International Holiday Seasons: Finding the Perfect Weather
From a visit to the Eifel Tower to climbing Mount Everest, we’ve got your back for finding the perfect weather to travel to your ideal holiday destination.
Safari in Africa
Africa is the second largest continent in the world and, as such, offers a bountiful range of tourist activities to partake in. Starting right at the bottom with Southern African countries such as Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and, of course, South Africa itself, July to November seems to be their peak tourist season. Wildlife is abundant, making it a great time to book a safari, and quite a cool buy dry temperature.
Moving toward Ethiopia, it’s best to avoid the wet season June to October as it makes for poor trekking and obscured views of the wonderful mountains. From November to April is recommended as the land will be fresh and green with many celebrations (such as Timkat, the biggest Christian celebration) happening in January.
Madagascar is another great tourist destination. Avoid January to March as this is their cyclone season but definitely head out during October to December to see some cute baby lemurs!
Exploring Europe
Although Europe consists of over 50 countries with diverse climates, heritage sites and tourist attractions, the travel seasons are generally quite similar. Thanks to cooler summers compared to Australia, Europe will see many foreign travellers from June through to August with their low season from November to April. As such, we recommend booking your European getaway in May, or September/October.
There’s almost a million and one reasons to travel to Europe thanks to its grandeur. For the best weather, northern countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland have cool summers that average around 22 degrees Celsius. Around the same time in continental Europe (the mainland, excluding the surrounding islands) will be a little warmer, sitting in the high 20s. However, Mediterranean Europe (Spain, Greece, Portugal etc) have hotter summers, with their milder weather in April/May and September/October. For ideal beach and hiking weather, visit during an extended summer season from June to September.
If you’re looking for a skiing holiday in Europe, most ski resorts will open in late November and close around mid-April. To get the best weather, accommodation and fewer crowds, we recommend hitting the slopes late January after holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s.
Immerse yourself in the culture of Asia
As the largest and most populous continent, Asia is home to some great landscapes, rare wildlife and is a conflicting land of calm and chaotic, rich and poor. Unlike Europe, however, it is hard to sum up the best time to visit Asia’s numerous countries, so we’ve broken it down into the most popular destinations.
Although wildly favoured among Australian tourists, Japan is still a severely underrated country filled with quirky and cool cultural aspects. Dense with history, regions of Japan are scattered with beautiful temples and many residents are still quite ritualistic, devoted to tradition. For the best temperatures and weather, visit in late spring and autumn.
Also in Asia, one can never go past The Himalayas. Over 40 million years old, The Himalayas are home to some of the world’s highest mountain peaks including Mount Everest. Spanning India, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan, it is an undisputed jewel of Asia. These countries offer the best weather from October to May.
Trick or treating in the States
Fall, or autumn as we call it in Australia, is definitely the favoured season to travel the United States of America. You’ve got Halloween and Thanksgiving, school is back in session and the weather is incredible! With temperatures dropping and leaves falling, the landscape becomes picturesque like Australians really on get to see in movies. September to November still offers great beach and hiking weather.
Visit one of the Seven Wonders in South America
Such a vast and enticing continent, it’s almost too difficult to pinpoint a prime time to travel through the countries of South America. Given the proximity to the equator, there’s a diverse number of climates in action at any one time. For most of the continent, summer is the hottest yet wettest time of the year, making it unfavourable for those wishing to trek the Inca Trail at Machu Pichu, explore the Amazon rainforest, cruise across to the Galapagos Islands or visit the Andes – for this, we recommend booking your trip for spring or autumn. Winter can often see temperature fall below freezing which can be ideal for those looking to ski in the Patagonia region.
Play with penguins in Antarctica
Known for being a landscape of snow and ice, Antarctica makes for quite an interesting travel destination. With summer and winter being in stark contrast of each other (winter being dark, lots of ice and barely any wildlife to summer having an abundance of wildlife and light), it’s obvious the preferred travel season is summer. However, each month in Antarctica differs from the next, and although, like us, summer is from December-February, the best time to travel would be from January to March.
Oceania
Australian travellers often underestimate their surroundings, deciding instead to travel far and wide. However, we’ve plenty to offer right here in our local, Pacific Ocean. From the Cook Islands to Fiji, New Zealand to Papua New Guinea, we’re in the perfect destination for a holiday cruise. Experiencing weather similar to us here in Australia, many of our neighbours offer great destinations for those wishing for a tropical or romantic getaway. Try snorkelling in Tahiti or the Solomon Islands around February or March, cruise to Vanuatu around October – November or just take a leisurely holiday from April to May.
Earth offers many diverse climates, with each country offering a range of activities depending on the weather and temperature. For more information, get in touch with Redcliffe Cruise & Travel today for the most up-to-date information.