Editing Journey in shoulder season

Libby Kane / Business InsiderThe look at from our balcony at sunset in Fira, Santorini. There is nothing more tedious than spending hours scouring the internet trying to find the best price on every component of your vacation. <br>So I have a tendency. <br>Instead, I make a single decision that saves me a fortune: I select to travel in "shoulder season. "<br>This period of time is the months leading towards or away from the high season. <br>In the Caribbean, high season could be the winter. In most of Europe, it is the summer. <br><br>It's the period when that place is best shown to its advantage, so people see it.  <br>It's also the priciest time to go because the tourism industry knows what's up. <br>By choosing traveling six to eight weeks before or right after high season, I save money on flights, accommodations, car rentals, and many everything else by making one decision and never thinking about it again. <br>It seems apparent, but a lot of people don't do it. <br>It isn't the off-season. I'm not really going during monsoon season or blizzards. Really, the only difference is really a few degrees - a light jacket, or removal thereof. <br><br>And the financial benefits are huge. For example, a friend and I went to the Cyclades Islands in Greece a few years back, choosing to go in early May instead of summer, the peak season. <br>When I plug a 12-day journey for the same dates into Kayak - leaving on the last day of April, the same days we traveled - the cheapest flight with one layover is $562: <br>Kayak. com<br>In early August, the results are almost twice the price, even though we'd end up being booking further in advance: <br><br>Kayak. com<br>Bear in mind that isn't a perfect comparison. It involved no acrobatics to get the cheapest possible flight, nor direct comparisons of flights leaving and arriving at the same time on the same day from the week, nor analyses of how flight prices fluctuate. It took me all of five minutes - which is kind of the idea. <br><br>Here's another basic illustration: Lodging were cheaper, too. On Santorini, we stayed at - the marvelous - Atlantis Hotel in Fira, which charges 240 pounds, about $262, per night for the incredible caldera-view room in early Might. <br><br>Atlantis Hotel  <br>Using the same Sunday-through-Wednesday dates in August, that hotel is wondering 320 euros - about $350 - per night: <br>Atlantis Hotel<br>Admittedly, I don't have children and are not limited by the school calendar, plus my job isn't so highly seasonal that I wouldn't be able to journey in May rather than August, so I'm lucky enough that this strategy is easily achievable. Plus, I generally don't mind that I have to put a windbreaker over my bikini to see the cliffs of Santorini or the town of Mykonos. <br><br>It's less expensive, less crowded, and just as stunning.  <br>If you have your cardiovascular absolutely set on tanning on a yacht, I concede that this strategy might not be for you. Although if jooxie is talking Mediterranean, you could try September! <br>I could keep giving examples - I used the same strategy when I visited the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain in late May/early June last year with another friend -- but there's really no need. Simply by traveling in the shoulder season instead of the high season, I've consistently been able to save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on incredible trips by making a two-minute choice. <br><br><br>SEE FURTHERMORE: I took advantage of the strong US dollar to spend 11 times touring Spain, and it was totally worth it