Shoulder Season: The Best Kept Travel Secret
Shoulder Season. What is that exactly? And what does it have to do with traveling?
Real travel insiders and experts know that shoulder season is the KEY to traveling!
Shoulder season, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “a travel season between peak and off-peak seasons, especially spring and fall, when fares tend to be relatively low.”
Travelers who take advantage of the shoulder season want to get the most bang for their buck. If I traveled to the destination during peak season, the weather might be the most ideal. But I will have to deal with the highest crowds. More crowds equal higher demand. So you know what that means? I will be paying the highest prices. That includes plane tickets, accommodations, souvenirs, and even food! So do I really want to pay higher prices on everything and deal with annoying crowds just for the sunniest weather? Not really.
Don’t believe me? Well, allow me to show you an example.
Shoulder Season Mini Experiment
Let’s take the beautiful destination of Tokyo, Japan.
Peak season in Tokyo is generally regarded as both April through early May, and mid-June through mid-September.
Shoulder season in Tokyo is considered to be in the first half of March and mid-September through December.
*Trends change, and there are different views on this. Time periods considered to be shoulder season, peak season, and off season are not always 100% agreed upon.
For my mini experiment, I will show the differences in price between traveling to Tokyo in the shoulder and peak season.
- Cities: Houston, Texas, USA to Tokyo, Japan
- Airports: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAU) and Narita International Airport (NRT)
- Shoulder Season Dates: October 22nd-29th, 2019
- Peak Season Dates: June 25th-July 2nd, 2019
- Accommodations: I searched for the cheapest accommodations with a star rating of at least 3 out of 5, a guest rating of at least 6 out of 10, and free breakfast included. For simplicities’ sake, I used the same flight dates, although some won’t stay the same number of nights depending on when their flight lands as travel times vary. (I hope that makes sense)
- Source: Skyscanner.com for flights, Momondo.com for hotels
Peak Season Total= $1,702
Shoulder Season Total= $1,332
Total Savings= $370
If you have more flexibility in the condition of your accommodations, you are guaranteed to save more. Tokyo can be an expensive city to travel to, and you are bound to see larger savings with other equally awesome travel destinations as well.
Inspired to book your next vacation? Scroll down and browse through a list I made of 50 top travel destinations and their shoulder seasons!
*The following terms are often used interchangeably:
Low Season = Off Season
High Season = Peak Season
Shoulder Season List
So, which time periods are the shoulder seasons of major destinations? To make things easier for you, I have complied a list of 50 top destinations and their respective shoulder seasons. Enjoy!
*Note, if viewing in Mobile, turn your orientation horizontal!
| DESTINATION (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) | SHOULDER SEASON |
| Addis Ababa | October-December |
| Amsterdam | Late September-Late October |
| Anchorage | April-May September |
| Aruba | November |
| Auckland | March-May September-November |
| Bali | November |
| Beijing | March-May September-October |
| Bangkok | November |
| Barcelona | April October |
| Budapest | March-May September-November |
| Buenos Aires | April-June September-December |
| Cairo | January |
| Cancun | June |
| Cape Town | September |
| Dar Es Salaam | April |
| Delhi | March |
| Dubai | May September-October |
| Easter Island | April-June September-November |
| Grand Canyon National Park | March-May September-November |
| Havana | July |
| Istanbul | April-May September-October |
| Johannesburg | September |
| Lagos | March |
| Las Vegas | March-May September-November |
| Lebannon | March-May |
| London | April |
| Los Angeles | March-March September-November |
| Machu Picchu | April-May September-October |
| Maldives | May |
| Marrakesh | January |
| Montevideo | April |
| Nairobi | Mid May-Mid June Mid-September-Mid October |
| New York City | March-May September-October |
| Oahu | March |
| Paris | April |
| Rio de Janiero | March (After Carnival) |
| Rome | April, October |
| St. Petersburg | Late April-Mid May |
| San Francisco | March-Mid May Mid September-November |
| San Juan | July |
| Santorini | May, October |
| Sao Paulo | March (After Carnival) |
| Seoul | March-May September-November |
| Seychelles | April, October |
| Shanghai | June-August |
| Singapore | November |
| Sri Lanka | Mid May-Mid July |
| Sydney | April |
| Tokyo | March Mid September-December |
If you could choose ONE place to travel to that you had never been before from the list above, where would YOU go? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! 🙂
*****PIN FOR LATER!*****
32 Comments
Julie Gazdecki
Love the list! What a great resource. Being homeschoolers, we love traveling during off peak seasons.
Dominique
I appreciate it 🙂
Amanda
This is a fantastic list! I am definitely saving this away for later!
Dominique
Thank you!
Lisa
I love your list!! I will definitely be referring to it a lot in the future!!!
Dominique
Thank you!
Tricia Snow
I love this! I have never heard of shoulder season. It is true though. Best way to get rock bottom prices. Thank you for the tips!
Dominique
You’re very welcome 🙂
Janine
i’m all about traveling when there are less people (and, to be honest, even better weather because it’s not so blazing hot). And the fact that it’s often cheaper is a big fat bonus!
Dominique
Exactly, huge crowds can put a damper on any vacation!
Michele
I love this! Great advice! We always try to travel in the shoulder or off season for many reasons and being that we homeschool, it’s usually possible!
Dominique
That’s awesome!
Gail
We just went to Paris in December for $461 from Miami… I’m assuming that’s shoulder season! We had a blast!
Dominique
That’s a good deal!
Jordin
I would choose Rome from the list! 😍it would be a dream to visit all the sights and history there.
Dominique
That’s an awesome choice!
Jessica
Love the shoulder season. Pinned this for later!
Dominique
Thank you for pinning!
Tammie Reinhart
Thank you for the list. It will really come in handy.
Dominique
You’re welcome 🙂
Victoria
Our favorite time to travel is in the Fall. The prices are much lower and so are the crowds! Great tips 🙂
Dominique
That’s my favorite time as well!
Heather
At least there are some dates teachers can take advantage of on your list. We’ve always thought we’d have to wait until we’re retired to get really good deals.
Dominique
It takes some work, but you can find deals year-round:)
Tracy @ Cleland Clan
I can’t wait until we’re able to travel whenever we want. Until then, we’re limited to Christmas and spring break due to school and work schedules. Even summer won’t work because it’s my husband’s busy time.
Dominique
You can still find some great deals around that time, depending on your destination 🙂
Shirley
Excellent tips. Pinning for future reference!
Dominique
Thank you so much for pinning 🙂
Missy
I would choose Easter Island!
Dominique
Easter Island is a great choice!
T.M. Brown
That is quite the research you did there. I never heard of shoulder season before, but it makes perfect sense. I’m going to pass this along to a friend of mine who is looking to begin planning out her 2020 vacation. This will be a help to her.
Dominique
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!