Bee Travel
Consider 'shoulder season' travel
I'm always glad to see the last of those blackened piles of parking lot snow leak slowly away. It's a little game I plan - trying to spot the last pile, which parking lot it is in and what day it will finally vanish. Is it really gone? Or is the black coating fused atop hiding some small and cagey frozen mound? Those last vestiges of winter must, at last, give way to insistently lengthening days and rising temps.

CHRISTINE HICKS- USTA Travel

We share this phenomenon of snow and sun on earth with a band that circumnavigates the globe and creeps northward. It describes for us the seasonality of travel in the northern climes. The "in season" is almost here.

In season, you undoubtedly know, describes peak season, that time of year when the influx of travelers swells. Oh, sure, people travel to Quebec and Norway in winter. But many, many more plan to wait out the frigid air and join the throngs in summer.

Winter leaves Canada, Europe and Alaska reluctantly. For this reason, "peak season" doesn't begin until the middle or end of May and runs through mid-September. April through mid-May and mid-September through October - or "shoulder season," as it is sometimes called - often offers travelers substantial breaks on airfare, hotel and tour pricing, a nod to the fact that there may be a few parking lot snow piles left. No matter, I have always found these times of the year refreshing. But then, I'd rather be cold than hot. You'll need to decide that for yourself.

It's a perfect time to witness the crushing flow of chilled water through the veins of mountains that annually divest themselves of winter's natural covering. I've witnessed the raging swirl of icy waters tumbling through rocks carved in this manner over eons, and it's thrilling. Mountain meadows also adorn in sturdy masses of early wildflowers, white and purple. Crisp mountain air is an invigorating invitation to hike or walk trails or towns whose winter weary eyes are just opened from a long nap.

Of course, Mother Nature can always pull a fast one. I've arrived dressed for the chill and been met with 80-degree weather, with nary a Bermuda short store in sight. One ought to be a little prepared for such seasonal surprises.

Shoulder season travel means traveling with a few more people than winter (in these climates) but far less than the mad crush that summer brings. Between Memorial and Labor days, with schools largely out of session, that's when buses brim with travelers, rushing to get their fix of these seasonally challenged destinations. Flights are full, hotels are packed, restaurants are stretched to the limit and tourists stream through clogged, festival-festooned streets. If you're the sort who thrives on the throng, pass on shoulder season and go straight for July.

But if you want room to pass in the alleyways of Quebec City or to bypass lines at gift shops within national parks, you won't need to elbow your way in during shoulder season.

(Christine Hicks-Usta has enjoyed more than 30 years of globe-trotting as a member of the travel industry. Direct questions to her at Bee Group Newspapers, P.O. Box 150, Buffalo, NY 14231-0150.)