My family and I spent last week in Ocean City, NJ. For safety reasons, I didn’t mention this before I left, nor did I post every five minutes on foursquare telling you my whereabouts. I really don’t understand people that do that…….but I digress.

As a general rule, we like going places at off-beat times. But, with anything, there are pros and cons to it. It can be a way to save money, but there are considerations. Here is my list. I’m putting this list together with the beach in mind, but most of it applies to any vacation destination that is seasonal.

Dining

Pro: You usually won’t have a long wait any place you go. You probably won’t need reservations at popular places. Popular restaurants are usually open year-round, even in seasonal locations.

Con: The staff generally seems less enthused, customer service at some places left a lot to be desired. There also is a good chance that a restaurant will not carry fancy “specials” and will just stick to a regular menu.

Tip: Look online ahead of time so you’re not disappointed!

Venues

Pro: Again, no matter where we went, we had the place to ourselves. No lines, no waiting! Most things that we were interested in were open.

Con: Not everything is open, or has limited hours. Again, customer service was lacking and service people seemed less enthused.

Tip: Look for unusual activities at venues. For example, you can’t ski in June at most ski resorts, but many still offer cheap hotel rooms with great hiking, ziplines and gondola rides instead of skiing. Many traditionally seasonal places are trying to gain year-round customers by coming up with different offerings.

Shopping

Pro: Everything was on sale, clearanced, cheap cheap cheap!

Con: Selection may be limited and shop owners generally will not be ordering more until next season.

Cost

Pro: What can I say? This is one of the reasons we go at this time. We paid about a third of what our rental would cost during peak season. We didn’t have to pay for beach passes since it was post season.

Con: I can’t think of a con to things being priced lower! But seriously, I understand that not everyone can travel during school months and that is a factor. Unfortunately, travelling during those peak months comes at a peak price!

Tip: Compare overall costs of lodging, food and entertainment to try to determine what your overall savings will be by travelling at an off time.

Crowds

Pro: There are none! Except for the first Saturday night, we didn’t find any crowds anywhere.

Con: Some people really like to be in the mix and hustle & bustle and all the excitement of peak season.

Tip: Many vacation spots have tried to attract conventions, conferences and other large groups in the off-season to boost their sales. And around here, I would count early June–many high schools’ “Senior Weeks” as the shoulder season. Double check with your hotel that you won’t be in the midst of a big crowd that may not be family friendly or to your liking.

Weather

Pro: When it’s good, it’s really good. We had sunny & mid 80s temps five out of the seven days we were there. If you ski in the off-season, it can still be great in the spring. Then again, if that area has an early warmup, it can be a bombed trip too! You just never know.

Con: When it’s bad, it can be really bad. It also is hurricane season, so of course there’s a greater chance that much of our trip could’ve been canceled altogether.

Tip: Look online for what that area has to offer for activities, in case your outdoors plans don’t work out. We didn’t end up going–but I didn’t even know Atlantic City had an aquarium for kids until last week, or that Cape May has a zoo. Great backup activities in case it wasn’t beach weather, but we didn’t need it.

What can I say–overall I think traveling in the off-season is very smart spending, because you just get soooo much more for your money. We had a very nice large rental house with tons of amenities, one block from beach and boardwalk.  We ate out a restaurants, played at the amusement park every day, shopped, splurged–and still only spent about half of what a peak season rental would cost us for one week. Your best bet? Travel in what is called the ‘shoulder season’ if you can. This is the month preceding and following the peak season, when costs are lower but generally weather is still good. Of course the beach is cheap in January–but who wants to go then? Or to a ski resort in June? But there are great deals, savings and great times to be had if you’re willing to make a few changes.

We love Ocean City in the off season.