When
is the Best Time to Travel - Weather |
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Weather patterns follow
clear cycles every year. Use your knowledge of the
destination weather to benefit from the best weather.
Part
2 of a 2 part series - click for Parts
One Two
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If you are traveling to one
place only, then weather issues are simple - but still
important. And if you're traveling to several different places,
consider tailoring the order of places you visit based on the
changing weather situation at each location.
Here are a series of weather
related factors to keep in mind.
Mid-summer is rarely the best
time to travel
If you're searching out the
'best weather' then it would seem that midsummer is the best
time to travel. But this is not always so. Consider these issues
:
-
Remember that in the opposite
hemisphere, seasons are reversed. Maybe it is actually
mid-winter, not mid-summer where you're going.
-
Mid-summer is usually peak
travel for both locals and foreigners. Better to avoid the
crowds and higher prices of mid-summer if possible.
-
For tropical destinations (ie
places generally between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer
on the map) mid-summer is 'rainy season' potentially with
monsoons and tropical storms aplenty.
-
Depending on your tolerance
for heat, midsummer may be simply too hot for your comfort,
especially if you're going somewhere that does not have good
air-conditioning.
-
In some places, mid-winter is
much nicer to visit than mid-summer (eg Australian Outback
where in winter the temperatures are much more bearable and
the weather still perfectly dry with clear sunny skies)
Considerations when Touring
Many people visit more than
one place when on vacation. For example, maybe you're doing a
grand tour of New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. Which country
should you visit first and last? Should you start at the top of
New Zealand and make your way south, or vice versa?
During the course of a two
or three week vacation, there can be major differences in
daylight (two or more hours between the start and end of your
visit) and minor but still appreciable differences in weather.
You should always consider the weather and daylight factors when
planning the sequence of your traveling itinerary.
Getting the Most Use of
Daylight
Daylight is a key part of
enjoying your vacation. The more daylight you have, the more
time you can enjoy seeing and doing things at your destination.
The amount of daylight
changes very rapidly each day close to the equinoxes but almost
not at all close to the solstices (see dates below).
If you are traveling close
to an equinox, and to a destination that is closer to a pole
than to the equator, then a change of travel dates by just one
week might give you 45 minutes more daylight every day!
If you're just generally
traveling in a east-west direction, it doesn't matter where you
go or in what order. Daylight variations occur only on a
north-south axis, not on an east-west axis.
If your plans take you on a
north-south axis, then so as to have more or less constant
daylight throughout your journey, drive in a generally southerly
direction between the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice,
and in a generally northern direction for the other half of
year.
Sometimes, daylight will be
more important to you in some of your travels than other parts.
For example, maybe you're planning on traveling to Britain for
two weeks. You will spend one week in London, and then one week
driving around the countryside.
In such a case, you'd
probably want to have more daylight while touring around the
country, rather than while you're in London. Using the daylight
table below, if you are traveling between 21 December and 21
June, you should spend the week in London first. If you are
traveling between 21 June and 21 December, you should do your
touring first.
Key Daylight Dates to Remember
There are four key dates to
remember when planning for the most daylight. They are expressed
here in northern hemisphere terms, and would be opposite for the
southern hemisphere.
Date
(+/- a day or two) |
Definition |
Travel Implication |
21 Dec |
Winter Solstice
The shortest day |
From now until 21 Jun,
days get longer. Least change per day in daylight around the
solstice. |
21 Mar |
Spring Equinox
Equal day and night |
From now until 21 Sep,
there is more daylight the further north you go in the world.
Most change per day in daylight around the equinox. |
21 Jun |
Summer Solstice
The longest day |
From now until 21 Dec,
days get shorter. Least change per day in daylight around the
solstice. |
21 Sep |
Fall Equinox
Equal day and night |
From now until 21 Mar,
there is more daylight the further south you go in the world.
Most change per day in daylight around the equinox. |
Getting the Best Weather
Just like with daylight,
maybe good weather is more critical to one part of your
itinerary than another. Maybe your plan is to spend a week in
Paris and then a week on the Riviera.
In such a case, you'd
probably want to have the warmest weather for your time on the
beach. Use the monthly temperature charts from the linked site
below to see if you are visiting at a time of year when the
temperature is increasing with each passing day, or decreasing.
If increasing, go to the beach last. If decreasing, go to the
beach first.
Of course, such calculations
would be reversed if, eg, you were going to Zurich and to do
some skiing, when you want to time your time on the slopes for
the time with most snow falling.
The Temperature/Daylight
Tradeoff
If you are traveling
somewhere where it is too hot for you in midsummer, but you
still want to get the most hours of daylight, you might be
better advised to travel in spring rather than in fall.
Temperatures on any day prior to the Summer Solstice are always
lower than temperatures on days the same number of days after
the summer solstice, whereas hours of daylight are the same.
If you're trying to get the
most warm weather and daylight possible (a more common
occurrence!), travel after rather than before the summer
solstice.
Daylight Saving and Time Zones
Don't forget the impact of
daylight saving. Most countries in the world now observe
daylight saving, although with slightly different start and stop
dates between countries.
Check with the website below
for when there will be daylight saving at your destination and
try and travel during that time of year.
If you are traveling
extensively east or west, you'll likely be crossing several
different time zones. For example, if you're doing a
trans-Atlantic crossing on the QE2, you'll cover one time zone
every day for five of the six days.
In such a case, travel by
plane from west to east, and then by car or train or boat from
east back to west. This will give you some luxurious 25 hour
days, which are very much more in line with a slower vacation
lifestyle than painful 23 hour days!
Bad Weather can be Good
To some of us, the concept
of weather implies winter storms, or massive snow falls and
inconvenience. But if you're traveling to Sydney or some other
nearly tropical cities in midwinter, you'll find that they have
less rain in midwinter than in mid-summer.
At the other extreme, the
word ‘winter’ when spoken about Russia also conjures up images
of the severest possible weather conditions, but it is my
favorite time of year to travel there. Sure, there is snow
falling most days, but the always freshly fallen (or falling)
snow adds an enchantment to the cities that is frankly lacking
in the stark light of mid-summer! And, because winters are so
predictable (and so long) the cities have excellent snow-removal
services – weather that would close down many American cities
has almost no impact at all on traffic and ordinary activities.
Don't Forget the Weather at
Home, Too!
One last thought about the
weather. Try and plan your vacations so as to miss the worst of
the bad weather back home, and try and also enjoy the best of
your area's good weather, too.
Remember also that if you're
returning home to weather that might have been snowy, then you
should pack your chains into the trunk before driving to park
the car at the airport at the start of your travels.
Internet Resources
Website for sunrise/sunset times anywhere in the world on
any date
Website
for average weather information by month
Website
for weather forecasts
Website
for daylight saving start/stop dates
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Originally published
26 Sep 2003, last update
30 May 2021
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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