Skip to content

Top Navigation

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Recipes & Cooking
  • Drinks
  • Travel
  • Holidays & Events
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Food & Wine

Food & Wine Food & Wine
  • Explore

    Explore

    • F&W Cooks

      F&W Cooks

      Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Read More
    • Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes

      Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Read More
    • 50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      50 Affordable Wines You Can Always Trust

      We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Read More
  • Recipes & Cooking

    Recipes & Cooking

    See All Recipes & Cooking
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Comfort Food Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Vegetable Recipes
    • Pasta & Noodle Recipes
    • Chefs
    • Meat & Poultry Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Fruit Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Special Diets
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Steal This Trick
  • Drinks

    Drinks

    See All Drinks
    • Wine
    • Cocktails & Spirits
    • Coffee Drinks & Recipes
    • Juices
    • Beer & Brews
    • Champagne & Sparkling Wine
    • Tea Recipes & Ideas
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    • Wine Regions
    • Restaurants
  • Holidays & Events

    Holidays & Events

    See All Holidays & Events
    • Valentine's Day
    • Halloween
    • Passover
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • Gifts
    • Super Bowl
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • New Year's Eve
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • News
  • F&W Classic
  • Video
  • Kitchen & Home
  • F&W Pro

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Wine Club
  • Podcast
  • Food & Wine Books this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. HomeChevron Right
  2. TravelChevron Right
  3. The Cheapest Places to Travel for Each Month of the Year

The Cheapest Places to Travel for Each Month of the Year

By Food & Wine
Updated December 19, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
December: Las Vegas
Credit: © Gavin Hellier / Alamy
You’ve heard the myths: Tuesday is the best day to book airfare. Wednesday is the best day to fly. January is the cheapest month to travel. All of them are up for debate, to a certain extent. But according to new data from Booking.com, you can count on getting good hotel values by picking the right destination for the right time of year.So what causes prices to dip so low in certain months? The reasons vary. In some places, you’ll see hotel deals following a big national holiday—often times, one that doesn’t register here in the United States. You can also bet on serious shoulder season values, when the weather in a destination is still great but crowds have gotten a bit thinner. Even bouncing back from major tourism events, like the tennis opens and big-ticket conferences, can create pockets of deep savings during particular months—or even weeks—of the year, if you know to look for them.Here, your month-by-month guide for great vacation deals in 2016.This piece originally appeared on Travel + Leisure.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

January: Melbourne

January: Melbourne
Credit: © seng chye teo / Getty Images
For more of the cheapest places to travel throughout the year, go to Travel + Leisure

International: MelbourneVisiting Melbourne in January means you can take advantage of low rates between the Christmas rush and the Australian Open, both of which draw tons of travelers. The average room goes for $150 in peak season—already a good deal—but going now means you can book a great place to stay for roughly $112 per night.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

February: Honolulu

February: Honolulu
Credit: © Getty Images

Domestic: HonoluluHawaii is at its most expensive over New Years, but come Valentine’s Day, this ultra-romantic spot offers surprisingly good prices (we’re talking a 40 percent dip in hotel rates). Maximize your savings by heading to the island in the first week of the month, when values are at their very best.

2 of 12

3 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

March: Buenos Aires

March: Buenos Aires
Credit: © Alamy

International: Buenos AiresIt’s not quite a warm weather getaway, but springtime in the U.S. translates to temperate autumn in Buenos Aires—a perfect time to explore on your own two feet. You can find four-star accommodations for as little as $55 (really!), which more than justifies the long-haul flight.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

April: Chicago

April: Chicago
Credit: © Getty Images

Domestic: ChicagoThe Second City should be first on your list come spring, when hotel rates dip to 54 percent cheaper than peak season prices, says Booking.com. The blustery cold of winter has passed (and so too, the crowds from this year’s Architecture Biennial), so you can choose whether to check out the splashy new concessions along Lake Michigan or hit the city’s fabulous museums and restaurants.

