Toasty temperatures, footprint free beaches and an all-round relaxed atmosphere, sound like your idea of the perfect holiday? By travelling in the shoulder season you can enjoy all of these things and bag some brilliant holiday bargains while you’re at it. So, let’s find out what exactly is the shoulder season and where in the world can you benefit from it the most…
What is the shoulder season?
In a nutshell the shoulder season is the time between peak and off-peak travel seasons of a particular destination. In the travel industry, the year is divided into three different seasons, which are:
Peak season
Mid-June to August
Shoulder season
Spring – April to Mid-June
Autumn – September to October
Off-peak
November to March
Why travel in the shoulder season?
It may be one of the most underrated times to travel, however jetting away during the shoulder season comes with many benefits. Along with escaping the drizzly spring month of April, the inevitable May bank holiday showers and the Autumn’s dark nights here’s what you could enjoy…
Lower prices
First and foremost, holiday prices can be way cheaper. Because it’s during the months where tourism is low, tour operators drop their prices to encourage people to jet away. See for yourself with these fantastic deals…
[deals simple=”yes”]shoulder season[/deals]
Less crowds
Holiday hotspots are much quieter but that certainly doesn’t make them any less enjoyable. Many attractions remain open — they just don’t have the huge influx of summer crowds. Historic and archaeological sites feel like they’ve opened their doors exclusively for you while beaches become almost footprint-free. Take Santorini for example, head here in September or October and you’ll see a whole other side to this idyllic island. As well as getting those uninterrupted Instagram snaps with its iconic whitewashed buildings, you’ll get to dine with the locals and soak up spectacular Mediterranean sunsets pretty much to yourself.
Child-free
For those adults seeking a romantic getaway, the shoulder season is an ideal option. With the kids in the full swing of school, you’ll have the opportunity for a child-free getaway. Of course there’s the Easter holidays and a couple of half term breaks but that’s where our adult-only hotels come in. TUI Sensimar resorts in particular are reserved exclusively for adults.
Vitamin-D
Why wait until the summer months to jet away when you could get that longed-for sunshine any time of the year? Whether you want the sun to ‘Spring’ forward a month or two or turn up the heat in Autumn, there’s plenty of places to go during both shoulder seasons.
Take Morocco for example, this west African country has a lush landscape from April until May making Spring a fantastic time for exploring Agadir and the Atlas Mountains. The same goes for Portugal, in just a four hour flight you can swap those inevitable April showers for some serious springtime sunshine reaching highs of 23⁰C.
As for Autumn, you can get your post-summer sunshine fix in tons of toasty destinations from the close-to-home Costa Del Sol to the world favourite Gran Canaria or over in the Aegean Sea spot, Turkey.
Top Tip — It is worth noting that shoulder season dates can vary depending on the destination, as can the specific activities that they are known for. Don’t worry though, we have lots of fantastic blogs on where to go and when to give you a helping hand!
So, if you like the sound of a beat-the-crowds break and bagging a bargain, let’s find out how much you could SAVE with Holiday Hypermarket in the shoulder season?
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