You can save a bundle if you’re ready to accept trade-offs

A seven-day cruise in the Caribbean for $399 per person, a fraction of the brochure rate. A vacation in a five-star Arizona resort for $179 per day, less than a third the $625 high-season rate. A round-trip cross country flight for $158, far less than the normal price.

These are some of the deals that are yours for the asking if your timing is right.

There are trade-offs, of course. That cut-rate Caribbean voyage sets sail in autumn, when demand for cruises is slack. The inexpensive sojourn in Arizona comes during the broiling summer, not the pleasant winter. You have to ride the weekday red-eye (late-night) flight to latch onto the cheapie cross country fare.

No one in the travel industry gives big discounts in prime time. But if you’re willing to give in order to get, bargains and accessibility are there for you — and sometimes even in high season. Here are some ways you can make timing work for you:

Airlines

The best fares are offered when the fewest people want to travel. Thus, lower fares are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays rather than on Saturdays and Sundays, and in the off-season rather than at peak periods.

You’ll get a better rate on a flight that leaves at 6 a.m. than one departing at a more convenient 10 a.m. Flights booked three weeks ahead cost less than those booked two weeks or one week out. Tickets booked less than a week ahead, or which do not include a Saturday night stay, usually command very high prices. But increasingly, last-minute deals and flights without a Saturday-night stay can be a bargain.

Make seasonality work for you: While winter is the high season for Sunbelt states, it is low season in Europe. From November to late March, you can fly from the United States to Europe for as little as $207 round-trip. The downside, of course, is that Europe is cold at that time of year.

Domestic flights to and from Florida are busier during the pleasant winter season, when residents of colder climes head south, so fewer seats — and fewer bargains — are available at that time. But you’ll find lower fares, good availability and still-pleasant weather in late fall, before the winter crush begins (pre-Christmas) and late spring (post-Easter), after the snowbirds go back home.

Happy holidays: Flights are difficult to negotiate during popular holiday periods, especially if you procrastinate. Rule 1 is to book well ahead of time. But don’t despair. Even if you’re booking on short notice, you can often find space on flights that leave very early in the morning or very late at night. Those who fly on the holiday itself may be rewarded with cheaper fares and less crowded flights.

Spur-of-the-moment getaways: If you can get away on short notice, check the airline Web sites on Wednesdays. On that day, the major airlines issue bargain fares good only for the coming weekend for select destinations. Tip: Sign up for airline deals at www.smarterliving.com.

Lodging

Hotels have more rates than cats have lives. Type of room and the view are two factors, but hotels also adjust prices depending on demand. And demand depends a great deal on seasonality. Always explore the possibility of lower rates and a better room both when calling for a reservation and on arrival at the hotel. (Ask about AAA, AARP and state-resident discounts.)

Season’s not the only reason: It isn’t just the time of year that affects hotel prices, it’s also what’s going on. In New York City, for instance, hotel rates shoot up dramatically if there’s a big event or convention in town. The same hotel might charge $119 one week, $279 the next. Of course, the usual high/low season differentials also apply.

To plan or not to plan: The odd thing is sometimes you get a better rate by making reservations, and sometimes you get a better deal simply walking into a hotel or motel off the street. Reservations are safest, of course, especially if the lodgings are likely to be heavily booked. My strategy on a motoring trip is to make a reservation, then get to my destination early enough in the afternoon so I can still cancel the booked motel without penalty if I find something better.

Don’t get stuck: Some hotels/motels won’t take a reservation unless you guarantee it with a credit card. If you do, timing becomes important. Usually you have until 4 or 6 p.m. on the day of arrival to cancel before you will be charged one day’s rent as a no-show.

Car rentals

Reserve your car ahead of time, so that if the deal is not to your liking, you have time to make other arrangements. Rental costs generally rise the closer you get to your desired pickup time, and weekend rentals are much cheaper than those during the business week. For holiday rentals, book your car as far in advance as possible, months even.

Make it a long weekend: Most companies begin their lower weekend rates on Thursdays, usually starting at noon. You can keep the car as late as Monday, so you can use your rental car for as long as four days at the lower rate. Be sure not to return the car late or the company will assess the sky-high weekday rate for extra days.

One-way deals: Car-rental companies move their inventory to Florida from the Northeast mid-September to mid-November and back north from early April to the end of May. If you’re traveling one-way in those directions at those times, you may get the rental at a low rate with no drop charge. These deals are not always offered, and not always advertised. Ask.

