The two weeks either side of peak
Prices for flights and hotels fall sharply within days of the peak window closing, while restaurants, museums and transport keep full summer hours. The experience improves as the price drops.
Match the window to the activity
Coastal cities are best just after peak, when the sea is still warm. Mountain and hiking destinations are better just before, when trails are open but quiet. Cultural city breaks are almost always better outside school holidays.
Let the budget choose the date
If your dates are flexible, treat them as a variable rather than an input. Googjet compares destinations across candidate windows and shows what each week actually costs before you commit.