When’s the best time to travel?

Knowing when to travel can be a rather tough decision. While travelling is all about unwinding and relaxing, there are various factors you’ll have to consider before you take your plans and put them into action. With a whole 365 days in a year, most people would think you could surely take off a mere 14 days to enjoy by the beach or in a destination you’ve always dreamed about. While most of the time this is true, actually knowing when the best time to pack your bags and travel is a whole different story. For those that work or have children in school, your travel plans will most likely work around dates that fit in for all those that will be travelling with you. Is the date you want to travel a good time for you to be away from work, do your kids have an important test during the time you plan to be away? Making sure you plan ahead of time always contributes to making your holiday go as smoothly as possible; however, there are also other important factors you should consider researching and investigating before you start booking time off work and, most importantly, your tickets. We’ve listed down below a few tips you should run through before you make your final decision. All the below tips can play a big part in making your holiday a successful one, plus financially it could also make things a whole lot cheaper. Your destination Once you’ve decided where you want to go, have a look at researching when it’s the best time to travel to your destination of choice. Depending on what you’re seeking to do while on holiday can make a big difference on when you travel to. If you’re looking for a summer getaway where the sun will be shining all day long and late into the evening, then you won’t want to travel during the rainy or winter season. If you’re looking to do a lot of water sports, then consider searching for the best time of the year to travel when the waters are calm and suitable for the type of activities you’re looking to enjoy. Planning out what you hope to do, or what you’re looking to enjoy during your holiday will help you decide the time of the year to travel to your holiday destination weather-wise. Cost Certain periods of the year can be rather expensive, just as other occasions can be incredibly cheap. If you’re flying on a strict budget consider looking into the cheapest time of the year to fly to your destination. Hotels may also vary, checking whether it’s peak season at your holiday destination could either help you save, or mean you spend a whole lot more money on hotels due to the particular time of the year. While the time of the year you hope to travel to may depend on you and your families schedule, making sure you plan way ahead of time could help you save mega money. If you’re organised enough you should be able to get the time off during the time it’s cheapest to be away. Work and school If you’re travelling with a partner and you’re both working, or you’re travelling with your children that will have school, making sure you get all the necessary details for when you want to be away is a must. While travelling during the school holidays is known as a much more expensive time to travel, there are various factors you need to consider and carefully think through if you plan on taking your kids out of school during the school term. Make sure you talk to the teachers and headteacher of the school your children go to. Will there be a major test taking place during the time you’re hoping to be away? Can your child make up for the time they’ll be gone? Ensure you run by these questions with the school before you start booking anything. Some schools don’t allow students to go on holiday during school terms, while some will even fine you. Get as much info as you need before making our final decision. Regarding work, depending on how far into the future you plan on going away can affect whether it’ll be a good time to travel or not. Most of the time, and if you’ve got paid leave or holiday time, your employer should agree to your desired time away. Make sure you give enough notice and in the rare event your company isn’t happy with the dates you’re planning on travelling, try and see if you can work together to come up with a decision you can both agree on. Events Depending on where you’re travelling to, there may be various events or festivals taking place near the time you plan on travelling. Make sure you do your research to see whether anything is happening during the time you plan on travelling as you may want to work it that you’re able to enjoy and take part in the said events. Finding out you just flew home a few days before a big event took place at your holiday destination choice can be a rather frustrating and annoying situation. Religion If you’re travelling to a country that is known for being religious and having religious holidays, then we recommend you seek advice on the best time to visit. Some countries that celebrate religious holidays may mean certain attractions won’t be open, or people may be expected to lay low during the said period as a sign of respect. While you may be on holiday, you must remember that you are a guest to the country of your choice and you must respect their religious holidays and the ways they celebrate them. At the end of the day, the best time to travel will depend on a lot of things that you can easily sort out beforehand if you plan ahead of time. Make sure you consider the above factors as they will contribute to making your holiday the unforgettable one you’ve been longing to enjoy. If money and your personal schedule isn’t a problem then you’re definitely one of the lucky ones, however for those that do have to consider the above, make sure you allow enough time before you plan to travel. The ultimate way to save financially is by planning and being organised ahead of time. Wherever you decide to travel to, and whatever time of the year it is, we hope you enjoy your much-deserved break, and return ready and energised to face another busy year. Nabeel Shariff is the Owner of Luxury Halal Travel. Luxury Halal Travel brings together some of the world’s leading hotel brands to offer Muslim travellers incredible experiences whilst observing their Muslim faith. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

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12 Comments

  1. Am I right in thinking that’s the picture is of the Abu Dhabi mosque? One of the wonders of the modern world in my opinion.

