Travel Tip 62
Should you travel in the off season?
The low season around Cusco from November to April is the rainy season, which I love. It doesn't rain every day and the hills are always green. This is Waqra Pukará on April 16th.
The off season, sometimes called the low season, is when there are fewer tourists.
That can bring lower flight and hotel prices and smaller crowds at popular destinations, but is it right for you? That depends on what you’re looking for. Here are the top three things to consider.
1. How flexible can you be on your travel dates?
If you really want to go to Paris, can you go in March/April or October/November? The holidays from December 20 to January 5 tend to be busy and the summer is even worse. I’ve been to Paris in April, which I loved. It was cloudy most days but didn’t rain and there were very few crowds.
People tied to an academic calendar in North America and Europe may think that they’ll never get to travel in the off season, but if you open yourself up to international destinations, it’s always the off season somewhere. The high season in Patagonia is austral summer from December to February, so June through August have few visitors.
Machu Picchu is on the edge of the rainforest, so you may get fog and rain (or sun) any time of the year.
2. What is your budget for the trip?
Consider both your financial budget and your time budget. How many days can you afford to be away from work?
The lower your budget, the more you should consider traveling close to home or picking a destination during its off season. Or save up money and vacation days to do a bigger trip later.
If you have only one week (9 days counting weekends on both sides of a 5 day work week) consider staying in the same time zone by traveling north or south so you don’t waste days dealing with jet lag at the beginning and end of the trip.
3. How much do crowds and bad weather bother you?
It’s almost universally true that sunny, warm weather brings bigger crowds at any destination. So, if you don’t want crowds, you may have to travel when the weather isn’t as great. Along with weather, consider day length. The long days of June and July may be popular in the northern hemisphere, but the long days of December and January are most popular in the southern hemisphere. If you don’t mind short days and long nights, you can get good prices and smaller crowds in some very popular destinations.
Blog
This blog has everything you need to know about how to get to Ollantaytambo, what to do there and where to stay, eat, and shop. If you missed my blog about the Ollantaytambo archeological site, it’s linked in this blog about the town.
Article
Choquequirao is as epic as Machu Picchu but without the crowds
In the spirit of picking the off season, here’s my article published by Matador Network about picking the less crowded destination. If you’re traveling in Peru during the busy season (May-September) you can still avoid the crowds by going to places like Choquequirao.