Calendar
Travel calendar: where to go each month
The whole year on one page. Pick a month to see which destinations are at their best, which are cheap, and which to skip.
Northern and southern hemispheres run opposite seasons, so there is no bad month to travel — only badly matched destinations. Use this calendar to work backwards from the dates you already have.
January – March
April – June
July – September
October – December
How the seasons line up
When Europe and Japan are deep in winter, Patagonia, New Zealand and southern Africa are in high summer. Shoulder months — roughly April–May and September–October in the north — tend to give the best mix of weather, price and space.
Peak, shoulder and low season
Peak season means the best odds on weather and the worst on price and crowds. Shoulder season is where most of our highest scores land. Low season is not automatically bad: it is how you get a famous place largely to yourself.
Working from fixed dates
If your dates are locked, open that month and read down the list rather than starting from a destination you have already decided on. It is the fastest way to avoid paying peak prices for mediocre weather.