You Should Plan Your 2025 Travel During These 'Dead Weeks'

Peak travel days, weeks, and seasons are busy for a reason: there's usually some combination of ideal weather conditions, a calendar full of popular events, and/or built-in time off around holidays or school breaks. But the trade-offs for vacationing during these periods are higher prices and more crowds, so if you have flexibility in your schedule, you may be better off booking your 2025 trips during so-called "dead weeks."

What are "dead weeks"?

Unlike shoulder seasons, which are the few weeks or even months bridging high season and off season, dead weeks are short and specific time periods when there's a lull in travel. These are often found sandwiched between or just after a travel peak. As The Points Guy points out, there are a few dead weeks throughout the year:

• January: The week after New Year's Day up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• January to February: The weeks between MLK Day and President's Day

• September: The week after Labor Day

• November to December: Two weeks following Thanksgiving, from about midweek after the holiday weekend to the middle of December

Note that the exact dates will vary slightly from year to year, but you'll generally find good deals on accommodations (both hotel and vacation rentals) and airfare during these time periods as well as on cruises and tours.

Of course, the longer shoulder season may also be a good time to book a trip with the promise of fewer crowds and lower fares while also enjoying decent weather. (Prices may also be low during a true off-season, but you're also more likely to encounter closures and challenging weather conditions).

How to find "dead week" travel deals

You can find bargains for travel during dead weeks the same way you do during any other period: simply focus your search on the general time periods and allow for flexibility with your arrival and departure dates. We've got a list of the best websites for finding travel deals, such as Skyscanner, though keeping an eye on Google Flights and other major travel search engines and comparison tools can also work.

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