Play it safe: Hertz’s Paula Stifter advises making your car reservation at the same time you reserve your flight, so that you have a guaranteed rate on the books. If you come across a better deal later, you can cancel the earlier one without penalty.

Cruises

Seasons and styles are important factors to consider when booking a cruise. Like the airlines, cruise lines raise and lower prices according to demand. With strategic timing, you can sail on a modern ship for less than $100 a day per person, and even the most luxurious lines will put staterooms on sale during slack periods of the year. Note: If you don’t like to be around children, don’t sail in summertime or during holiday periods.

Seizing the season: Alaska cruises run from May to October, with the most demand coming in summer, so late-spring cruises cost less. Holland America, for example, priced its May sailings this year at $849-up with a 5-category upgrade, while July, August and September are tagged at $1,049-up with a 2-category upgrade.

Winter and summer are big times for Caribbean cruises. Autumn, though, is a beautiful time in the Caribbean and cruise fares are at their lowest then, particularly in September and October, when children are back in school. Sail on Princess Cruises’ brand-new Caribbean Princess this summer and fares begin at $999 for a seven-night cruise; after Labor Day, they drop to $549. Prices of short cruises also ease off in fall. A three-night jaunt from Miami on Carnival’s Fascination that costs $369 this month runs only $229 in late September.

European sailings run from April into November, though some lines operate year-round in those waters. Summer’s the prime time for Europe cruises, so you will get the best fares in late spring or autumn. A seven night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, for example, starts at $1,199 in July, but drops to $799 in October. The trade-off is twofold: The weather may be on the chilly side, and some of Europe’s attractions, such as museums, may close or curtail hours in late fall. Between spring and fall, I would choose the latter.

Best bargains: One-way repositioning cruises, when ships move to new bases, offer the best deals in cruising. These occur twice a year: In spring, ships relocate from Florida and the Caribbean to Europe and Alaska. In fall, they move in the reverse direction. Prices this year run as low as $57 per person per day, but most hover between $70 and $90. Most voyages run 14 to 17 days.

Last-minute sailings: Because of heightened security since 9/11, it is no longer possible to stand by on sailing day. Most lines now require at least 48 hours lead time for bookings, but in reality these days, a week or two in advance of sailing is regarded pretty much as last-minute. Check the Web sites of cruise lines and cruise-line booking agencies, which often have space available for flexible travelers. The plus/minus: You may get a good price, but the most desirable cabins may already be booked.

When in the world?

Each continent or region of the world has high and low seasons and wet and dry seasons, all of which have a bearing on the times you may want to visit.

Africa: The best time for safari guests is the dry season. Animals are more visible at that time because the foliage is less dense and they tend to congregate around water holes as other sources dry up, explained Julian Harrison, president of Premier Tours of New York, a specialist in African tourism.

In southern Africa, the dry season runs from July to the end of October and the wet season from early December to the end of February, Harrison said. Prices are best in the latter, viewing best in the former. In East Africa, the peak season also runs from July to the end of October, but there’s another near-peak from January to March. The less desirable wet season, called the Long Rain, comes in April and May. The Short Rain lasts from November into early December.

Asia: Spring is lovely in Hong Kong. With children out of school, summer is the peak season, though it can be wet. Hong Kong caters to business travelers in autumn, but there are still good deals to be had then. Currently, bargains are on the table because travel has been down due to last year’s SARS epidemic and this year’s chicken-flu outbreak.

Australia: There’s a big difference between the top and bottom. In the sophisticated south, Sydney and Melbourne, the two most popular destinations, are at their best in the drier summer (November-April), while the steamy Northern Territories are more pleasant in their drier (and relatively cooler) winter (May-October).

Best prices come in the low season, April 26-June 17, according to Kristen Malaby of the Australian Travel Commission. Cairns, the jumping-off point for trips to the warm Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia, is a year-around destination.

South America: Because this is a big continent, summer and winter can occur simultaneously, depending on what part you visit.

On the northern Caribbean coast, summer occurs at the same time as in North America. Temperatures in Ecuador, which sits on the equator, vary not because of latitude but because of elevation. Quito, at 9,500 feet, has springlike weather the year round. Guayaquil, which has blossomed as a destination in recent years, can be tropically hot. The wet season comes January-April.

In the southern portions of the continent, the seasons are reversed. Spring and fall are fine months to visit. Tourists cram Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro during its summer festival, Carnaval, in February, but it is often very hot then. Winter (June-September) in Buenos Aires can be rainy and chilly, but Bariloche in the Andes comes alive as one of Argentina’s prime ski resorts. Ditto for Chile’s major ski venue, Portillo.