It's wave season again!

Wave season has become the top time people book travel. And the top time when deals are available. It's sort of like a Black Friday and the holiday season - but for travel. And even though wave season originated with the ocean cruise lines, everyone now gets into the act. Here's some ideas both in terms of saving money and some good options you might normally think about.

Deals

Sure, wave season means deals. Many are not even advertised. Here's what to look for:

• on board credit
• free gratuities
• free room or cabin category upgrades
• special promotions on specific sailings or dates
• 2 for 1 air fare
• More inclusions in certain packages

Though especially for the ocean going cruise ships, ask about specials on any kind of vacation you're thinking about

Options

But it's also important to know what to even look at. Here's some options for you to consider:

River cruises

Did you know you can book a a Disney adventure cruise as part of a river cruise? It's a great way to get the best of both worlds - kids will be well taken care of AND the adults will have luxury they deserve. Even better, you can expose your kids to European culture in a whole new way. Nothing will make an impression more than actually being there.

OR let's say one of you loves to ride bicycles but the other want's a more traditional river cruise experience. You can get both with a Backroads vacation. Imagine going from driving along the Danube river in Austria only to come back to a top rated luxury restaurant every night.

Cruises - small ships

There's so many new cruise opportunities available these days. You may know Tauck as a top rated land tour company. But did you know they also do cruises? They specialize in small ship cruising to unique places like Arabia and Mediterranean isles or Iceland.

Cruises - expedition

The really new and exciting trend in cruising are expedition ships. These speciality built ships go to the more retote places like Galapagos, the Artic Ocean, Antarctica.

It seems like everyone is getting into the act. There's great offerings by Viking, Silversea, National Geographic / Linblad, Crystal, Ponant and there's many more.

Who to ask

How do you find out about all these great promotions and options? You could do all the homework yourself. But you still wouldn't get the full story. Ask an experienced travel agent that you trust. They will fill you in on all the details.