The Wrong Time to Travel

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Ahhhh nostalgia.

Isn’t it nice to go home for Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Diwali or Eid?

What about that three day weekend you have managed to pull off? Why not get away for a break away from work or home?

Everybody loves it.

Especially the traffic police, the airline shareholders, the insurance industry and the hotel chain financial controllers.

The rape of your wallet will be unprecedented.

Next in line for the price-top-up treatment is “peak season.”

This usually coincides with school holidays and the ‘popular’ time of year to visit various destinations based on climate, season or visitor numbers.

Supply raises to meet demand – and so does the cost.

Chefs have become used to lonely weekdays off, as weekends and Friday nights are usually busy. And we manage to make it work. But it is also an interesting and cost saving exercise to travel outside of holidays and peak periods as well, if practical.

I am not talking about a few pennies extra. I am talking about a vast reduction in cost, and often upgrades and extras thrown in as well.

Immediate benefits are vastly reduced airfares for a start. In fact up to 50% savings can be made.
Hotels, desperate to fill rooms, offer attractive internet rates, upgrades and promotional deals.

And perhaps, best of all, you become the individual that you are, instead of another bloody number to be processed, and you will find your business to be very welcome.

This normally includes attractions, boat trips, and tours, all of which usually have a high season rate, and a much lower ‘low season’ rate – even if it is in smaller print.

The downside of course, is perhaps the weather or the social scene.

If you intend to spend countless hours a day on an idyllic tropical beach, then the monsoon season is perhaps not the best time to travel in order to save money.

Likewise, if you’re a party animal or a chronic raver, midday Wednesday in the low season may also mean a boring break and a fair helping of regret.

Some options to consider include sightseeing, cultural visits, foodie & gourmet holidays, romantic ‘love nest’ breaks, photo safaris, shopping stopovers and getting into the arts – all of which can be done all year round.

Perhaps even consider a ‘stage’

Basically adding a month or more work experience to your CV by working for free under a respected chef or establishment to further your skills, culinary knowledge and mastery of a certain type of cuisine or technique.

Health breaks can also be done during the nasty season. You can detox, exercise, lose weight, get massaged or travel for that all important surgery – even if the rain is hammering down and the airport empty.

Health tourism is extremely popular, given the cost and quality constraints in some countries. It sometimes makes sense to get yourself fixed up in a cost effective country.

Which reminds me – I have teeth like a busted band saw, and here in Thailand it’s incredibly inexpensive for top quality dental work.

I must pop in soon and emerge with a winning grin.

A friend of mine also combined an R&R trip to Thailand with a trip to the eye clinic for some laser surgery. I estimate that he recouped a fair amount of his holiday in savings compared to getting it done back home.

For those seeking more worldly charms, the off seasons are also a great time to avoid the congestion, rush and drama of busy holiday periods.

You may even find discounts on beer, food and attractions to try and drum up your custom.

I learned another great tax tip for those who live in Western countries and have flexible work arrangements with weekly tax deductions:

Normally if taxed weekly or monthly, the amount taxed is assumed to be ‘standard’ for the purposes of defining an annual income. In other words, one weeks taxable income is assumed to be x 52 when it comes to calculating yearly income for tax purposes.

Monthly, the same applies, but x 12. A friend of mine would work for 9 months a year, then go to Morocco for 3 months. He had paid tax for 12 months in advance, but his income was only for 9 months.

Morocco was MUCH cheaper than Australia, so his tax refund ended up paying for his holiday. Plus he got three times more holiday than the rest of us. It obviously won’t work if you can’t get the time off, or if your tax system works differently, but he was definitely on a winner, and we were all very envious of his leisurely lifestyle.

The reverse applies in some cases as well. I was once very keen on a one month holiday starting ex Dubai, going through Egypt, Morocco, Spain France and Netherlands. I wanted to leave in July, the very hot season in UAE.

Unfortunately, Egypt, Spain, Morocco would also have been unbearable at that time of year, and the romance of travel was quickly offset by the thought of heat rash and sweat-drenched clothing 24 hours a day for 2-3 weeks straight.

Fortunately the internet comes to our rescue with lots of travel resources with which to check your destination.

Best regards,

Chef Shane

The Culinary Globe Trotter

chefshane@prochef360.com

Image Credit: JoeM5952

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