Looking for inexpensive vacations? These resources can help you get deals on off-peak travel

Gone are the days of the peak travel season: This year, large crowds, heat waves across Europe and expensive airfares are prompting visitors to book their adventures before or after the peak summer travel season.

According to UN Tourism, 4% more people visited Europe in the first quarter of the year than in the same time frame in 2025. Typically, travelers flock to Europe between June and August. Northeast Asian destinations also saw a 5% increase in tourism over the same period, despite peak tourism seasons being between late spring and early fall.

What’s more, airlines are taking note of the growing demand for off-peak travel and adding additional dates to what were once considered seasonal destinations. And, other tourism-related industries are ramping up their offerings for the shoulder seasons. Here are the top tools you need to consider for booking off-peak travel.

If you have a credit card that earns points or miles, and you’d like to use them to book air travel, your points balance should be one of the first things you consider. In the off-season, it typically requires fewer points to book a seat with miles.

Many airline reward programs — including Delta’s SkyMiles, United’s MileagePlus and American Airlines‘ AAdvantage — have adopted some form of dynamic pricing, which bases fares on demand.

Other airlines, including Aer Lingus, British Airways and Korean Air, use mileage charts with peak and off-peak seasons, where prices are lower during off-peak seasons. Aer Lingus, for example, offers a one-way economy seat from Dublin to New York, Boston or Chicago for 20,000 points during the peak season, while the same flight is 13,000 miles during the off-peak season. Similarly, Korean Air offers one-way seats from North America to Korea, Japan, China and Northeast Asia for 52,500 miles during the peak season, but 35,000 miles during the off-peak season.

While some points enthusiasts argue that you should save your points to use when cash prices are high for a better redemption value, it could be worth using them if it facilitates travel. After all, there’s an indisputable fact about booking a flight during off-peak times: these flights require fewer miles.

If you’re new to the points and miles game, or have limited points left after a bigger trip, booking off-peak could help you get a seat without having to shell out additional cash. Using the right travel credit card to earn points and miles is critical, as not all cards earn miles the same way.

We like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) for its ability to earn up to 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards® points on flights, hotels and other bookings made through Chase Travel℠. While it does have a $95 annual fee, you’ll receive up to $100 in statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel^SM each account anniversary year, as well as trip cancellation insurance.

We also like the Bilt Obsidian Card (see rates and fees) for those who primarily spend on groceries, dining out and making mortgage or rent payments. This card earns very flexible travel rewards that can be transferred to 18 global airline programs, and you can earn points on your housing payment depending on the method you choose. It also has a $95 annual fee, but it can help you earn rewards on rent and mortgage payments — which other cards don’t offer.

Hotels, Airbnbs and other types of accommodations tend to cost less during off-peak times. For example, 87% of European hotels offer special rates, discounts or bundled packages during off-peak times, according to data from Statista and Booking.com.

Hotel chains have largely adopted dynamic pricing, so demand will influence the prices you see. While that could mean lower cash prices during the off-peak or shoulder seasons, hotels also tend to use dynamic pricing for their award prices.

Using a hotel-branded credit card could also help you make the deal sweeter if you tend to be loyal to one brand. Not only can that help you get status at these properties — which could include perks like late checkout, free breakfast or even an upgrade — but it can also help you to earn free nights.

CNBC Select has previously called out the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Cardas a top pick for its relatively low $95 annual fee. It comes with complimentary Silver Elite status, which includes priority late checkout, exclusive member room rates and 10% bonus points on eligible hotel purchases. Plus, you’ll receive an annual Free Night Award each account anniversary.

For Hilton loyalists, theHilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card could be the right fit, offering the opportunity to earn up to $200 back annually on eligible Hilton purchases (up to $50 in statement credits each quarter). While it does have a $150 annual fee after the first year ($0 intro annual fee for the first year; see rates and fees), you earn complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status, which includes room upgrades when available and a daily food and beverage credit or continental breakfast.

Depending on where you’re traveling, weather might be a concern for off-peak seasons at your destination or at home. Luckily, travel insurance can cover weather-related issues.

While travel insurance won’t pay out if you get rain at your destination when you hoped for sun, it could help you reschedule or cancel your trip if there’s a major storm that impacts your ability to travel. You’d be covered if you needed to cancel a trip due to storms that keep you from traveling, including weather at home and at your destination.

To get this covered, however, you’ll need to book well in advance of a storm being known. Buying travel insurance when you book your off-season adventure is a good way to make sure coverage doesn’t exclude any storms or situations you may encounter.

Some of CNBC Select’s favorite travel insurance plans are Faye and Travel Guard. Faye’s digital-first experience can help you get a policy, file a claim and get paid right on your phone.

Travel Guard is a good fit if you’re traveling with children: All Travel Guard policies include coverage for one child 17 or younger with each insured, traveling adult.

AtCNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every travel article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of travel products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, click here.