Photo by Ali Inay
Photo by Ali Inay

It’s easy to get excited about traveling somewhere when the weather’s fine and you’ve got the time set aside. Many of us travel in the same seasonal cycles, flocking across the seas in droves — even if it’s a little more expensive — to catch a destination at peak season, when it’s generally considered at its best. But what about the rest of the year? Off-season travel is starting to gain more acclaim in our books, the change in weather balanced by less spending and fewer fellow travelers. In this week’s chat, we want to hear how you plan traveling in the off season, where your best gambles have been, and how to make the most of a destination all year round.

This Thursday, 11/5 at 2pm ET, we’ll be joined by co-hosts who have made their home in the quieter trickle of off-season travel:

Valerie of Valise Mag (@valerie_valise): blogger and frequent off-season traveler

If you are unavailable during the chat time but would still like to participate, feel free to schedule your tweets according to the times listed below:

Q1 – 2:00pm EST
Welcome to our #PassionPassport chat on Off Season Travel! Where are you joining us from?

Q2 – 2:05pm EST
Where did you take a favorite or recent trip in the off season? What made it a stand-out? Share a photo!

Q3 – 2:10pm EST
When choosing a destination, how do you tell what effect the off-season has there? (What makes that time and that place special?)

Q4 – 2:15pm EST
Do you have any tools that are helpful in finding off-season deals? Share them!

Q5 – 2:20pm EST
Which favorite travel activity can you partake in year-round? Share an experience!

Q6 – 2:25pm EST
What has been your best experience traveling in the off season? Where were you & what happened?

Q7 – 2:30pm EST
Other than the obvious factor of weather, what challenges have you come up against traveling in the off season?

Q8 – 2:35pm EST
Where would you send someone traveling off-season for the first time? Why?

Q9 – 2:40pm EST
If you were given a weeklong trip to any location, provided it was during the off season, where would you choose? Why?

Q10 – 2:45pm EST
Dilemma! Which off-season adventure would you rather brave: winter in Scandinavia or summer in Australia?

Q11 – 2:50pm EST
Overall, off-season travel: yay or nay? Get creative with the reason why!

Q12 – 2:55pm EST
Share your work! Link us to your own off-season adventures, or those of a traveler you admire!