B-Jay5288

I want to travel from Texas to Fla. to see my soon to be first Great Grandchild. It will probably be sometime in October. I have checked with travelosity, and others but it is not cheap. Am I planning to far in advance or is that just a high priced place to travel to....I am pricing with a car, hotel and flight. Is that the best way to do it? I want to be somewhere near Bradenton. What is the best airport to fly into and is one destination (airport near there) cheaper then the other? I want a nice hotel, near the the beach w/ microwave and fridge. Gonna stay 7 days. Any help would be appreciated.

ChuckT8043

Summer is off season..

KxFx0321

anytime that not a holiday weekend .. or during winter months ..

Meg5190

order tickets online either tuesday nights or wednesday mornings

vlct0ria0249

Summer...people come to FL for all-year warm weather. Meaning the snowbirds come down in the winter and clog up our highways...if you want to see FL minus the tourists, come in summer. It's hot, but it's beautiful.

TravisCombs1932

I live in Florida. Summer is the best to avoid tourists. However, this is also when the kids are out of school, so theme parks and places like that will be packed. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper they are.

macguffin5244

Florida is currently in the off-season. Seems like your soon-to-be first Great Grandchild (congrats, by the way!) is due to be born during the peak season in Florida, which is October-ish to April-ish. Yes, flights and accommodations are pricier then (and none too cheap on off-season, either). Definitely use the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport (aiport code SRQ). It's West-Central Florida's nicest, easiest airport to navigate -- and it's mere minutes from Bradenton's and Sarasots's commercial areas.As for a nice hotel in Bradenton: Try the Holiday Inn at 6231 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota FL 34240. It's relatively new and clean!!! And it's about ten minutes from the airport.For car rentals, try Hotwire.com.Hope this helps, "Granny"!

HeidiL9730

Off Season in Florida generally runs from end of Spring break (May 1?) to November 1.I would fly into Tampa. Although Sarasota airport is more convenient to Bradenton not a lot of commercial jets fly there. Check with the airport closest to you. I also prefer staying on St. Pete Beach. The trip from St. Pete to Bradenton is not too bad and you get to cross the Sunshine Skyway...it is so beautiful! Check this link for other information about where to stay and such. Enjoy your trip!www.city-data.com/city/Bradenton-Florida.html

bmh4236928

I am doing this exact thing right now, although I am planning a trip to St. Petersburg/Clearwater and am flying into their airport (PIE). I did do research on www.expedia.com and found prices more expensive for the whole package. So, I am using www.usa3000.com to fly into PIE and am going to use expedia just for the hotel and car. BTW...they also use the most expensive car rental place (Hertz), so you have to change it to one of the cheaper ones (either Enterprise or Dollar).