So, before you go on holiday, it’s worth checking when is the best time to go. We think there are a few considerations when you’re asking yourself, When should I go on holiday?
Think about answers to the following questions;
- When is it hot in January, February, etc?
- What season will I be visiting? i.e Winter, Summer, Spring
- Will I be hit by a Typhoon? Do a Natural Disaster check
- Are there any health alerts issues where I’m going?
When is it hot in… Our Month by Month Planner
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand 22°C (71.6°F) | New Zealand (Auckland) 24.2°C (75.56°F) | Cuba - Havana 28°C ( 82.4°F) | Mexico - Cancun 36.7°C( 98.06°F) | Dubai 31°C (33.8°F) | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro 25°C (77°C) |
| Florida 23°C (73.4°F) | Florida 23°C (73.4°F) | Dominican Republic 29°C (85°F) | USA - Orlando 28.3°C ( 82.94°F) | Dominican Republic 27°C (86°F) | Dominican Republic 30.5°C (87°F) |
| Cape Verde Islands 25.2°C ( 77.36°F) | Singapore 31.6°C (88.88°F) | Cape Verde 26°C (79°F) | Egypt - Cairo 28.1°C( 82.58°F) | Thailand - Phuket 29°C (84.2°C) | Thailand - Phuket 31.7 °C( 89.06°F) |
| Sydney 27.4°C (81.32°F) | Sri - Lanka 31°C (88°F) | Australia - Whitsunday Islands 22 °C (71.6°F) | Lanzarote 23.7°C ( 74.66°F) | Cyprus - Paphos 20°C (68°F) | Spain - Madrid 30.1°C( 86.18°F) |
| Lanzarote 20.5°C (68.9°F) | Greece - Crete 16°C (60.8°F) | Canary Islands - Fuerteventura 19°C (66.2°F) | Spain - Costa del Sol 21.8°C (71.24°F) | Canary Islands - Tenerife 20°C(68°F) | Greece - Athens 34.2 °C (86.72 °F) |
| Barbados 29°C (84.2°F) | Maldives 30°C (86°F) | India - Jaipur 32°C (89.6°F) | Greece - Kos 21.4°C (70.52°F) | Italy - Rome 27.1°C( 80.78°F) | |
| South Africa - Cape Town 27.3°C (81.14°F) | Mexico - Cancun 32.3°C (90.14°F) | Morocco - Marrakech 17°C (63°F) | Turkey - Bodrum 21,4°C (70.52°F) | Greece - Kos 32.1°C ( 89.2°F) | |
| Tenerife 21.1°C (69.98°F) | Italy - Sicily 12 °C (53.6 °F) | Cyprus 19°C (66.2°F) | Portugal - Albuferia 20.7°C (69.26°F) | ||
| Monaco - Monte Carlo 12°C (53.6°F) | Canary Islands - La Palma 19°C (66.2°F) | ||||
| July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Islands - Tenerife 29°C (84°F) | Thailand - Phuket 29°C (85°F) | Australia - Brisbane 24.2°C (75.56°F) | Italy - Rome 22.4°C (72.32°F) | Singapore 31.3°C (88.34°F) | Australia - Brisbane 28.2°C (82.76°F) |
| Mexico - Cancun 28°C (82°F) | Mexico - Cancun 29°C (85°F) | Greece - Athens 28.9°C (84.02°F) | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro 26°C (78.8°F) | Dominican Republic 30.5°C (86.9°F) | Dominican Republic 29.6°C (85.28°F) |
| Bali 28°C (82°F) | Turkey - Istanbul 29.7°C (85.46°F) | Turkey - Bodrum 30.7°C (87.26°F) | Sharm El Sheikh 28°C (82.4°F) | Australia - Brisbane 26.6°C (79.88°F) | Barbados 29.5°C (85.1°F) |
| Prague 23.9°C (75.02°F) | Malta 32.1°C (89.78°F) | Egypt - Cairo 33.3°C (91.94°F) | Morocco - Marrakech 28.3°C (82.94°F) | Cape Verde 28.3°C (82.94°F) | Mexico - Cancun 30.4°C (86.72°F) |
| Nice 27.4°C (81.32°F) | Egypt - Cairo 34.8°C (94.64°F) | Brazil - Sau Paulo 35°C (95°F) | Cyprus - Paphos 26.7°C (80.06°F) | Barbados 30.3°C (86.54°F) | Lanzarote 22.2°C (71.96°F) |
| New York 29.9°C (85.82°F) | USA - LA 29.1°C (84.38°F) | France - Paris 19.8°C (67.64°F) | Lanzarote 26.8°C (80.24°F) | Canary Islands - Fuerteventura 24.2°C (75.56°F) | Canary Islands - Tenerife 21.9°C (71.42°F) |
What season is it?
i.e Winter, Summer, Spring or Autumn
Ok so in In most cultures, including all western countries, the year is commonly divided into four seasons:
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall or Autumn
- Winter
The easiest way is to think about the world as the Northern Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere from a seasonal perspective.
