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From half-price hotels and empty cafes to peak wildlife windows that only open once the summer crowds thin out, reasons to travel in shoulder season
Andriy Babchiy / Unsplash
Avid travelers sing the praises of the offseason for its lower costs and smaller crowds, though it isn’t always ideal. Weather can turn dicey, businesses may close seasonally, and travelers risk missing out on what makes a destination special. Shoulder season offers a genuine middle ground.
Typically falling in September and October in the Northern Hemisphere, between peak summer travel and the offseason, these in-between months offer a sweet spot: pleasant weather, open businesses, fewer crowds and better prices, especially across Europe and North America. Travelers $TRV longing for an experience that more closely resembles the classic daydream, lingering over espresso at a sidewalk cafe, strolling scenic streets free of tour groups, chatting with locals who aren’t burned out from tourist overload, will find shoulder season delivers exactly that.
