We’re discussing why you should travel off-season in Europe. Are you a fan of our videos? Be sure to subscribe to travels and Ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos. For this list, we’re looking at some of the best perks and surprising advantages that come with visiting the old continent during less popular months of the year. It’s cheaper, regardless of how good a Christmas bonus you got this year or the surprise inheritance you received from your great Aunt Mildred. Budget is always a factor when planning a trip, even if you’re working with a comfortable chunk of money.
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The smarter you are with how you spend your money, the longer you can travel, and the more you can experience. And when you’re traveling in Europe during the offseason, regardless of destination, your dollar always goes further. Hotels and Airbnbs drop their prices due to lower demand, as do local tour companies and attractions. Airfare also tends to be substantially cheaper during the offseason, and because flights are less likely to fill up during this time of the year. Who knows, you may even find yourself getting a free upgrade. You can book at the last minute. The early bird catches. The worm is an idiom that very much applies to travel. However, if there’s one time of year when it loses some of its power, it’s in the offseason. This goes hand in hand with the cheaper argument because things book up less quickly, including flights, even those who wait until the very last minute can find themselves spoiled for choice at every part of the trip planning process.
If you want to plan a summer trip to Italy one month out, you’re likely to find 90% of the options on air and be already booked. In the offseason, however, you can decide to book a trip with as little as a week’s notice and still be able to get your ducks in a row without having to break the bank. Smaller crowds, shorter lines are you beginning to notice the pattern? Both of our previous two points come back to this one simple fact, the offseason is deemed to be just that, because travelers have collectively decided that these are the months when it’s less worthwhile to visit, and that’s relatively low. Number of tourists translates into less competition, but the diminished crowds is also something. But you will feel all throughout your trip when traveling during the offseason. Whether you’re trying to get into the Louvre, the Roman Forum or the Sagrada Familia, or just book a table at that hot little restaurant in Parma or Tbilisi, you’re likely to find the weight significantly shorter and the options available to you far more flexible when you’re visiting Europe’s hottest destinations, personal space is a rare pleasure. No sunburns.
This might hold true for all types of travelers. If you’re the sort of person who stands by the philosophy. The hotter the better than no. You’re not likely to be pleased with the average temperatures 1 encounters in Europe during the off season. Northern destinations like Stockholm are going to be cold. Same goes with Amsterdam, but if you dress appropriately, you’ll find much to appreciate about the uncrowded streets and sights, not to mention a certain fairy tale atmosphere in southern Europe. However, winter temperatures are delightfully mild, making destinations like Seville, Spain, Palermo, Italy, Athens, Greece, and Faro, Portugal. The perfect place to escape the cold back home without risking heatstroke. Don’t get us wrong, we love the sun, but when you’re trying to appreciate a city’s culture and natural beauty, it’s nice to not have to take hourly breaks from the heat or be continuously chugging water. A less tourist oriented experience in the modern age. It’s dangerous to romanticize a destination, especially one that’s long been a must visit like Paris, Rome, Athens or Barcelona. While the photos you’ve seen online portray them as idyllic hubs of culture over tourism is a major issue. It’s all well and good to say you’ve come to have an authentic experience, but with such an overbearing tourist industry, it can be hard to appreciate anything from an attraction or dining experience to a simple stroll through the streets. Without feeling like someone is trying to take advantage of you or sell you on some cookie cutter tourist experience in the offseason, however, the tourism industry dies down and suddenly one can find themselves having a far more genuine and honest interaction with the merchant. One that doesn’t make you feel like walking$ to see a different side of a destination on a different but related note to our previous point.
Traveling during the off-season isn’t just an opportunity for you to liberate yourself from the tourism industry, but for locals to be free as well. When the throngs of tourists go home, you can almost hear the residents let out a collective sigh of relief. The off season might be less desirable to outsiders, but especially in popular destinations, it’s actually far more representative of everyday life. As you stroll through the streets, you’ll see people going about their business and just living their lives. You can become a fly on the wall and really come to better understand what makes a city or town tick. Best of all, when you do reveal yourself as an outsider, you’re likely to receive a far warmer welcome than usual. Who knows, you may even find one of the newly relaxed residents introducing you to the sort of local experience that few travelers even know about. Photo OPS few other travelers get if you follow many travel photographers and bloggers on Instagram, you know all too well. The challenge of getting an original photo, sometimes traveling to a popular destination feels more like a treasure hunt focused around iconic photo spots. To check off your list rather than a creative endeavor when you travel during the offseason, however, be it during the winter or fall. You’ll find the atmosphere of such places to be completely different.
That iconic graveyard is utterly transformed by the light dusting of snow it receives. And the eerie leafless trees over crowded attractions are suddenly devoid of tourists after sundown, allowing you to both experience and capture them in ways that few others have. Even something as simple as the locals breaking out their winter wardrobes can fundamentally change the texture and tone of your photos. Unique festivals and cultural experiences. Christmas markets aren’t exactly a secret, but they nonetheless provide a great opportunity to experience a city at its most fairy tale. Like, even if prices jump back up during the holiday season. Throughout the offseason, however, life continues as usual for local people and that means even without tourists present, they continue to observe traditions and partake in various cultural celebrations. Explore the ice tunnels of Iceland and witness the chestnut festivals of Portugal. Visit a Finnish sauna. Stay at a nice hotel in Sweden or stare in wonder at the Northern Lights in Norway. Though the iconic Venice Carnival might get crowded, those occurring in the Dolomites of northern Italy, like the old one in Sapida. Make for a unique and intimate celebration.
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