Summer is the most popular time to travel. The kids are out of school, people are booking time off work, and much of the world is warm and sunny. Of course, this also means that summer is the peak travel season, with the most people trying to lock down flights, rooms, and tours in the world’s most popular destinations.
For planning your summer travels, we have two bits of advice. The first is book ahead! We cannot state this enough. If you want to secure your spot this summer, don’t wait until the last minute. The earlier you book, the better prices and more availability you’ll find. Get in touch with a Goway Destination Specialist and we can help you find the best spots on exciting trips worldwide.
Second is to consider the following destinations. This list of summer travel destinations is a mix of summer classics and spots off the beaten path. They offer a wide variety of experiences, so whether you’re a beach bum, a culture vulture, or a wildlife lover, you’ll find a destination that plays to your passion. They’re also places that are arguably the best in the North American summer, so they’ll make for great getaways in this coming summer.
Alaska
The Alaskan summer is short, stretching from May to mid-September. It's a gorgeous time of year in the 49th state, where you can see brown bears fishing for salmon in the rivers and caribou herds crossing the thawed landscape. Of course, it’s also the most popular time of year to visit Alaska. If you want to visit Alaska this summer, get a move on, as spaces are filling up fast for hotels, tours, and train seats.
Botswana
The best time to visit Botswana is the summer, when the days are warm, the sky is sunny, and the nights are cool (but not cold!). The nation’s most popular attraction is the Okavango Delta, one of the world’s largest wetlands, and its water levels are at their highest during this time of year. If you want to explore Botswana’s famous waterways by a mokoro (traditional canoe) and experience a water safari, head on a Botswana vacation this summer.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is warm and beautiful year-round, but April to November is the dry season for this South Pacific nation, so if you want minimal rainfall during your visit, this is a great time to go. The Cook Islands is famously friendly and affordable for a South Pacific beach destination. It’s also easily accessible from New Zealand or Hawai’i, so it makes for a great add-on to a summer adventure to the Pacific Ocean.
East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania)
Both Kenya and Tanzania enter their dry season in the mid-summer months, meaning it’s a great time to head on safari later in the summer. Depending on when you visit, you have a good chance of seeing the Great Migration and even spotting wildebeest crossing the Mara River in the riskiest portion of their journey. The animal sightings are prolific this time of year, hence the popularity, so don’t delay.
Fiji
Fiji is a great beach destination, with a welcoming local culture, gorgeous natural environment, and some of the best coral reefs in the world. It also experiences its dry season from May to October, so if you’re looking for a great beach getaway, plan for a Fiji vacation with the family this summer.
French Polynesia
Being in the South Pacific, French Polynesia enjoys its driest and most temperate climate during the northern summer. June to August sees clear skies, calm waters, and minimal rain. This means it’s a wonderful time to relax in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora, Tahiti, or Moorea, or explore some of the many other tropical islands that offer a taste of paradise.
Indonesia
Due to its large number of islands, Indonesia has a lot of variation in terms of climate, but the best time to visit the Indonesian island of Bali is April to October, when the weather is warm, but dry. The lower humidity also makes it pleasant to spend long days outdoors, whether lounging on the beaches or exploring the rice paddies and volcanoes of the island’s interior.
Ireland
Ireland is gorgeous in the summer, when the entire country is green and in bloom. The weather is relatively mild, which means that it’s a pleasant time of year to spend your days outside hiking the cliffs or enjoying festivals and concerts on a road trip through the main cities, towns, and villages.
The Kimberley, Australia
This region of Western Australia is the outback at its most pristine and wild, stretching from Broome in the northwest to the borders with the Northern Territory. The Kimberley in Australia offers a landscape of stark canyons, gorgeous coastal beaches, and astounding natural phenomena like the Bungle Bungles, distinctive beehive-like rocks dating back over 350 million years. It’s also a great place to go for a camel ride on the beach (seriously). Being the outback, the Kimberley is most comfortable to explore in the winter months, which is summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Peru
The dry season of May through September is an excellent time to explore Peru. The dry weather and clear skies make it great for hiking the Inca Trail and exploring Machu Picchu; you’re practically guaranteed a great view from Intipunku/The Sun Gate during this time of year. The salt mines of Maras have their vivid whitewashed colours and there’s plenty of availability for spots on tours if you book ahead. We also have some great specials currently on trips to Peru this summer, so it’s a great time to lock in a bucket list trip to Machu Picchu and beyond today.
Switzerland
Switzerland might be best known for its snow-capped mountains, but it’s positively breathtaking in the height of summer, when the alpine region is bursting with flowers and vivid greenery, and the southern lakes are warm and inviting. You can spend your days outdoors hiking in the mountains or riding the trains for sweeping views of the landscape.
Zambia
Our summer is the dry season in the southern African nation of Zambia, where the days are hot, and the nights are cool. It’s an exceptional time of year to go on safari in South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi. You’re also guaranteed to have spectacular views of Victoria Falls.
You might say that Aren was destined to become a globetrotter after his family took him to Germany two times before he was four. If that wasn’t enough, a term spent in Sweden as a young teenager and a trek across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand confirmed that destiny. An independent writer, director, and film critic, Aren has travelled across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. His favourite travel experience was visiting the major cities of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, but his love for food, drink, and film will take him anywhere that boasts great art and culture.
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