How About November in Paris?

"In the past, carriers started the off-peak season earlier, in October. But now it runs from Nov. 1 until Dec. 15," said Silvers. "It all depends on how well seats sell. The reason they're leaving October out of there is that they're banking on transatlantic business travel."

What does this all mean? If you want to get the best deal to Europe, think about taking time off in the first or second weeks of November, while leaving and returning in the middle of the week. And if you don't like your family, heading to Europe over Thanksgiving could be even cheaper.

Have Someone Search for You

At the moment, airlines are holding off on discounting October flights, but if the economy proves shaky and those seats go empty, look for hit-and-run sales starting in September.

"People should anticipate those sales," said Phil Carpenter, vice president of marketing at SideStep.com. "It's probably a little early to book yet. You need to get that Labor Day holiday behind people and travel patterns start to shift. It's an important psychological milestone for the industry."

Keeping track of those post-Labor Day sales -- most of which will only be good for two or three weeks to artificially stimulate demand -- can be impossible. Luckily, a number of Web sites allow you to set up searches and will automatically email you when flights go on sale.

If you've already taken time from work and are locked into a flight schedule, especially one that requires flying on busy weekend days, book sooner than later to ensure you're not shut out of a flight.

Prices are reasonable now, especially for November, but if you're willing to wait and have your heart set on a specific location, consider using Orbitz's DealDetector, which will tell you when fares drop below a certain price for the dates you specify -- especially good if you're gambling on a $300 round-trip to Rome.

Play the Popularity Game Last year, Madrid was the sixth-most-popular fall international travel destination from the NYC area. This year, after the terror attack, Madrid doesn't even make the list.
Rank	2003	2004
1	London	London
2	Rome	Paris
3	Paris	San Juan
4	San Juan	Rome
5	Amsterdam	Aruba
6	Madrid	Cancun
7	Tel Aviv	Amsterdam
8	Cancun	Tel Aviv
9	Aruba	Barcelona
10	Barcelona	Dublin
Source: SideStep

If your travel plans are more flexible, then Travelocity's FareWatcher may be a better option. You won't have to type in specific dates as you would with Orbitz, only locations that you're interested in going to. Every time the prices change, Travelocity will automatically notify you.

Ultimately, if you don't know where or when you want to travel, only that you want the best possible deal, sign up for SideStep's new TravelFind email. Orbitz and Travelocity don't search domestic low-cost carriers and miss certain deals, but SideStep searches all of the search engines as well as the individual airline sites, ensuring you get the broadest possible view of what's out there.

"It's a great way to keep on top of deals without having to do anything more than look at an email once a week," said Carpenter. "How can you search for bargains you don't know about?"