Aiko Garcia

Without wanting to provoke controversy, it seems to me that the idea of a low season stay does not define the duration of the trip, but rather offers opportunities for optimization for a pre-determined duration set by other imperatives.
In France, our five weeks of paid leave is a fairly structuring reality, regardless of the period.
If I have two weeks, the low season can generously help me optimize my budget for these two weeks, but it does not give me an extra week.
For example, for a couple with children, school holidays remain the main duration factor, even with more advantageous off-season rates.

Forget the binary between duration and cost as decisive factors of a trip.
The real problem is not whether a two-week stay is better than a longer one in low season for budget reasons, but rather what we want to experience.
Here in Japan, seasonality is intrinsically linked to experiences like cherry blossoms or summer festivals, making date flexibility often impossible.
Trying to save money by shifting a trip to see sakura in low season is a contradiction, as the event is ephemeral and fixed.
The lived experience, even if brief and more expensive, takes precedence over financial optimization, like buying a ticket for a specific art festival.

Short window of opportunity. It's true, once the group is fixed, the possible destinations shrink considerably. We must choose now with current constraints, otherwise the chance of a hassle-free trip evaporates. So, we'll directly focus on everyone's desires, not on an endless list of destinations.

Forget the binary of duration vs. seasonality; there is a third way that escapes this constraint.
In Japan, for example, date choices are often more flexible than the author suggests, not limited to just constraints.
Many companies offer flexible leave outside traditional peaks, allowing avoiding crowds and astronomical prices without falling into "low season" where everything is closed.
A shift of a few days can transform the experience, like finding a hotel in Kyoto at reasonable prices just before Golden Week.

Bad question. Try this: it's neither the duration nor the season that truly determine the value of a trip, but rather the flexibility and alignment with an authentic cultural experience.
Here in Japan, even a short stay can be incredibly rich if you aim for local events or cherry blossoms, regardless of the season.
What matters is not to minimize costs at all costs, but to maximize the cultural value of every yen spent.
A well-planned one-week trip, even during peak season for a specific festival, can surpass a month of low season wandering aimlessly, relying on alternative accommodations or simple meals.