To Go Against the Grain or Not?
November 28, 2007. Travel writers often encourage moves such as staying in beachfront luxury vacation rentals in the winter, or visiting ski resorts in the summer, as a way to beat the crowds. So says MSNBC travel columnist Christopher Elliot, who questions the wisdom of such contrarian advice.
"Sometimes, the mob knows best," Elliot wrote. "I reached this unlikely conclusion after years of listening to my colleagues telling everyone to go against the grain."
Elliot came up with a list of "four times when you should go with the flow, and when the herd knows best." He has some interesting points.
When You're Visiting Families for the Holidays – Buck the advice to travel on the actual holidays, because it's worth shelling out the extra dough and dealing with the minor inconveniences of holiday travel.
When You're Planning a Seasonal Vacation – Martha's Vineyard is best in the summer. Florida is best in the winter. Why suffer through extreme cold or heat to save money? Vacations are supposed to be fun…
When You're Traveling with Little Ones – Enough of a challenge in and of itself…
When You're Seeing What Everyone Wants to See – Chances are, there's a reason why everyone's headed that way…
