One of the most common questions I get is “where can I travel to during [insert month here]?” 

Honestly, there’s no simple answer as it depends on your travel style, interests, and budget.

Thankfully, the world is now more accessible than ever before,

giving us the opportunity to travel to almost anywhere with any travel style and budget. But, with so many options available, it can be hard choosing the best destination for our next trip.

Also, you want to make the most of your trip and not waste your precious limited time abroad wading through the high-season crowds or in your hotel room due to bad weather.

And what about those expensive flights, overbooked hotels, and overpriced meals that come with the peak of the high season? We can avoid those too!

Enter, The Guide On Where To Visit Each Month of the Year

This month by month guide consists of 12 maps that show which destinations are on their high season, shoulder season (the travel period between high and low seasons), and low season.

It also highlights a few destinations that are the top destinations to visit in that specific month, as well as the destinations you should avoid due to bad weather. These are accompanied by a description of the best places that you should consider.

The data shown here has been compiled from several sources I’ve used to plan my own trips, as well as from my own experience traveling to over 138 of these countries in the past seven years.

To help make this guide visual and easy to understand, I used the following colour codes.

• Dark Teal for the high/peak season
• Teal for shoulder-season
• Light Teal (light teal) for low/off-peak season
• Green for the optimal countries to visit this month
• Red for the countries you should avoid this month

Whether it’s a honeymoon, an adventure trip, or a relaxing cultural getaway, this guide will help you narrow down your choices to fit best your trip based on a combination of activities, weather, and specific events.

Best Places to Visit in January

January is one of the cheapest months to travel since it is just after the holidays

and this is the moment when many travelers are starting to plan their trips for later in the year.

This is one of the best months to watch the northern lights in countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Greenland.

Skiing in the Alps is also a popular trip this month, so expect crowds in Austria and Switzerland. The Caribbean and Central America are perfect this time of the year

with warm weather and not much rain. Great beach time!

Puerto Escondido in Mexico has managed to stay off most tourists’ radars for years, yet its slowly coming to the spotlight.

All kinds of activities like scuba diving, horseback riding, and spotting wildlife like dolphins, sea turtles, and whales can be done this time of the year. And of course, you can relax at the beach too.

Speaking of beaches, Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia are also excellent options. Great dry and sunny weather for the beach or any outdoor activity.

South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, on the other hand, are in the summer months and quite warm. This is a great time to visit, but be aware that the Australia outback can get really hot.

If you’re looking to hike, Patagonia in Chile and Argentina is at the peak of its high season as the weather is at its warmest and driest, so if you’re a hiker, this is the time to go.

Best Places to Visit in February

Southeast Asia is still in its peak season, being one of the most popular regions for travelers this month. As much as I try to avoid high seasons, I have to admit this is one of the best months to visit the region.

The northern Scandinavian countries are still optimal to watch the northern lights,

as so are France, Switzerland, and Austria for skiing. Be aware that those slopes will be crowded.

Alternatively, there is Utah, Vermont, and Colorado in the USA, which are among the most popular states to ski.

Being the city of love, Paris will be beaming for part of the month,

especially around St. Valentine’s Day. Be aware that everything will be crowded, more expensive, and still cold.

The Caribbean and Central America continue with their excellent warm weather,

and so do Chile and Argentina, for those interested in visiting the vineyards and hiking trails in Patagonia.

Further down in the African continent, South Africa is also an ideal destination – especially one of its capital cities, Cape Town.

You can enjoy its famous wines and visit some of its popular beaches. Not to be missed is Boulders Beach, where you can get a close-up view of an African penguin colony that lives right at the beach.

While February is not the high season for Italy, many travellers go there this month to see the Carnival in Venice. Another Carnival you should not miss is Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival in Brazil.

Best Places to Visit in March

March is the start of the shoulder season for many countries, so it’s a good time to have an affordable trip no matter your travel style.

Italy and the other Mediterranean countries are starting to warm up pleasantly,

so you’ll be able to enjoy decent weather without the crowds. Egypt still has exquisite weather too.

Southeast Asia is still a good region to visit with good weather,

yet with fewer people than in the previous months. India is one of the best countries to visit in March, especially if you want to participate in their colourful Holi Festival.

Mumbai is among the best Indian cities to celebrate it. Not far from India is the Maldives, where you can have ideal tropical temperatures with blue skies almost every day.

Best Places to Visit in April

April is a really good month to travel on the northern hemisphere as the ice is finally thawing, the flowers are starting to bloom, and in many places, you are a couple of months ahead of the heavy crowds that come in the summertime.

Starting April, the Mediterranean is one of the best places to visit, including islands like Crete, Cyprus, and Malta. The Canary Islands has even more hospitable weather for an April vacation than most destinations in Europe.

In Africa, places like Morocco, Tunisia, and other northern African countries just came out of their rainy season. Further south, nestled between Zambia and Zimbabwe you’ll find Victoria Falls – the largest waterfall in the world.

April marks the start of the dry season, which means the falls will be less intense, but you will have a better chance of seeing the stunning curtain of water falling into the Zambezi River because of less spray.

Washington D.C. is also a popular destination as hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the American capital in April to see the world-famous National Cherry Blossom Festival, which celebrates the blooming of the Japanese cherry trees the city received as a gift from Tokyo in 1912.

Best Places to Visit in May

May is one of the best months to travel as

it has summer-like weather in most of the northern hemisphere without the summer crowds.

The UK tends to be sunny and Europe, in general, is now warm and full of outdoor activities. Croatia, while still in its low season, will soon ramp up to become a busy summer destination, so why not go ahead of the crowd?

Notable destinations that are worth visiting, but are still in their shoulder season are Hungary -especially Budapest– and Italy. The Mediterranean and the beaches in Portugal are also excellent choices this month.

Prague in the Czech Republic comes to life during its three-week-long Spring Music Festival.

Also in Asia, Indonesia is just coming out of its rainy season, so popular destinations like Bali now have good weather, yet are still in their shoulder season.

Another great destination for hiking at this time of the year is Peru, with some of the best weather to visit Cusco and hike the Inca Trail or other trails. The same applies to other countries in the Himalayas, the Alps, and the Andes.

Best Places to Visit in June

June marks the start of the tourism season in most of the northern hemisphere. Europe makes the most of it with its many midsummer parties, especially in northern countries like Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where you can see the midnight sun.

Many European cities are now celebrating a plethora of festivals including Pride,

which is also celebrated across the world on different dates of the month.

South in the Mediterranean,

the Greek islands are at their peak and so is Croatia with its famous sailing tours. Peru is still an excellent choice for hikers, but now temperatures are starting to go down.

Brazil, on the other hand, while it could be a bit cold in the south of the country,

the rest still has lovely temperatures and dry weather. If mild temperatures do not scare you, then this is a great time to visit Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world.