Friday, August 10, 2012

Post-Labor Day Travel Savings

When Kelli Grant of SmartMoney.com asked me for destinations that cost less after Labor Day but still feel like summer, I felt a slight tinge of regret for blowing several vacation days earlier this summer. If I waited just a few months, I could've saved hundreds of dollars.

Read the article here on SmartMoney.com.

My first money-saving suggestion was Cape Cod. A few summers ago, I visited in August and sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Saturday. After chatting with the bartender at the Bramble Inn in Brewster, I learned that Saturday is the absolute worst day to travel for a weekend getaway since many weekly rentals "change over" on Saturday. Lesson learned.

My other suggestion was Hilton Head Island, which apparently has a lower risk of being affected by hurricanes than, say, the Outer Banks. As much as I love the idea of traveling to the Mexico or Caribbean during hurricane season (cheap hotels!), sometimes the uncertainty cancels out the relaxation. For example, just this week, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ernesto swept through coastal Mexico and many tourists at Cancun resorts were evacuated, according to this Associated Press article.

Depending on your flexibility or travel needs, I probably would try to pick a vacation destination with slightly less risk. Then again, I was in Seattle last weekend and my return flight was oversold (thanks, United!). I ended up at the airport Holiday Inn eating some pretty terrible food, showering in my flip-flops, and taking the first flight out, which meant waking up at 4:45 a.m. Monday and heading straight from SFO to the office. When is it worth adding something like the potential of a hurricane to your travel stress? Only you can decide.

By the way, I second the suggestion of Hawaii, which was recommended by Courtney Scott of Travelocity. A few years ago, I spent Labor Day weekend on the Big Island with my mom. We tacked on a few days after the holiday weekend (the long weekend typically overlaps with my birthday, yet another perfect excuse to travel).

Photo Caption: A small beach facing one of the ponds in Cape Cod
Photo by Amy Chen

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