15 tricks to finding an off-season travel deal
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3. Don't just ask for a price on a flight, ask for the lowest price. Once you decide where you're going, call the airlines and ask them to pull up all the published prices for the route, says Peter Greenberg, author of "The Travel Detective." Then ask them to give you the ones at the very bottom. Sure, there will be conditions you have to meet, such as traveling on a certain day or at a certain time. But if you work your way from the bottom up, you'll get the cheapest price that still fits your needs.

4. Check out airfares for smaller airports near your target destination. You can often find better deals not only on the flight, but

5. Call before you book online. With many airlines, if you book by phone you have 24 hours to cancel. That gives you a day to search the Internet and see if you can do better, says Greenberg. With Internet sites, you often have to book immediately or risk losing the deal. Many times airlines and hotels will match or beat Internet offers.

6. Talk to the right people. If you know what hotel (or hotels) you prefer, call directly to ask about rates. The key: Don't ask for reservations. "They'll automatically route you to the 800 number," says Greenberg. Instead, call the specific hotel where you want to stay and ask for the director of sales or the manager on duty, he says. They know what's available and have the discretion to dicker.

7. Consider several options. In the off-season abroad, it might cost the same to stay in a small- or medium-sized hotel as it would to stay in a family-run hotel or pension, says Patricia Schultz, author of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die." So the real question becomes: What kind of travel experience do you want?

Scope out hotel Web sites and get the scoop on family-run hotels and pensions by checking out guidebooks. Schultz likes to see how the same accommodations are rated by different travel writers. 

8. Use the Web to get started. Check out the old reliables: Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Expedia.com and Hotels.com

Other popular sites for frequent travelers: Sidestep.com, Kayak.com and Mobissimo.com

For cruise deals, see: CruisesOnly.com and CruiseCompete.com.

For those extra special celebrations, check out deals on four- and five-star accommodations on LuxuryLink.com, and first-class airfare at FirstClassFlyer.com, says Schultz.

9. Go for something out of the ordinary. If you're interested in a cruise, consider either a repositioning cruise or dates scheduled for the first or last week that the cruise ship serves your destination. The first or last week (shoulder season), should offer better prices than the rest of the season. One possible risk: The weather might not be as good.