  2. It’s just as well hat we all have our own personal favourite times to travel. For many, many years we took our main family holiday at Easter. Here in England, as captain of my cricket team, I played cricket every weekend from mid-April until the end of September so didn’t want to go away in the summer. My wife hates the cold so she was always eager to get a blast of sunshine over Easter and went a long with my plan. Then of course my son started playing cricket too so Easter suited all of us.

  3. Going back a few years my husband got an unexpected bonus from work late October. Looking ahead we decided to spend it on a Christmas holiday not realising how expensive Christmas flights are. Playing about with our annual leave we managed to go from 28th December to 5th January which wasn’t quite as astronomically expensive. The trouble is that once you find a slot like that which works its hard not to book it the next year and the next year …. even though my husband’s never got that bonus again.

  4. Lots of good points here and I think the best one is just to prepare ahead of time and do your own research. I did a lot of traveling last year and ultimately it matters a lot what season you travel, not just due to weather but also from peak/off-season with tourists. There are usually websites that offer information like that — when is the best time to go. This can make all the difference when traveling because usually, the best time to go anywhere is when the tourist season is at low tide so to speak. You’ll be able to find discounts with rooms, etc. And if you travel on a holiday there will usually be higher prices for goods, so it’s best to avoid that with just a little research of your own.

    1. I think Covid-19 is going to rewrite the rule books, at the least in the short-term. I’m sensing a lot of pent-up demand with those of my friends who are travel addicts. Some of them are frustrated that they’ve had to cancel a trip whilst others are getting very frustrated that they dare not book any thing at the moment. Once people feel confident to book I think there’s going to be a real rush to go places with people breaking out of their traditional patterns of travel.

  5. It often depends on the type of destination and what you want to do. I’m still debating the beach holiday for this year but I know wherever and whenever I go I want sunshine and warmth, but I’d like to not go during the worst of peak season this year because it gets too busy. I’d also like to save a few pennies if possible but thankfully I don’t have to work around school and term times. I don’t envy the parents that have to schedule around that and have it coincide with time off they can get from their own jobs.

    You’re right about saving financially and the need to plan ahead of time. I used to do that more years ago but the last three or four years I’ve left it until just a few weeks beforehand so I’d like to be a little more prepared in advance this time. The problems come with things like concerns over travel companies going bust or the current coronavirus scares and such. You can get some good last minute deals but sometimes it’s not possible if you’re having to organise things like work and whatever else on short notice. All good points to consider.

  6. This is the most asked question nowadays. Because of the situation the world is in today, all are wondering when is the best time to travel? We all know “after all this”, but the real question is when? And for right now, no one really knows. And it is during these times to that you start dreaming of all the wonderfull places that are still left for you to see. Makes me also wonder at all the things I have taken for granted during my travels — even enjoying the bustle of people on the street.

  7. This question has become even more pertinent since this blog was posted. I’m sure many people will be quite nervous bookers currently. I for one will be closely scrutinising cancellation and refund policies as well as travel insurance terms and conditions. It’s a sad state to be in, but I won’t let it stop me traveling!

  8. Okay, so I went to Google to search for the exact title of this article and came across this. There’s a lot to consider and add to the list above is the pandemic that we are now experiencing. I am a bit sad because I am searching for the best time to travel instead of what are the best places to visit. But thanks to this post, I now know what to consider if I decide to travel anytime soon.

  9. This is a question that ain’t going to go away. It’s hard to have a completely free choice as so often family commitments and work commitments restrict our choices. High peak season rates are also something to consider for most of us.

  10. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spoken to a lot of people who said that they were glad that they hadn’t booked their usual Mediterranean summer holiday. If global warming continues like this then the holiday seasons will have to change.

  11. My wife and I were teachers so we had very little choice as to when we could go on holiday. Worse still, we were having to travel at times with peak prices. It’s great now that we are retired and have so many more opportunities to travel at the times we choose.

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