Hello All
I like to take vacation time later in the year around October or November of the year I think that might be the should or low season for most places, please let me know if I am wrong on that. I will be a solo male traveler, I am not too hung up on where I want to go just want to be able to travel and see beautiful nature and history. Any advice on cheaper places to go and when to go that is still worth the cost of traveling there from Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Welcome Mitchell!
October and November are in what I consider to be the shoulder season. You may still find many places still busy then. Tourism has gotten to be so popular that there's not a lot of difference in times of year.
The deeper you go in November, the less likely you'll run into crowds. Weather and short days can be a factor though.
Have you traveled in Europe before? I'd look hard at Paris in October/November. We spent a lovely week in Paris in October a few years ago. It wasn't that crowded and we had a wonderful visit. Another year we spent a wonderful week in Tuscany just before Christmas. Even Florence was not too crowded. Last December we spent 14 days in Austria and Slovenia. We saw some snow and a few days were cool and rainy, but overall it was a great visit.
Nature and architecture. Eastern Europe. Better on the budget too. Fewer tourists as well. Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia.
Most of the hot and humid parts of Europe are actually just warm and pleasant right now. Have to cope with variable weather in some parts, but Oct and Nov are great times to avoid crowds. Been to warmer spots like Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Turkey in those months. But also been to Germany in October and it was great.
In the US, October is a good time to try the Grand Canyon. Or similar popular but insanely hot National Parks - both temps and crowds - like the Utah ones.
I have taken 4 trips to Europe in October or November. On the whole, those months are a great time to travel. The crowds are smaller than they are in peak season, the weather is generally still good and most everything is open. (Keep in mind that I'm from Chicago: What's an acceptable temperature for me is often cold for others.)
However, there can be negatives regarding travel in those months. In October 1997, I was in Ireland, and it felt a bit cold even for me. Another negative is that some sites and museums in low-population areas might have reduced hours or are closed for the season.
One idea is to go to the Mediterranean countries in October or November. In October 2022, I was in Croatia and Slovenia. It was perfectly warm.
Another idea is to go to any big city and spend an entire week. In January 2012, I spent an entire week in Paris. There were no tourist hordes, most everything was open and the temperatures were about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than Chicago. (It doesn't have to be Paris. You could spend a week in Rome and-or Madrid in October and November, and you'll never get bored: All the restaurants, museums and sites are open.)
It really just depends. For some cities, this is an ideal time to visit. For others, they are likely to be just as crowded and expensive. But overall, it is a great time to travel. If visiting a city, I don't worry about weather too much, so a lot depends on what you mean by seeing nature.
For me, airfare is always the biggest expenditure. I'd go to the LAX website and see who flies direct. Pick a few cities that sound interesting, then check for feedback on those places. Include how much time you have.
go to the LAX website and see who flies direct.
Or go to Google flights, and accept one change of planes in each direction, and get the flight at tge best value that departs from a convenient airport. Consider open jaw as they could provide flexibility and facilitate a more interesting trip.
For me, if I had 2 weeks and wanted architecture, history and nature in early October I would do Montenegro and Dubrovnik and Budapest. In November I would do Vienna and Slovakia and Budapest and time it for Budapest after the Christmas Markets open in mid-November.
I spent the first 10 days of November in Spain once and it was perfect, a light jacket was all I needed and I remember thinking the cost was cheaper compared to other places I’d been. Have you ever considered March? I’ve traveled to Europe in March twice (Ireland/Northern Ireland and Sicily) and felt it was a great time to be in Europe, lower crowds and prices, days getting longer, things starting to bloom.
My thoughts are the same as Mr. E on looking at Eastern Europe as an interesting and less expensive place to go.
We did a "fly by the seat of your pants" tour thru northern Ireland the last week of October and discovered some places closed, and others on very reduced hours (like 10-2pm.... so I'd say do some research and maybe look at cities rather than the country side
That’s been our approach for the last several years:
Oct 2018 - Ireland and Northern Ireland, with a rental car. Fairly inexpensive, and places were open at regular hours. Was less busy than on our following Ireland trip, in April/May 2023.
Oct 2019 - Crete, Greece, again with a rental car, which you’d want if you’re going to get around beyond the cities. Cheaper destination, and we were by able to show up in a town and book a room on the spot, without having to prebook well ahead of time. At a couple of places, we were the only people staying there. Elsewhere, it wasn’t completely empty, but not overwhelmed with tourists.
