We like to go to the Smokies in the fall and of course everyone else was there too. Roads are crowde

People visit the same place at the same time for a reason, says Michael Gehrisch, president of the Destination Marketing Association International, a trade group for destination marketing organizations. Because it makes sense.
Reality check: When you head to the Jersey shore with the rest of the herd, you ll pay more for your summer vacation. You might have a little trouble finding a choice spot in the sand to stake your umbrella. Looking for a table at your favorite restaurant? Fuhgeddaboudit.
During high season, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, visitors outnumber locals by nine to one in Cape May County, N.J., where you ll find popular beach destinations from Ocean City to Cape May Point. They flock to the shore for large events such as the Cape May Music Festival in late May and early June. But mostly, they go because everyone else is there. This month, Cape May expects a crush of 4 million beach-goers, about one-third of its total annual visits.
Across the country in San Diego, it s the same story: Last July was its busiest month of the year, with 4.3 million visitors coming to town for big events such as Comic-Con. But even without major festivals, the area lured a respectable 3.6 million visitors in August, its second-best month of the year.
But when you see the throngs of tourists at the shore, it makes conventional wisdom easy to believe. Instead of going with the flow, some travel experts advise you to book a vacation somewhere no one would think of visiting during the summer, such as the Caribbean, or a ski resort. Hotel rates there are significantly lower, and the crowds are gone. Since I ve been guilty of dispensing such advice during my career as a travel expert, let me be the first to say, I was wrong.
Summer is hurricane season in the Caribbean, and it tends to rain a lot; and the ski resorts are empty for a reason: no snow. True, you won t find lines at the best restaurants, but then again, they may closed for the season.
Also, having an entire resort to yourself is lovely if you re a solitary person. But for many of us, vacation alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc is a social event. We go to the beach because our friends alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc are there, and we re willing to pay extra for the privilege.
Readers repeatedly warned me about Venice, Italy, alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc for example. An estimated 20 million tourists visit Venice every year, all seemingly at the same time. A combination of oppressive heat and crowds alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc makes August an unbearable time to see the city, according to survivors. The narrow little streets were just crammed with people going in both directions, says Justine Gower, a human resources worker for the federal government in Baltimore. St. Mark s Square was basically a corral.
Theme parks also merit an honorable mention. Disney World was the most crowded place I ve ever vacationed with my five children, says J. Glenn Dockery, who works for a risk management consulting company in Marietta, Ga. Suffice it to say, it was a brutal and expensive experience. As a resident of Orlando, I ll second alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc that. Summer isn t just ridiculously hot, but many visitors seem to believe it s low season, so they come by the planeload, only to discover everyone else had the same idea. (Low season starts in September, in case you were wondering.)
Dockery s advice to steer clear of theme parks during high season makes sense. He returned to the Magic Kingdom for an event called Mickey s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and found no lines and comfortable temperatures. That s also when I like to take my family to their favorite theme park.
I ll promise you this: I m done advising you to stay away from the beach, or any other popular place. My family alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc spent a week in Ocean City, Md., last summer, and we liked it a lot more than this contrarian travel expert ever imagined we would. My kids happily consumed pizza and ice cream on a busy boardwalk, took long walks on the beach at sunset, and made friends with other kids.
I prefer to go places in what I have heard referred to as shoulder season not the off season and not during the peak of the season for that area. Most restaurants, hotels, and attractions are open, but the crowds are not excessive. Of course with changes in modern society and when people take their vacations, exactly what is the shoulder seems to be changing so that going in September/October or April/May may have you overwhelmed by other people who had the same idea.
I have actually had some of my best vacations going to a ski resort in July. It was sunny, not too warm, and I had miles of trails to hike. I don t particularly care for cold and snow anyway. There were also enough people out there that I didn t feel like I was trespassing alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc or had to worry if I would fall an injure myself no one would find me.
