Thinking about a last-minute trip? Travel expert has sweet deals

If traveling during the holidays is too pricey, there are some good deals to be had during the fall.

For the next month or so, it’s shoulder season for travelers.

“Shoulder season is this magic time of the year when it’s not a quite peak season,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert and spokesperson with the Going travel app.

From now until Thanksgiving, Nastro said it’s really temperate all over the world.

“Great weather, you see better prices and you see fewer travelers overall versus a peak season like the summer,” Nastro said.

A roundtrip flight to Maui costs $439 during shoulder season, Nastro said. That’s roughly 50% off average prices compared to booking over the summer, when flights can be more than $800 roundtrip from the D.C. area.

According to Going.com, you can get a roundtrip, nonstop flight to Aruba for $246.

Even though European destinations such as Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Madrid have suffered from overtourism during peak season, Nastro advised people to travel to these places during shoulder season.

“Try to target going to these really popular European hotspots in shoulder seasons to really bring less pressure on the local infrastructure as well as the locals in general,” she said. “You’re not being a burden.”

Nastro said those popular cities for travel need tourism dollars during shoulder season.

“These places are just as enjoyable during those shoulder season windows,” Nastro said. “Really delightful time of the year to explore these magical cities.”

WTOP’s Tadiwos Abedje contributed to this report.

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Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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