I feel like taking a vacation in October, but I haven’t decided where to go. Assuming I want to avoid bad weather (I want to skip any torrential downpours, stiflingly hot days, snow, etc), plus I don’t want to visit at the same time as everyone else, does anyone have any good suggestions for vacation spots?
Nepal is great in October. Summer is the monsoon, and winter is too snowy to get around up in the mountains. It is tourist season there at that time, but tourist season in Nepal means that you might meet ten or twelve other Westerners during a day of hiking; it certainly won’t be crowded.
October is one of the best months to visit New Orleans. It is nice and warm then but not not unbearably hot like during the summer months. Paris is also good in October.
I was surprised by the mention of Nepal, which I hadn’t thought of at all. A little internet searching tells me that tourism there would mostly be “adventure tourism” type, which is a little more active than I want to be when taking a vacation. On the other hand it’s the sort of thing I would never think of doing on my own, so I’m going to think about this some more.
How is New Orleans doing these days? I know it’s been a long time since Katrina, but did it ever get back to where it was?
October is a great time to see the foliage in New England, if that’s your thang.
It recovered fine as a top tourism destination if that is what you are asking. The city as a whole was hit a with devastating blow that left a large population decrease but you wouldn’t really know it looking at the French Quarter, Garden District, and other touristy parts today. Those sections of the city weren’t destroyed and a lot of money was focused on getting them back in business as fast as possible. It is still very much a happening place from that perspective.
October and November are good times to visit Thailand. You’re past the worst of the heat and rain, but avoid the tourist “high season” of December-January.
There’s another reason I suggest to my relatives that they visit in October. That’s mid-term break at school, so we’re free to travel with our kids.
It’s the best time to visit Orlando, weather and theme park crowds wise.
I came in specifically to mention Nepal. October is perfect, and you don’t really have to do “adventure tourism,” although that’s certainly on the table. Lots to see without having to trek.
I don’t really agree with Thailand in October, or at least not Bangkok, as that’s the worst month for raining and flooding in the city. Not only is it still raining here, but that’s about the time the waters from upcountry reach the city via the river. Often very bad flooding then. November is good, but even then the worst rain I ever experienced here was in November 1988, up North. Incredibly heavy rain for 72 hours straight. It was so bad that the Mae Hong Son Airport was shut down for days. Lucky for me that the rain finally ended and the first flight allowed out was the very one I was scheduled on.
Southern Italy: Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Sicily…Still warm but not too hot and the hordes of tourists will have gone.
Italy full stop. Walk straight into the Uffizi in Florence or the Doge’s Palace in Venice without having to queue. Everything is half the price. You literally cannot believe the difference a few months makes. It’s still warm in the north in October, but beginning to turn as you get further into the month.
You can avoid an over-abundance of blue-gray by visiting the Midwest, instead.
Kentucky & West Virginia are beautiful in the Fall. You can see the leaves turning without the OMG TOURISTY thing New England might have.
Canada is nice, too at least the parts of it I’ve seen (Niagara Falls/Toronto area & BC)
Just thought of Hong Kong and Macau too. It’s a pleasant time of year. Most people don’t realize Hong Kong is technically a tropical island, because it’s so influenced by weather from the mainland.
It’s as active as you want it to be. You can do hard-core trekking or climbing, or you can walk around, see lots of wonderful cultural sites and mountain views that are quite accessible, and barely break a sweat. Traveling is pretty cheap, too; you can stay in rather luxurious surroundings for less than you’d spend on basic hotels in the states. Frankly, some of the best times I had there were talking to locals and other tourists. I’d strongly recommend it.