Top 5 Destinations To Visit Off-Season

Written way before Coronavirus, travel restrictions and Quarantine were terms we used daily, I preferred to travel offseason. I’m not a fan of crowds or going to the most popular destinations at the busiest times. It’s not for me. Yes, you read that right. I want to travel off-season. As bucket lists go, this is probably a bit unusual. I mean, why would anyone want to come up with a list of destinations to visit off-season? Well, for one reason, to avoid all the other tourists!! I’ve been trying to come up with a shortlist of possible options for us and I think I’ve narrowed it down to 5. At least. For now anyway.

So where does that leave us? Well, I have been investigating various options for us to enjoy a family holiday travelling during the offseason with Clickstay. They offer all sorts of accommodation types from city break apartments to luxury villas with private pools. They have over 70,000 properties to choose from in over 70 different countries.

Yes, but surely there’s a peak season, or ‘on-season’ for a reason?

Yes, of course, there is. However, sometimes it’s not about where people flock to during the peak season, but the fact that their holidays are dictated to by numerous other influences such as:

• school holidays
• annual leave
• Weather conditions over holiday seasons
• the ‘popular opinion’ or ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ …
• And since corona hit … sometimes we go where we’re allowed to go!

Well, I have decided that we won’t be doing that on a regular basis anymore.

The Destinations to visit off-season that I’m most interested in:

I personally can’t abide crowds, and I don’t particularly appreciate queuing to get in somewhere. Most of all, I really hate being ripped off by every single tourist attraction and eatery out there. And I really really hate fighting for space to get the perfect picture either, as evidenced by my ranting post about how the quest for the InstaPerfect picture is ruining my holidays.

I’m just done with all that; I would rather travel off-season. I’m not saying ‘never’ because I’m not stupid enough to fall for that one, but I am saying that I don’t want to travel during the peak season anymore.

Investigating off-season travel options

If you’re not convinced that travelling in the offseason is worth it yet, here are my top 5 destinations to visit offseason.

Visit The Canary Islands

The best times to visit the Canary Islands are from March to May, and from September to November. And by ‘best’, I mean, ‘the offseason’. All other times are extremely busy and considered peak tourist season as they coincide with the British and European school holidays. Peak seasons always mean higher prices and more crowds.

The Canary Islands have such a small difference in temperature from their winter to summer months that you’d barely notice a difference. With maximum temperatures in July of 27C to lows of 20 in January, I’m sure we can all live with that.

If you can get away during half term, or term time (provided you don’t have kids) you would save yourself a considerable amount of money, not just on flights but with villas in Gran Canaria too.

It would be wise to check the rainfall before booking though. November to February is their peak rainy season.

Portugal Off-season

Cooler temperatures in Portugal from January to March mean it is perfect for a spot of hiking without the humidity, and sightseeing without the crowds. Win Win in my book.

Visit Mainland Spain Off-season

Off-season Spain is hard one to pinpoint because even when it’s spring or autumn, they have a number of films and other festivals on. The trick is to check when these festivals are on, where they are, and then go to anywhere else in the country during these times.

Clickstay has a great selection of villas, as well as apartments for short breaks. Personally I’m eyeing these Villas in Gran Alacant out for a 5-night stay in December. What do you think?

Cyprus In Winter Is The Perfect Destination To Visit Off-season

Visiting Cyprus in Winter means going there between January and March. The number of tourists declines from around 350,000 to 50,000 so if you’re trying to beat the crowds and travel offseason this is the time to go.

It’s also a good idea to travel to Cyprus in the offseason if you want to avoid searing heat, which is therefore ideal for little kids. It’s not all about the beaches there either. There is hiking, history and hospitality to keep you occupied. Sounds perfect to me.

Sunny Florida In The Off-season

Is there such as thing as off-season in Florida? Well, believe it or not, apparently so. The low season in the Florida Keys is actually the summer months between June and mid-August due to searing temperatures. This could potentially offer a good window of opportunity for UK visitors, provided we can withstand the heat.

However, for this view, I think I could make an exception in a private villa with air-con. What do you think? Would this make your list of destinations to visit offseason?

So, which of these Top 5 destinations to visit off-season would be the top of your list? Personally, Cyprus appeals the most to me. I do love a bit of culture mixed with my downtime.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and some of the links in here are affiliate links which means that if you do book a holiday via one of them I would get a commission.