2020 - Covid, no travel
2021 - late Sept/early Oct - Italy. While places like the Cinque Terre were unpleasantly overcrowded, Umbria was not. Rome was also less crowded than we’ve seen at other times.
2022 - late sept/early Oct - Italy again, including Florence, which had plenty of tourists, but fewer than on a prior trip at a different time of year.
2023 - late Sept/early Oct - Denmark/Norway. This was not an inexpensive destination, but we were told repeatedly that the busiest tourism season was over, and it was far less crowded. Unless you want to go in winter for skiing, dogsledding, etc., then fall is when to go. Still pleasant weather, and fewer visitors.
Nov 2024 - we’ve just booked a trip to Vietnam in 2 months. It’s shoulder season, and the tour company is charging just half price, so this is the time to go!
In October I'd seriously look at Porto, Portugal. I was there last October, and it was great. Hotels were 30% off what they were in August, the bus cost a euro per trip, and I could easily feed myself for less than 15 euro a day. (I did spend a lot more than that a couple times.)
In November things start getting cold on the mainland. I'd look at Prague, Budapest, or Moldavia. It won't be warm, but it's nice, and very inexpensive. Or think about someplace like Tenerife.
Not as cheap, but certainly easy to get to, less expensive than high season, and with lots of history, you could fly into Frankfurt and tour around Europe from there. You have Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria all fairly close, and you can pick what era you want to explore. Pre-historic sites, Roman ruins, WWI or WWII, Middle Ages; they're all quite easy to find. As long as you don't stay into the latter half of November, when everyone is gearing up for the Christmas markets and lodging prices go up again.
If you just stay in Germany, you can travel fairly inexpensively using the Duetsches (Germany) ticket, which for 49 euros lets you ride all the regional trains and most public transport (buses, trams, etc) for a whole month.
These open ended questions with not context are obvious for people posting their favorite places.
Architecture, History, City October or November
Budapest
Favorite Tourism Video of Budapest: https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJi79Yd9F2yuKCVeZLYw?e=3ddmAg
Anthony Bourdain describing how visually pleasurable Budapest is: https://youtu.be/0nd9DuDGCz0?si=aa0c19KaJHEtabkX
Favorite Guide Book because its small and does the essentials: DK Eyewitness Budapest Top 10
Christmas Market (mid-November): https://youtu.be/gEYov4y5GSI?si=KV5OjZBve3VDeJP0
For the fourth time, Budapest’s Christmas market has been chosen Best Christmas Market in Europe, after winning in 2023, 2021 and 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2023/12/07/the-20-best-christmas-markets-in-europe-with-budapest-at-the-top-by-european-best-destination/#:~:text=For%20the%20fourth%20time%2C%20Budapest's,in%202023%2C%202021%20and%202019.
Nature
October
Montenegro. More for outdoor activities, because still warmer. Short Discount airline flight for as little as $50. Arrive in Europe in Montenegro, depart Europe from Budapest.
Montenegro Nature: https://youtu.be/E7dhalAN0zo?si=uapc77W9P9gP7NMK
Montenegro Top 10: https://youtu.be/S4gNiZqtCzU?si=c8V3hcRKeNNCsRF9
Tara River Rafting: https://youtu.be/vpnu7VWEfbE?si=k0If2WydTSsntJ-Z
Zip Line: https://youtu.be/dS4CQPQYv8o?si=UTVsb5ws0y41iuwj
Sea Fishing: https://youtu.be/56w7BdUAKIc?si=tc_0rt5qm1nDy16K
River Fishing: https://youtu.be/xhpodbutTFA?si=jPck2IKlqFDiqe31
November
Slovakia, for the castles, the villages and the mountains. Arrive Vienna, spend a few days, train thru Slovakia and on to Budapest.
Slovakia Nature: https://youtu.be/brfhoC5ovoI?si=bri7jD8ZaKrX29mH
Slovakia Castles: https://youtu.be/92CrV-ot1o4?si=edWmqMXvqgRyX6-V
Slovakia Top 10: https://youtu.be/vajIoVdWsLc?si=s1Bg6S_H58eC87dK
River Fishing: https://youtu.be/J2Xl7PCBtg4?si=iGIxdeAdy2L2BZ19
