Imagine – Sicily, next August.
Sure, the island’s dramatic coastline will be perfect for swimming and sunbathing, but you’ll also share some pretty cramped real estate with half of Europe.
Fast forward a few weeks and the weather will be almost as warm and sunny, with a daily average of 80 degrees, but you won’t have to defend yourself against an army of grazing invaders from northern Europe.
Welcome to travel’s famous “shoulder season” – you’ll love it here.
In fact, a growing number of travelers to Europe are rearranging their vacation calendars so they can avoid the crowds and heat waves of summer, patiently waiting for some time in the sun with less insanity – not to mention the lowest prices – during the holiday period. September and October.
But don’t wait to experience the quieter months for yourself—travel industry experts say the delayed gratification approach has become so popular that the very notion that summer is peak travel time has come to pass, at least in some destinations. , may have crossed the limit. date.
Tour operators are seeing an increase in interest not only in the fall, but also from March until early May, The Guardian reported.
Intrepid Travel, an adventure travel company, reported a 61% increase in off-season bookings to Western Europe last year, leading them to increase the number of departures during these periods by up to 47% in some countries.
The company pointed to the continent’s increasingly hot summer weather as a reason for the change – in fact, the rise in spring and autumn comes as interest in hiking in July and August has plummeted, causing Spain and Portugal to be completely removed from programming. during these months.
They also drastically reduced their schedule in Greece, where the first heat wave ever recorded scorched the country in June, with temperatures reaching 100ºC for more than three consecutive days.
People are no longer “willing to travel while a heat wave ravages Europe,” said Raph Giacardi, editor of HolidayPirates, in an interview with The Guardian.
“To avoid extreme heat, we may see more tourists taking advantage of trips to European destinations during the low season, in September and October, when temperatures are still warm but more comfortable and there are much better offers on flights, hotels and packages on vacation. Not to mention that the audience is usually much smaller too,” said Giacardi.
Last month, a travel trends report from the Mastercard Economics Institute showed an increase in seasonal travel to Europe of around 1.8% over the past decade, with popular beach destinations like Croatia leading the way in terms of shifts. Countries like Sweden, which can boast beautiful autumn colors this season, have also seen changes.
“This suggests that it is not just hotter summers driving this change,” the authors noted. “Two big demographic shifts are likely also at play: more retirees who are free from work obligations and more childless families who are free from school calendars.”