4 of 12

5 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

May: London

May: London
Credit: © Sergey Borisov / Alamy Stock Photo

International: LondonSure, it’s a global capital—and never a cheap ticket—but London offers surprising value if you go after May Day (the bank holiday falls on May 2 this year). The average nightly rate for the week that follows: $216.

5 of 12

6 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

June: San Antonio, Texas

June: San Antonio, Texas
Credit: © Getty Images

Domestic: San Antonio, TexasIt’s stealing all the attention away from Austin, its neighbor to the north, and with good reason: San Antonio is now home to a buzzy restaurant scene and the beautiful new Emma hotel, designed by Roman & Williams and set in the former Pearl Brewery. It’s also 49 percent cheaper to stay here than it is to stay in Austin (average rates at this time of year hover at $164 for a four star spot) and you’re still just an hour’s drive away.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

July: Sydney

July: Sydney
Credit: © Alamy

International: SydneyHeading to Sydney during the middle of our summer means a reprieve from ultra-hot days—and savings of 44 percent on peak season hotel prices according to Booking.com’s data. But don’t let the idea of winter in July scare you away—the temperatures stay in the oh-so-pleasant upper 60s.

7 of 12

8 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

August: New York City

August: New York City
Credit: © Amanda Hall / robertharding / Getty Images

Domestic: New York CityDouble check that your hotel is well air-conditioned—New York City summers can be stifling. But they’re a great excuse to hit trendy juice bars (we love Joe and the Juice in Soho) and take advantage of summer events, like outdoor New York Philharmonic concerts and Shakespeare in the Park, which are totally free to attend. Stay in the last week of the month for the deepest discounts on accommodations.

8 of 12

9 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

September: Rome

September: Rome
Credit: © Images & Stories / Alamy Stock Photo

International: RomeThere’s no bad time of the year to visit perennially dreamy Rome, but September is the best. Since many Europeans take off for the month of August, the city is back to its normal bustle—sans local travelers. That translates to great values, along the lines of $131 per night for four-star hotels.

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

October: New Orleans

October: New Orleans
Credit: © Jon Arnold Images Ltd / Alamy

Domestic: New OrleansHow does NoLa for Halloween sound? Pretty good, when you consider that the last week of the month is the cheapest time of year to visit. Hotel rates plummet to $202 on average per night—a whopping 34 percent less than the week of Mardi Gras, Booking.com’s study found.

10 of 12

11 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

November: Rio de Janiero

November: Rio de Janiero
Credit: © GARDEL Bertrand / hemis.fr

International: Rio de JaneiroIf you’re in Rio, chances are you want to lay out on Copacabana Beach—and in November, the temperatures are just right, with highs in the low 80s. The most expensive season here is late December, when prices are 37 percent higher.

11 of 12

12 of 12

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

December: Las Vegas

December: Las Vegas
Credit: © Gavin Hellier / Alamy

Domestic: Las VegasThere’s no bigger, bolder way to celebrate the holidays than with a trip to Vegas, and if you’re lucky, you might even win it big at the tables and subsidize your shopping list. Do it all while enjoying the year’s lowest hotel rates—with an average of $84, they’re up to 60 percent off—which you’ll find on the third week of the month.

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Food & Wine

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 12 January: Melbourne
    2 of 12 February: Honolulu
    3 of 12 March: Buenos Aires
    4 of 12 April: Chicago
    5 of 12 May: London
    6 of 12 June: San Antonio, Texas
    7 of 12 July: Sydney
    8 of 12 August: New York City
    9 of 12 September: Rome
    10 of 12 October: New Orleans
    11 of 12 November: Rio de Janiero
    12 of 12 December: Las Vegas

    Share options

    Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

    Login

    Food & Wine

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Food & Wine
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • Content Licensing

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithFood & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com

    View image

    The Cheapest Places to Travel for Each Month of the Year
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.