Around The World

Places to Visit on a Round the World Trip

MARCH 19, 2013 BY JAMES

If you are planning a trip around the world, then you probably already have a massive list of places you want to visit – cities that look interesting, packed full of museums and culture, or countries that seem unspoiled and not chock-a-block with tourists, leaving you to enjoy the natural beauty alone.

Round the World Tripalles-schlumpf / Money Photos / CC BY-NC-SA

But what you might not have thought about very much – whether that’s because you didn’t realise you’d have to take it into consideration, or because you have a limited timeframe in which to conduct your epic journey – is exactly when is best to visit all these places. Yes, Moscow is a gorgeous city, but you may not be able to appreciate the incredible architecture of the Kremlin when it’s -10°C in the middle of February.

So, bearing that in mind, here are some of our top tips about where to go and, more importantly, when. These tips are based on the European seasons, so when we say “winter” we mean the winter months as they are here in the UK, so November to February, and so on.

Australia

Australia is big – it’s a continent all to itself, after all. This means that the best time to go differs, depending on exactly where Down Under you are planning to visit. If you are going to the south (such as New South Wales and Tasmania) then you’ll probably want to go in either October/November or March/April. Summertime months are cold, whilst January and February suffer from extreme humidity.

Up in the north (including Tropical Queensland) tends to be split into a wet season and a dry one. The dry months (May to October) are the best time to go, as it’s not unbearably hot and moist.

North America

The northern states of America are similar to the UK in terms of seasons, as is Canada. You should go in summer – June to August – as the weather will be nice and warm. However, this doesn’t apply to the southern states, like Texas and New Mexico, as things can get a bit too hot.

It’s best to go either just before or after summer if you want a week in, say, Truth or Consequences, but we’d recommend November as inclement weather is less likely.

Central America

No matter where in Central America you’re going – whether it’s Guatemala or Honduras, El Salvador or Costa Rica – you should try and avoid the hurricane season, for obvious reasons. Don’t go between June and October unless you want to get wet.

China

If you thought Australia was big, wait ‘til you get a load of China! Stay away from the north during the winter months as conditions will be arctic, and try not to go to the south in summer, as that’s typhoon season. March-May and September-November should be just dandy.

South Africa

The weather in Cape Town at any given time of year tends to be roughly the opposite of that in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Avoid Cape Town between June and September, as it’ll seem as though the rain will never stop falling – go to Jo’burg then instead. If you want to see the Table Mountain, then your best bet is either April or October, as it shouldn’t be too hot or too wet then.