Guest Post: Shoulder Season Travel

by Carmen Moser

As a teacher, I’ve been married to peak-season travel for most of my adult life. Before then, as a student, it was the same schedule, and so travelling when it is the busiest, hottest, and most expensive is pretty much all I’ve ever known. Until now. Here’s my impression of shoulder season travel.

Crowds

Perhaps the most obvious place to begin might not be as straightforward as anticipated. In places dependent on tourism, but with no cruise ship port, the absence of people was obvious. Our time in Bol (on the island of Brac, in Croatia), and Naxos (Greece) were evidence of this, as both places almost had a feeling of being deserted in September, and mid-October, respectively. Restaurants, beach clubs, boat excursions, and other tourist-dependent industries all seemed eerily quiet. It was like people had just abandoned these places and we didn’t get the memo.

However, in places with cruise ship ports, the crush of throngs of tourists being bussed here, there, and everywhere, was brutally apparent, even into early November. Old towns were jammed with lemming-type tour groups following a branded paddle or other beacon of security, and tour buses trundled down winding roads, carting passengers to various beaches, historical sights, or other excursions. Where the cruise ship goes, crowds very much follow, no matter the season.

Tourists

Once September hit, the types of people on vacation changed dramatically. Families and university-aged kids all but disappeared. I felt like we were on an adult-only world tour, and it was glorious. The noise level associated with the young can not be overstated, and it took a while for the novelty of bustling, yet still fairly quiet tourist hot-spots to wear off. As someone sensitive to noise, this has been a delight.

Weather

September was lovely for weather. October has been spotty at times, but that was to be expected. One shoulder season bonus is the decrease in UV intensity. As someone who frequently checks the UV index throughout the day to make sure I’m not going to get sunburned, not having to worry took some getting used to. I can’t remember the last time I went to a beach without an umbrella or beach club reservation, but over the last few weeks, that hasn’t been an issue. The other day, we went to the beach and didn’t need sunscreen! The UV was that low. It was a revelation for my pale and pasty paranoia.

Cost

One of the oft-touted benefits of shoulder season travel is a decrease in prices. To be honest, we haven’t seen it. Accommodation has been pricey, and the only so-called deals have been a modest 10% off the menu of one restaurant and tourist shop. Hardly the bargains we were promised.

Planning

I’m a planner, before any of my previous trips, I’ve done extensive research, made reservations, and planned most of the days. This happens for a few reasons: our time is limited, if we don’t book ahead we won’t be able to visit sites or restaurants, and I’m a little Type-A. For the last two months, the idea of a reservation has been mostly laughable. We can walk up to the most popular restaurant, or any of the many car rental or tour promoters and organize something right away. The flip-side of this is that some things are seasonally closed, and so not planning to come in peak-season, means not being able to see or eat certain things – a trade-off to be sure.

As I break down the pros and cons of travelling outside of the summer months, I have to remember that autumn and spring might be very different, so we’ll see what the next shoulder season has in store. Stay tuned.