Go against the grain and travel during the ‘dark days,’ Seattle expert says

The holidays are over and for many Americans, that means no more traveling. The travel industry calls this period the “dark days.”

But if you’re able to go against the grain and take a vacation now, there’s good news. Seattle travel expert Steve Danishek says you can get great deals.

“Folks budget for the holiday travel,” he said. “They’ve exhausted their travel budget and so we have this gap this time of year.”

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Danishek says it starts now.

“It goes through mid-March, with the exception of the mid-winter break,” he said. “Those are the days you should be looking at. That’s where you’re going to have your best inventories and your lowest total fares; and that’s where you’re going to get your hotel deals.”

So avoid the week of President’s Day, and you’re good.

“The West Coast and the West are the most popular destinations and you should be able to snag good deals all throughout the West,” he explained. “That includes Palm Springs, San Diego, all the L.A. airports, and then even across the border into Phoenix.”

Travelers can also benefit from the competition between Alaska and Delta.

“Right now in Seattle, there’s kind of a tussle between [the two],” he said. “What Delta has done is flown additional flights on top of Alaska, so if Alaska flies Seattle-Los Angeles, Delta puts flights there, too.”

He says that means more low-fare seats available for the public at those destinations right now.

Another tip is to get a good deal to a connecting destination, like in the South.

“New Orleans, Miami, Orlando, even Atlanta,” he said. “Many Southern tier destinations are connecting through, so oftentimes the fares on connecting flights will be cheaper than nonstop service.”

It’s not only airlines and hotels. There are deals onAirbnb, and cabins, for example.

So pounce now, if you can, because ’tis the postseason.