I love Panama during the green season (May through Sept.) That is their wet season, which means few tourists, lower prices, and it rains on some afternoons for about an hour and a half. I can take a day tour transiting alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc the Panama Canal and have half the boat at my disposal, instead of having to scramble to reserve my seat. The restaurants have your pick of views and the local kids are in school. Very relaxing, if one is looking for beauty and quiet.
We like to go to the Smokies in the fall and of course everyone alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc else was there too. Roads are crowded as are all the parks. It s difficult to find a motel that hasn t raised their rates sky high. Why do places and business s raise their rates so high, especially if there is some event (Nascar Races) that makes it impossible to attend alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc these events when you live out of town?? By the time you spend money on gas, motels and food, you can t afford the tickets for the event in most cases. It s so unfair to the general public for whoever to line their pocketbooks. We have quit going to the races for that reason. You see more on TV anyway. And we went to Disney in the in April .We figured kids in school-should be a piece of cake. OMG, it was so crowded, you could hardly move. Had to wait in line for almost everything. Every parent must ve taken their kids out of school this past April. LOL So, we won t do that again.
There is a reason alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc many destinations alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc are so popular at certain times of the year and if you don t have any other option to visit at another time, you just bite the bullet and go regardless of the crowds.
When you think about it, though, in certain destinations, there may not be an off-season. Take Disneyland, for example. I m a season ticket holder and, no matter when I go (even during the week in late October), there will always be a two plus hour wait for the Radiator Springs Racers ride, unless you happen to be a single-rider or you stay at one of the hotels where you can go in an hour earlier.
In the days before Interstate highways, there were many interesting towns to see, traffic lights to stop at, and diners to stop at every few hours. I barely remember that. The Interstate highways got rid of a lot of sights by bypassing all the small towns. At least in Texas where I grew up it was that way. I remember each summer when we went west (don t know why, but we always went on a vacation west of where we lived) getting to watch the construction of I-10 from Junction to Fort Stockton. Lots of dynamite blowing up rocky outcroppings.
First time I went to the FL Keys was in late summer. I though I would be miserable from the heat and humidity. I was completely surprised by how comfortable it was outside, as long as I stayed in relatively shady spots, with the breezes blowing. I still needed my air conditioning at night in the hotel room though. ;-)
apparently Elliott is wrong 96 to 4%. but hey better to be wrong I guess, and spending all your money to *possibly* have a good time and *probably* be miserable, than spending alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc half your money to *probably* have a good time and not be miserable.
yelp is just the digital equivalent . except it s sending you to the hipster joints instead of the truck stops. I avoid half the best places on yelp too, because they re all hype and no satisfaction.
exactly I ve made a habit of vacationing in the fall and/or spring every year and have never really had a bad experience. and this goes back to when my wife and I were merely dating. traveling in the peak of summer? prepare to pay more, be sweating your ass off, and standing in lines all day every day. good luck with that
yes, but some of that is just the newness also. during alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc the peak season, the Indiana Jones attraction at Disneyland line used to be roughly alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc 3 hours. the Toy Story amusement ride used to be 2.5 hours about half the time.
Another time, I had just gotten out of a grueling trial. I decided to go relax in Palm Desert, California in August. It was 100+ during the day, but I didn t care. I just wanted to lounge around like third base. During the day, I sat by the pool, read books, alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc watched television, basically let my mind empty. I went out at night because the heat would break around 8. I stayed at a four star hotel, the Renaissance Esmeralda. Because of the heat, the rates were dirt cheap and the hotel relatively empty. $45.00 per night and they upgraded me to a $800 square foot Jacuzzi suite while apologizing that the 1000sf suite had plumbing problems. Great vacation.
On the subject alaska cruise travel agency wilmington nc of `following the crowd:` When there are school age kids in the house, one is forced to vacation on their schedule. Afterward, the shoulder seasons are wonderful for their lack of crowds and the better prices. Sometimes, last minute arrangements will result in amazing value.
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