How to Find Spring Travel Deals

For Money magazine's April issue, I chatted with a few travel experts about their secrets and strategies for nabbing spring savings. Here's the online version on CNN.com.

3 Ways to Plan a Spring Getaway for Less

1. Don't wait to visit Europe. Expedia's Jeremy Boore found that visiting the French Riviera in mid-May would cost 35% less than traveling in June or July. The analysts at Hotwire.com also pulled some numbers and came back with a solid 20% savings if you traveled to Dublin in May versus June.

2. Pick a package. The team at Travelzoo is always a good source for package deals that bundle airfare with hotels. But be aware that sometimes the included hotels aren't in the best locations; you may have to pay to upgrade to a nicer hotel in a better location.

3. Head to the Caribbean before hurricane season starts in June. Lastly, the folks at CheapCaribbean.com can get you to the Caribbean for less. Yes, prices will go even lower once hurricane season starts in June, but no one really wants to risk having their vacations get rained out. Traveling in May, on the other hand, was cheaper than in April: Prices in May dropped off by 24% when compared to an April departure -- all the more money to spend on those tropical drinks with paper umbrellas.

Cheap Sleep this Holiday Season

Holiday travel usually means bracing for out-of-control prices for airfare and hotel rooms.

I checked with the experts who know how to find a bargain and found that at least three U.S. destinations were poised to have cheaper hotels this Christmas versus last year. Drumroll, please!

San Diego

Maui

Vail Valley, Colo. (that's Vail and Beaver Creek)

Check out the story in the November issue of Money magazine or here on CNNMoney.com.

Thanks to the statisticians at Expedia.com, Bob Diener of Getaroom.com, Evan Reece of Liftopia.com, and Hawaii hospitality expert Joseph Toy for proving that there are holiday bargains out there.