Countries fall in one or the other (sometimes in a bit of both). Depending on where they are dictates the season.
Why are we telling you about this?
Well if you book just before or after the summer season, you can often get cheaper flight tickets, as we mentioned in our how people afford to travel article.
We used this trick when traveling to Sri – Lanka and it worked a treat!
Generally speaking the seasons across Northern and Southern Hemispheres fall in the following way:
| Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|
| Spring runs from March 1 to May 31; Summer runs from June 1 to August 31; Fall (autumn) runs from September 1 to November 30; and Winter runs from December 1 to February 28 (February 29 in a leap year). | Spring starts September 1 and ends November 30; Summer starts December 1 and ends February 28 (February 29 in a Leap Year); Fall (autumn) starts March 1 and ends May 31; and Winter starts June 1 and ends August 31; |
Popular Countries in Each Hemisphere
Unfortunately, this post would be far too long to list every country in the world, so we’ve cut it down to popular countries in each Hemisphere as well as those that overlap in Hemispheres
| Northern Hemisphere - Popular Countries | Southern Hemisphere - Popular Countries |
|---|---|
| Russia All of Europe (That's handy right!) The Middle East (Including the likes of Dubai, Egypt, Turkey) Northern Africa. Countries that fall in Northern Africa include the following: Morocco Egypt Mali Sudan China Brazil (Sits on the North and South and south of the Equator) See Below examples Salvador Fortaleza Recife Sao Luis Natal Mexico Thailand | Australia Argentina Angola South Africa Southern Africa. Countries that fall in Northern Africa include the following: Zambia Tanzania Namibia Mozambique South Africa Zimbabwe Chile Mauritius Fiji Bolivia |
Other countries that lie close to the Equator or on both sides
For the following countries, it’s best to individually check what the weather will be like, generally speaking, the weather in these regions will be relatively constant as well as the seasons.
In that respect, they can be seen as year-round destinations
- Kiribati
- Indonesia
- Maldives
- Somalia
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Columbia
- Ecuador
Other seasonal considerations e.g Typhoons
Unless you’re a storm chaser or have a hobby like that, we’re guessing you’re not going to want to go to a country that’s going to experience a natural disaster.
Many countries experience Typhoons, Monsoons or even Earth Quakes at different times of the year so it’s worth checking out if you’re not sure.
Four countries, in particular, are more prone to natural disasters than others:
- Bangladesh
- China
- Japan
- Philippines
Check this list of countries prone to Natural disasters to be extra careful if you want to be.
Please bear in mind that these points are considerations and not reasons not to go on holiday.
Just be careful not to talk yourself out of checking out a country, just choose the right time to go on holidays
Diseases & Vaccinations
Some countries are more prone to diseases than others, If there’s a break out of a virus in a particular region you need to be aware.
Needless to say, it’s best to be prepared if you want to check whether there is anything to be concerned about, have a look at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) website.
It’s worth knowing if you’re going to need vaccinations for your country of choice.
Is that all I need to know?
Well, sort of – The closer you get to the equator, the more these seasonal lines naturally blur
Depending on where you are going on holiday you may have other considerations for instance;
- Africa, you’ll want to know when’s it favorable to see wildlife (June – September) In case you were wondering 🙂
- Scandinavia- Which months are best to see the Northern Lights (January – April) In case you were wondering 🙂
- Asia – Rainy season June – October ) In case you were wondering 🙂
Ultimately, you can’t plan for everything, the climate may surprise you wherever you go.
We experienced flash showers when travelling to Asia, but it didn’t ruin our experience of the country at all, in fact it added to it.
Conclusion
We hope you found this article useful, it good to know where it’s hot and where it’s not.
Obviously we have listed countries which are generally popular when covering this article, but hopefully it will serve as a useful guide to you.
This information is also useful when you’re shopping for a deal. If you’re being offered a great holiday for an unbelievable price, come and check out this page again to check if the deal is that great.
Want more Information?
If you are looking for any more information on when to go on holiday we would recommend the following articles
Responsible Travel – If you’re looking for a comprehensive objective view of where to travel in which month, this is by far our favourite article.
Cn Traveler – If you’re looking for travel inspiration and a bloggers view on where to go every month of the year then look no further. In this article you can get some month by month guides on where to travel to every month of the year.
By the way, if you are interested in more travel tips, travel advice, travel product reviews and more be sure to check out some of our other great content:
- Suitcase Packing Tips and Tricks – Our weird but wonderful approach to packing
- Travelling to Sri – Lanka – Our Classic Ceylon Tour – From where to Stay to what to do – If you’re looking for an itinerary – look no further
- What is the Gro Pro Camera? Hero 7 Review – If you’re thinking of buying a Go-Pro, READ THIS REVIEW FIRST.
Great post! Very thorough. I love that you added the weather at different months of the year for various countries. That’s very helpful. Happy travels!
Hi Carla – Thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad you found it useful. You can also use the search bar to find the temperature for different countries too!
Really interesting stuff, thank you for the informative information, definitely have a better understanding about the different seasons now!
Hi Lee – Glad you found the article useful!