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Timing can make or break a vacation. Travel during the high season, and you're fighting the crowds for a spot on the beach. Go during the low season, and risk lousy weather and the closure of local attractions.

Luckily, there's a window of time for most destinations known as the shoulder season, when the prices and crowds are low, but the weather is still perfect. If you travel during this time, you'll not only save money, but you'll probably also mix it up more with local residents at festivals and events that rarely appear in glossy travel magazines.

Click on any of the images at left to start the slideshow of places you should go -- when fewer tourists are there.

--written by Chris Gray Faust