May is perfect time to travel. Spring break is pretty much over, the weather is pleasant in many parts of the USA and abroad, and prices are affordable because the kids are in school and many families are grounded.
Alisa Cohen founder of the Luxe Traveler Club, says shoulder season is a lucrative time to travel.
“The benefits of this are that it is less crowded between the end of spring break in April and the beginning of summer vacation in June, and there are often great deals” she says.
Here are a few destinations that are good deals for fun and value:
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis has declared Memphis in May its big celebration of the year. The city plays hosts to large events such as the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
Info: Memphisinmay.org/about/
Newport, Rhode Island
If you like to sail, this is the place for you. Newport is hosting the Volvo Ocean Race on May 19 and 20. Forget about the Royal Wedding! The Race Village opens May 8. The race is called the “Everest of professional sailing.” Info: VisitRhodeIsland.com.
Europe
Portugal is seeing an uptick, according to Cohen. May is a great time to travel in Europe as the weather is favorable in many places and prices tend to be reasonable as it is not prime travel time. It is less crowded, so getting a table at a restaurant is not so onerous.
Airlines also have direct flights to Lisbon and the dollar exchange rate is still in the U.S. favor.
If you are heading to Europe for the first time, you will probably head to Paris, Barcelona or Rome. But do not overlook Lisbon. It is a gorgeous city with transfers to other parts of Portugal such as the Algarve beach region and Duoro Valley for amazing port. It is also quite affordable compared to the other more popular European destinations.
The Caribbean
Unfortunately, the hurricanes of last year made many Caribbean islands struggle this year. They are coming back and are welcoming tourists.
If you are heading to the Bahamas, Baha Mar is a good spot to check. It is the biggest entertainment, hotel, casino complex to open in the Caribbean in years and it is celebrating its one year anniversary. It’s up and running and time to check it out.
[“Source-usatoday”]
