If you want to visit Hawaii, time your visit to the periods during the year when it is at its most affordable. (Shutterstock)

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If you want to visit Hawaii, Aspen, New York, Paris or Napa, you can bring a large billfold. Or you can time your visit to the periods during the year when these places are at their most affordable.

International travel was estimated last month to have declined by 4% in 2009 to 880 million travelers, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This year the UNWTO predicts industry growth of between 3% and 4%.

List: 10 Pricey Spots Made Affordable

The best time to travel varies from destination to destination. That can mean shoulder season or off season, or finding that window in high season when rates take a dip, if only for a couple of weeks. And it's worth the effort, because the savings can range from 20% to 50% off high-season prices. They may not be truly "cheap" at that point, but they often become affordable.

Take London. Though visitors will likely feel sticker shock regardless of how low the pound falls, both airfares and hotel rates fall between Oct. 15 and March 31, with the exception being the Christmas-through-New Year's holiday period.

The caveats here: weather and daylight. Wet, rainy and cold weather is to be expected, and the lack of daylight might turn off some travelers. In mid-winter the sun sets in London at 3:45 p.m. But if you accept that museums, the theater and restaurants are where you'll spend the lion's share of your waking hours, you probably won't mind it so much.

List: 10 Pricey Spots Made Affordable

Then there's Hawaii. How do you deal with a place where room rates seem uniformly high throughout the year? You go now, while recession continues to leave thousands of empty hotel rooms throughout the state. If you're willing, postpone travel between September and early December, which has long been the low season for the Aloha State.

May represents the sweet spot for Caribbean travel. By then prices could have dropped as much as 50% from winter highs, the weather is still terrific and the spring break crowds are gone. The weather gets warmer in June, but it can still be a terrific time to go. While July and August are quite hot, they might still be preferable to the weather in the U.S. at the same time. September through November are the quietest time in the islands.