Pól Ó Conghaile: November no man’s land is a sweet spot for travel deals

I heard this throwaway comment in a hotel recently, and it got me thinking. There are of course lots of reasons to batten down the hatches at this time of year - the damp and the darkness, the mid-term break just gone and the hectic Christmas ahead.

But if you flip the script, November’s no man’s land offers a lot to tempt the savvy traveller seeking short breaks too.

This is a time of year when peak season is behind us, and the festive markets, ski season and Christmas rush have yet to begin. With fewer people on the move, flights and stays can be cheaper, particularly midweek and if booked direct. November is a chance to squeeze in some downtime before party season picks up and, if you are flexible on dates and destinations, that’s your travel superpower.

Checking the last-minute section on Sunway’s website, for instance, I see a weeklong, five-star package in Morocco’s Essaouira from €473pp this month. ClickAndgo.com has three-star packages to Portugal and Spain from as little as €252pp, depending on the date.

Late November is when Europe’s Christmas markets start flickering to life, too - Cassidy Travel has a two-night, four-star break in Bruges towards the end of the month from €266pp.

Sky-high airfares have been driving holiday prices north this year, but the early weeks of the winter schedule can be noticeably cheaper. Two tools for your kit are Ryanair’s Fare Finder, which allows you to search by budget, and Aer Lingus’s Price Lock, with which you can lock-in a fare for 24 hours from €5pp (a fee taken off your trip if you confirm). Both are under the ‘Plan’ tabs on their websites.

Here at home, hotel rooms often dip in price in November and early December - look for the ‘offers’ tabs on their websites, for deals adding a third night at a discount, or for value in B&B and dinner bundles (it’s always worth a phone call, too).

Older travellers can make hay as some hotels roll out over-55s or over-65s offers aimed at filling midweek rooms. The Hardiman in Galway, for example, has two nights’ B&B with two dinners from €239pp in November.

GoldenIreland.ie is a website with lots of hotel deals for older travellers in one place - going to press, it had two nights’ B&B for two sharing at Tralee’s four-star Ballygarry House Hotel from €268.20.

If you have budget, off-peak months like November, January and February can also see lower five-star rates - though ‘lower’ is a relative concept here. Ashford Castle has some rooms from €525 B&B this month, up to €300 below its peak month rates. Of the more affordable five-stars, Lough Erne Resort has B&B from €188 per room.

Finally, November 24 is Black Friday, when hotels, airlines, travel agents and more unveil a blitz of pre-Christmas travel deals. These will start to roll out a week or more before the date itself, so keep an eye out (but be careful to check blackout dates, minimum spends, true discounts and other T&Cs before jumping in).

Nobody wants to travel in November? I’m not so sure.

NB: Prices subject to availability and change