A local travel expert is challenging conventional wisdom when it comes to booking family vacations.
Elizabeth Thorp, who runs posh-brood-dot-com, says hotels and airlines sometimes offer deep discounts at the last minute. She says if you don't have to know where you are going to stay until the day before, you can save significantly.
However, for those who DO care where they end up, planning months in advance is still the preferred route. Thorp suggests traveling during off-peak periods by avoiding, for example, holidays such as Labor Day and the 4th of July. Days of the week matter too, as weekends are considered peak periods.
(Posted 7-7-2012 at 6:19am, Alex Degman)