I am a school counselor and face the same dilemma! Summers are ok every now and then, but I prefer other times of the year. I looked into Thanksgiving break this year, but the flights were a little more pricey than I wanted to pay. However, I get Mondays after thanksgiving off, so I was thinking about trying for Friday-Tuesday some other time. I think the flights will be cheaper after Thanksgiving, and the crowds will start to thin out over the weekend. Since early December crowds are low and flights are pretty cheap, I plan to take a long weekend and go frequently for Christmas time. This year I'm going over MLK weekend...leaving Thursday night and returning Monday so that I'm there 4 nights and miss only one day of work. Flights are just a tad higher and crowds aren't that bad. I don't think I'll go very often for Presidents' Day weekend in February because it takes more points. Same with Easter break, plus the extra large crowds.