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Off Season Savings
BY MELE FUJIWARA Europe in winter has an allure for the traveler who wants to save money, avoid crowds and mix with the locals. And Europe's cities sizzle and sparkle in winter. Their calendars are filled with exhibits and festivals, theater and opera, concerts and dance. Add to this inexpensive air fares, lower priced accommodations and tourist attractions, no lines, and suddenly available restaurant tables and you have many of the reasons savvy travelers go to Europe during the off-season. Cold weather and gray skys won't stop you as many people fear. Much of what makes Europe magnificent takes place indoors—particularly in cities. Brief bus or subway jaunts deliver you to jazzy night life, wondrous museums, and seductive shopping. And for us "Hawaiians", learning to dress like a temporary European in winter, is part of the adventure. Packing light sounds impossible for thin blooded people like us, but its not. The biggest challenge is boarding an air plane in 80 degree weather carrying your coat. Once on your way, you will naturally layer on clothes, leaving empty spaces in your carry on bag. What do you take? We recommend packing for cold and wet-ig.--"rain proof parka, gloves, wool hat, long johns, waterproof shoes and an umbrella". No parka in your closet? Use a cheap thin plastic rain coat with hood over a jacket and sweaters to keep dry and warm (thick plastic goes stiff in cold weather). The plastic keeps your body heat in, and the cold piercing winds off lakes and rivers, out. Toss it as you leave Europe. A pair of thermal bottoms (from Army surplus) along with European winter socks and panty hose will keep your bottom half warm 24 hours a day. Remember, budget accommodations may not be heated. Ask! A compact hair dryer is a great tool for drying out socks and shoes and damp seams of hand washed clothes. Any thing else needed can be shopped for there—winter clothes are often on sale since spring is "around the corner". Off season travel brings a need for weather consciousness with all your plans and a flexible attitude—particularly north of the Alps. Days are shorter (dark by 5:00 PM), sights close early, rarely have English tours, and in small towns may be closed completely. Transportation between various locals may be off schedule or non-existent because of weather. Winter resorts will be crowded and expensive. For up-to-the minute information and schedules call Tourist and Train Information offices before 5 PM. Back on the plus side, budget-cutting options are every where. Many Off Season airline sales appear around Thanksgiving and again in January. Hotels extend a winter welcome between November and April with discount prices and packages that can include cars and sight admissions. More than 50 Sofitel hotels in Europe are offering you a second room free for 2 of your children between December 11 and January 1. There is no age limit, so a couple in their 60s could take children in their 30s or 40s. (800-763-4835) And for further accommodation discounts, arrive late and if there are a number of keys on the rack, bargain for a room by letting them know you have a price limit. Concert halls and churches ring with music nightly through the fall and winter months. Sunday afternoons are often prime time for free concerts around most towns. Buy a tie or put on a skirt and join the locals for a festive evening. Same-day discount tickets for concerts and theater performances can often be purchased at kiosks—TI can tell you where to find them. Traveling off season. Some cloudy days and nippy nights? Could be. Leisurely sipping tea next to a roaring fire in front of a 500 year old fire place and watching the world go by--could be too. Europe seems to create and recreate itself in every season, even in winter.
Check out these TERC pages and web sites for more Off Season information:
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