If you live in a four seasons climate, you probably salivate over warm Hawaiian islands or California beaches during the long winter months. But when the sun is out all over the northern hemisphere, there are some winter destinations that are no longer on the top of everyone's list. Las Vegas, for example, suffers from the desert's extreme summer heat, but it's nice and cool inside during this low season when you are likely to get a good deal traveling there. Keep off-peak travel destinations at the top of your list when looking for cheap summer travel deals.
Go where the people aren't. After a disaster, like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf Coast in the spring of 2010, beaches in Louisiana and Florida suffered an extreme drop in summer tourism. Places with bad press can make very cheap destinations, as hotels, restaurants and airlines are anxious to get rid of a surplus of inventory.
If your wanderlust takes you to Europe over the summer, you don't have to break the bank doing it. While major cities like London, Paris and Rome could be yours for astronomical tourist prices during the summer months, you can get off the beaten track in Lisbon, Dublin or Crete, some of the cheaper European cities, during the summer travel season.
Watch the international exchange rate and the financial news this summer to find out where you will get the most for your money. South and Central America, which experience hot weather, high humidity and hurricane season in the summer can be cheap destinations regardless of time of year, but with their very favorable exchange rates and off-peak summer seasons, you can stretch your dollars even further. Look for struggling currencies and economic woes across the globe to pinpoint interesting destinations that may have once been more costly. You'll do the locals a favor, too, by being a tourist when times are tough.
