If you ask us, the best time to visit *most* places is during their shoulder season. The term is defined as: a travel period between peak and off-peak season. For example, peak tourist season in Italy is the summer months and a shoulder season there would be fall. We hate battling against throngs of other tourists and paying out the nose to stay somewhere just because it’s high season. If you plan it right, you can cross off places on your bucket list, pay a lower rate at hotels, and explore new places stress free. Here are the 8 places we think are way better during shoulder season.
- Tahiti: High season there is the summer months, but come mid-August tourism slows down a bit, allowing you to access cheaper prices for hotels and airlines. It’s still a very expensive place to visit but going in the fall will be more reasonable and you’ll still have great weather.
- Italy: If you have FOMO from all the Italy pictures and reels flooding social media right now, take a deep breathe. What you aren’t seeing are the zillions of people crammed together, just out of frame. Summer is the high season for Italy because the weather tends to be nice and hot. However, our favorite time to go is fall. Long as you don’t wait til late autumn, the weather will still be warm (but not crazy hot like summer) and prices tend to fall once the summer tourist season ends.
- Hawaii: Now this is another place that’s going to be expensive no matter what time you visit but what time of year do most people do? The dead of winter. Makes sense – that’s when the lure of Hawaii is strongest…but it’s also when it’s the priciest. Rather then December-February, choose dates in March or April. It’ll be still a lovely escape from cold and dreary weather and your pocketbook will thank you.
- New York City: People who want to visit NYC dream of coming in the summer months. It’s warm (sometimes unbearably so with all the concrete) and not many places do alfresco dining as well as NYC. But ask any local (and we used to be locals) and they’ll tell you summer is when they escape to The Hamptons, New England, or fill in the blank. It can be hot!hot!hot! and wanna know what happens when it’s that hot in the concrete jungle? Trash starts the smell and the scent of dog pee boiling on the sidewalks is all you’ll smell while strolling Manhattan. Gross! Fall is absolutely gorgeous there and cheaper than summer of Christmastime…though we’ll admit, there’s something pretty magical about holiday season in NYC so if you’ve got the extra dough to spend, go then!
- St. Barth’s: If you ask us, there is perhaps no more perfect a place than St. Barth’s. This gorgeous Caribbean island is a live of heaven, with stunning beaches, incredible French cuisine, and a vibe unlike anywhere else we’ve been. You will pay out the nose to visit St. Barth’s in the winter and it’s just as nice come spring, trust us. So wait til March-May to take your trip and thank us later.
- Napa/Sonoma: Harvest season is when prices skyrocket in wine country and typically that’s September. Winter is a bit drab but our favorite time to visit is Springtime. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper and the weather will give you cool mornings and evenings and lovely afternoons.
- Japan: There is no place quite like Japan with its buzzing cities and exciting food scene but everyone tends to visit March-May and again September-November. So you should plan your visit in between those times! In the summer months, be sure to spend some time on Okinawa- the beaches are fab!
- Australia: Christmas through June is when the big cities in Australia see the most tourism. That’s summertime for them so it makes sense people would make the most of the warm weather. However, if you choose to visit during their winter ( which is our summer) you can still do plenty of exploring. The average temperature in Sydney in June is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. So long as you plan things beyond the beaches, you’ll pay less and still see everything!
