Where To? Summer Edition
Although summer is my least favorite season, especially for travel, I also understand it’s the most convenient time for much of the world to vacation, as you will also realize upon arrival at your destination. As our anniversary is in October, my fiancé and I have made it a tradition to travel sometime in the month in celebration, which also happens to be his birthday month. While that’s our normal time of year that we like to check off places on our lengthy bucket list, we have unintentionally traveled in the spring quite a bit as well. Summer is rare for us, but that doesn’t mean we would never choose that time to travel, we just have to be strategic since our main goals are avoiding the crowds and lowering the likelihood of our baggage getting lost. I’m incapable of packing in only a carry-on.
I visited Japan in the summer once upon time. It was my very first visit - and the last time I’ll go there that time of year, due to how humid and hot it was. Part of my misery was due to practicing judo in an AC-less building for 5 hours a day for the first 5 days. Imagine having to peel off sweaty clothes for your lunch break AND THEN put them back on afterwards. My skin is crawling at the memory.
Beach destinations have never particularly been our thing; we like to go, go, go on vacation, see as much as possible, which still isn’t everything. I’ve always longed for the cities and places dripping in history, but I have found a love for the great outdoors in the last few years, thanks to road-tripping in the Jeep and visiting Switzerland, but those are stories for another time. If you’re looking for suggestions on where to take your next summer vacation, but like me, want to avoid the crowds as much as possible, look no further. Here are my top five picks, straight from my bucket list, if I were to travel in the summer:
Baseball road trip. It’s literally the perfect time for a road trip or a visit to All-Star Weekend! I have a huge bucket list goal to visit every MLB stadium. So far we have 5 out of 30 stadiums checked off.
Hawaii. While this is still a tropical destination, there’s so much more to do than just laying on the beach! Gorgeous views, a little bit of history, plenty of great food, lots of hiking, and the culture. May and September being the less traveled.
International? I would recommend anywhere near water versus a major city. Think places like Portofino or the Amalfi Coast. You can always go early summer in May, or late summer in the beginning of September to miss out on some of the crowds.
Iceland. If you want to experience some cooler temps even during the summer. I love traveling when I can bundle up in layers and don’t have to worry about sweating through my clothes! Any time May-September is ideal, with May and September being the better prices and having fewer crowds. Avoid July.
Greece. What’s not to love? Just try to avoid the months of July and August.
My main suggestion to anyone traveling this time of year is try to travel in either May or September, if possible for the smaller crowds. It’s not possible for everyone but if you can, get that trip in earlier or later than everyone else. You’ll be less likely to lose that checked bag too.
When do you prefer to travel in the summer? Where or what time of year do you tend to avoid traveling? Just like with everything else in life, everyone has a different preference when it comes to travel - and this is mine!
So…where to?
