Peak season vacations are often nothing like you want them to be. You’re going away to enjoy a break, after all, not battle against hordes of curious travellers. Unfortunately, as you’ll know if you’ve done off-season trips wrong in the past, peak season is so popular for good reason. Summer travel, especially, enables the best weather, the most activities, and a guarantee that there will be plenty going on.
But what if we were to tell you that there’s a better way? After all, off-season trips can be the perfect compromise, and seasoned travellers have been enjoying them for years. To join them and finally find the vacation-based peace that you’ve been looking for, simply implement the following pointers before and during your stay.
Step 1: Avoid tourist-heavy areas
Tourist-heavy areas like Teneriffe’s Costa Adeje might be great summer hotspots, but you’ll often find that bars, restaurants and shops in areas like these largely shut down once peak season ends. Even hotels will typically run on skeleton staff because, when the tourists leave, there just aren’t enough people around to justify the running costs. By comparison, less touristy areas like Cefalu in Sicily keep on running all year-round to keep local life ticking. Hence, travelling to off-the-beaten-track areas like this ensures access to all the restaurants and shops you need regardless of when you’re staying. All without the inevitable ghost-town feeling that you would get otherwise!
Step 2: Always check the weather
Obviously, the weather in most locations is best during the summer months (unless you’re looking into locations like Australia). While countless vacation destinations can still offer temptingly warm temperatures well into the winter months (Bali remains at around 26-27°C all year round!), it’s therefore always worth checking the weather before you book up. This means both checking average weather expectations for off-season months and getting a more up-to-date idea of the weather during the dates of your trip using apps that utilise the best weather api for guaranteed accuracy. Then, you’ll be able to choose a destination with semi-decent weather regardless of the time, as well as making sure to pack with the specific forecast of your trip at the forefront of your mind.
Step 3: Remain realistic about activities
It’s also essential to remain realistic about activities when you’re travelling off-peak. There’s certainly nothing to stay that you can’t still get stuck into plenty of local fun, but you may find that things like local tours etc. aren’t running during this time. Equally, remember that it’ll be much harder to stay safe on a hiking adventure, boat trip, or other physical activity if rain, wind, etc. get in the way. As such, always make sure that you’re planning activities that you know are operating during your stay, and that don’t require sunny conditions to be safe or achievable.
After you’ve travelled off-peak once, the chances are that you’ll never look back, especially if you ensure that you have a great time by putting these tips into action before you head off!
Tips for Trip Success
Book Your Flight
Find an inexpensive flight by using CheapOAir, a favorite of ours because it regularly returns less expensive flight options from a variety of airlines.
Book Your Hotel or Special Accommodation
We are big fans of Booking.com. We like their review system and photos. If we want to see more reviews and additional booking options, we go to TripAdvisor.
You Need Travel Insurance!
Good travel insurance means having total peace of mind. Travel insurance protects you when your medical insurance often will not and better than what you get from your credit card. It will provide comprehensive coverage should you need medical treatment or return to the United States, compensation for trip interruption, baggage loss, and other situations.
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