Top five off-peak destinations for Fall 2012

Smart travelers know how to leverage the calendar. Instead of paying top dollar to visit beaches, mountain trails, or big-city streets in peak season, they bide their time, waiting for prices to drop when the crowds depart. Summer has officially bid us adieu, and now the time for off-peak fall bargains is upon us. Discover five beautiful places where travel deals are bountiful (yet crowds are scarce), from serene, sunny Tahiti to energetic Washington, D.C.

San Diego

There's so much going on in San Diego during fall that it seems wrong to call it the off-season. But it is, which means fall deals are as plentiful as fun local festivals and events. Coming up this season: Restaurant Week, Beer Week, and the San Diego Film Festival.

Before you go, look for discounted hotel packages. The Grand Del Mar, rated number one out of San Diego hotels on TripAdvisor, is offering complimentary fourth-night stays through December. Or spend the night at the historical US Grant hotel, a luxury property built in 1910, which has 40% off each second night's stay through the end of December.

In addition to all those fall events, San Diego offers a multitude of perennial kid-friendly attractions, from Legoland to the San Diego Zoo. Accordingly, plenty of bargains are on offer for parents traveling with the kids this season. The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is running a Kidvasion promotion, which features more than 100 October deals for families, such as free meals at select hotels and restaurants and free admission to some museums and local attractions.

Washington, D.C.

Like both Presidential candidates, you'll want to wind up in Washington this autumn, though for markedly different reasons. First, there's the colorful fall foliage: The D.C. area has more than 230,000 acres of parks. Taste of DC, a massive food festival, happens downtown in early October. And the city's myriad museums -- including 19 free ones, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute -- provide a perfect no-cost escape.While planning your trip, keep your eyes peeled for autumn fare sales; domestic airfares to the city generally drop along with seasonal temperatures. At time of publication, we saw JetBlue fares from select U.S. cities to Washington, D.C., for as little as $60 each way for travel from mid-September through mid-December. To find similar savings, check with domestic discounters Southwest and JetBlue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; this is when the airlines typically release sales.

It's cheap to get to the capital, and it's also cheap to stay there this season. Destination DC (the local tourism board) is offeringspecial fall three-night weekend packages, with rates as low as $99 per night -- a savings of up to 30%.

Curacao

Curacao, one of the Caribbean's ABC islands (along with Aruba and Bonaire), is a top-notch fall destination for shrewd budget travelers. Like other Caribbean hot spots, Curacao sees fewer visitors in late summer and fall than in, say, the busy winter or spring-break seasons. If you're reluctant to jet to the Caribbean during hurricane season -- from June through November -- Curacao's a good bet. Historically, the ABC islands aren't often hit by Atlantic hurricanes.

One of the best ways to see Curacao on a dime -- whether it's off-peak travel season or not -- is to take a cruise. Hop on a ship that departs from the U.S. and you could save some cash on airfare. Plus, Caribbean cruise deals are plentiful in the fall. Case in point: We found an eight-night cruise on Carnival Freedom that sails roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale in September and calls in Curacao (in addition to a handful of other islands), starting at $779 per person--a savings of 57%.

We also spotted a discounted 14-night cruise departing from Boston for $949 per person. This sailing, on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, stops in Curacao, as well as St. Lucia, Aruba, Barbados, and St. Kitts, just to name a few.

Banff National Park, Canada

Now through October 8, the Lake Louise Fall Festival is in full swing. Also in season: Bunches of late-summer and fall deals, including special fall-festival savings. This month, pay half price for each second night's stay at Paradise Lodge & Bungalows, which has 1930s-era cabins and is located within the park. Receive $50 credit at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge when you stay for two nights or longer in September. And save 40% on rates at Brewsters Mountain Lodge when you stay for three nights or longer through mid-November.

If rustic cabins aren't your thing, head to the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which is offering a competitively priced fall-festival package for stays through early October. The package includes accommodations in a mountainview guest room, exclusive Fairmont Gold Lounge access, and a six-course fall-themed meal with wine pairings; weekend rates start at $529 CAD (about $536 USD) per night for two people. (Pre-and post-night stays without the dinner start at $299 CAD.) Expensive? Yes. But consider the sticker price of the decadent six-course meal with wine--most entrees served in the Fairview dining room cost more than $40 each. Overall, this is a decent price for a special night out at a luxury hotel.

Fiji

Travelers commonly think of Fiji as a luxury destination, but even expensive vacation spots have their off-peak seasons. Fiji's coincides with the North American fall. The high season for tourism to Fiji generally lasts from June to September, and when the wet season moves in, Fiji travel deals blossom.

Full disclosure: Fall and winter equal cyclone season in the South Pacific. But according to Frommer's, "Fortunately, [storms] usually move fast enough that their major effect on visitors is a day or two of heavy rain and wind. If you're caught in one, the hotel employees are experts on what to do to ensure your safety."

If you're willing to risk some rain, you could find a bargain-basement flight. Qantas fares from Sydney to Fiji are, for a limited time, on sale starting at $244 each way; travel dates begin October 15. And Air Pacific is offering fares from Los Angeles to Fiji starting at $556 each way for travel from late-summer through winter.

A fall package is another affordable option. Travelzoo has a wealth of them this season, including $500 off a seven-night all-inclusive stay at Crusoe's Retreat. The total cost comes to $679 per person, which is comparable to prices one would see at all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Airfare isn't included, but airport transfers are.

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