquarium. There are also wonderful dining options on both sides of the river, including the Over-the-Rhine District.
Meeting Mother Nature head on
It’s still very hot in Phoenix and Las Vegas, windy in Seattle and San Francisco, and rainy in the Northeast. You get the picture. Weather may not be ideal in some parts of the country at the moment, and some local hotels and airlines might be lowering prices just to get you to go there. It might be worth it, as long as you won’t be putting your trip in jeopardy of being cancelled. Keep in mind, you might have to pack some extra rain gear or cool clothing. But if saving money is your primary motivation, it might be worth it to pursue a less than perfect getaway experience at a great price.
And for perfect starts and finishes to any trip, think about GO Airport Shuttle. Getting to and from the airport shouldn’t be anything to worry about. We know of someone who almost missed their son’s wedding in Seattle because a hometown taxi driver didn’t plan ahead for a super traffic jam on the way to the airport. Eeeek! That won’t happen with us.