When's the best time to travel?

Boy, if I had a nickel for every time we get asked this question, hmmm...

We keep our eye on many factors when helping to plan a trip. Since most of our clients are families with school-age children, we know that we are working with the timeframe between Memorial Day and Labor Day for most folks. And depending on the school district, it sometimes is between mid-June and mid-August.

We also do our best to prepare everyone for the type of weather conditions and the number of other travelers that they'll come across on their road trip. While the US Southwest is very hot in July and August, afternoon thunderstorms can give a cooling affect. The California coastline can be shrouded in fog for much of the summer, leaving September and October the best months for good weather. Yellowstone's weather is most summer-like in July and August and yet that's when their park attendance is highest. Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula can be wet and warmer in the summer. We've seen temperatures in Jasper, Alberta over 90 much of the summer and yet have a freak snow storm in July.

The trick is to be prepared with layers of clothes to add when the weather is not ideal and with a few pairs of shorts to take advantage of those perfect days. In our Adventure Kit, we help our clients prepare for their trips with checklists of what to bring and groceries to buy as well as other travel tips that can make a trip just that much more enjoyable.

If you have a more flexible schedule for travel, just let us know and we can help steer you in the right direction. Check out the seasons for travel on each trip in our Trip Catalog. Here's an example. This trip has a short season due to the high elevation of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Trip: Rocky Mountain National Park - Quick Getaway
Season: Jun 1 - Sep 15
Starts and ends in: Denver, Colorado
Primary destinations: Rocky Mountain National Park
Prices from: $1,325