Do you have a goal to travel more in 2025, but are working with a limited budget? Then you need to be looking into shoulder season travel!
Some of the best travel deals out there come just a month or two away from peak tourist season (aka, shoulder season), when flights are cheaper, accommodations are more available, and your bucket list items are simply less crowded!
This post is all about inspiring you to enjoy shoulder season travel in 2025 with recommendations for each month!
January – Shoulder Season in Paris, France
If Paris is on your bucket list, I highly recommend looking into January-March for your travels, before the gardens start blooming and getting packed.
Have you dreamed of visiting the city of lights, but have heard horror stories about long lines, over-tourism, mean locals, trash everywhere, and high prices? Well, late winter is the answer for you! There is no specific shoulder season for Paris – it’s always buzzy – but this is at least the cheapest and quietest month to visit this bucket list city.
Yes, the trees are bare and the sky will be cloudy, but Paris doesn’t actually get as cold in the winter as you might imagine! Anyways, this city is really all about the cafes, the shopping, the churches, and monuments. So, you’ll be inside most of the time! Plus, the local are less likely to be burnt out on over tourism in January.
February – Shoulder Season in Iceland
Iceland is a bucket list destination for almost everyone, and for very good reason! If you want to visit this famously expensive country without breaking the bank, consider traveling in February.
Full disclosure, February in Iceland has such a special place in our hearts. We spent our first Valentine’s Day there back in 2010 and it was incredible. Larry was fresh out of college, I was still a senior in college, and we had just under $1000 saved for travel between the two of us.
Flight deals, especially from the USA’s east coast are dirt cheap (check out Play Airlines). Accommodations will also be cheaper and more available (we booked at this hostel and loved it! It’s been a while since we stayed, but the reviews are still just as good).
True, the weather in February will be harsher, and it’s much harder to make it all around the ring road, but it’s a great time to enjoy the thermal baths, northern lights, snowmobiling, glacier climbing, etc.
March – Shoulder Season in Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town has to be one of my favorite cities in the world! To save money but still enjoy all it has to offer – city life, hiking, scenic drives, amazing wine country, important history and culture – try traveling in March.
Remember throughout this post, spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere is actually autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. In South Africa, the weather in March should still nice and warm (though not peak, busy summer), you’ll get great hiking weather for Table Mountain, and mild weather for visiting the vineyards of Stellenbosch.
But, it’s low season for safaris, whale watching, and shark diving. Don’t stress though, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to see on some of these classic excursions, but you’re likely to have way less other tourists surrounding you!
April – Shoulder Season in Mexico City
If you’ve been wondering about this bustling capital city, late March and early April are perfect times to explore Mexico City! Think milder weather, city-wide holidays, beautiful purple blooms in the trees!
We went to CDMX for the first time recently, and we already can’t wait to go back! You want to visit late March to early April … right at the end of high season, but before the rainy season in May kicks in. You will be lucky to catch the famous purple Jacarandas in bloom all over the city.
The weather at this time of year isn’t punishingly hot or humid yet, and the nights can even be breezy and cool.
And, if you can time your visit to Mexico City with their Easter holidays (which is what we did) you’ll experience the rarest of all Mexico City sights – no traffic! Though holidays do mean that locals are also off work, and the parks will be way busier than usual, this simply increases the authenticity of your Mexico City experience.
May – Shoulder Season in Portugal
Portugal has experienced a huge surge in tourism in the past decade! If you want to travel to this former hidden gem, I can’t recommend mid-to-late May enough.
Especially near the end of the month, when the country has had a chance to get warm and green, but before the summer rush has really started, Portugal shines. We did a trip over American Memorial Day to the city of Porto and the surrounding rural regions, and we absolutely fell in love.
June – Shoulder Season in Australia
This is still a bucket list item for us, so we’ve been investigating the most affordable times to go. June is a secret sweet spot.
December – February is a very beautiful but notoriously expensive time to visit Australia, largely because it offers the best weather in Sydney. Here’s the thing though, Australia is ENORMOUS. Although Sydney is likely to be rainy in June, there are still many parts of Australia that would be lovely to visit (and flights will be much cheaper).
As an example, June is promoted as a great time to visit the Great Barrier Reef – this is travel bucket list gold! So consider skipping Sydney, and making your bucket list dreams come true with June shoulder season travel.
July – Shoulder Season in Argentina
South American travel will be cold in July (remember, it’s their winter), but you’re likely to score great deals and get a more authentic experience.
As we said before, it can be helpful to look at countries that are very large in area when planning shoulder season travel. Look for countries with many ecosystems – mountains, coastline, and deserts – this way, you can find something to do even if the weather isn’t ideal (which it usually won’t be in shoulder season).
Yes, June will be cold in the dead of Argentinian winter, but this massive country offers a lot to do in July, especially in the northern wine-producing regions!
August – Shoulder Season in parts of Central Asia
Trekking in Tajikistan … now this is a serious bucket list item for us!
August may not exactly be a “shoulder season” in Central Asia, but to be fair it is hard to find many bucket list destinations that have good travel deals this time of year.
Luckily, Central Asia is less expensive than many other countries generally, and August is a good time to visit a large swath of this region. I will refer you to Against The Compass’s awesome post for more information.
September – Shoulder Season in Greece
Here’s another recommendation we’re quite passionate about!
We love recommending September in Greece to fellow travelers. The summer travelers have left, the weather is still great, the wildfires have stopped, and the Mediterranean waters are warm from a long summer. Accommodations in many of the more expensive parts of the country – Santorini, Corfu, Athens – will be cheaper than July/August.
Make sure you read our Greece travel guide, Athens 3-day itinerary, and Greece packing list if a Greek vacation is in your future plans!
October – Shoulder Season in Morocco
Looking to explore the markets of Marrakech, stay in ryads, and maybe even hike in the Atlas Mountains?
If you’re worried about costs, October sees less tourists and still has mild weather in most of Morocco. This is a great way to tick off a major bucket list destination!
November – Shoulder Season in Amsterdam, London, Rome & More
You need to check out Europe in the month of November. Barring certain festivals – like Oktoberfest in Munich – this is a very affordable and quiet time to visit many the most coveted Western European cities!
Turning Thanksgiving vacation into a full week in Western Europe is one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. There aren’t many American tourists there this time of year, and the prices of flights and accommodations are way down. Cities like Rome, Amsterdam, London, and more are all on the table.
I would recommend picking a city though, because that way you’ll still have plenty to do even if the weather is cold and rainy, which is very possible this time of year.
December – Shoulder Season in parts of Japan
If Japan is at the top of your bucket list, you may have most luck booking in December.
There’s a huge caveat here – Avoid the expensive ski towns! Other than the ski resorts, this can be a relatively affordable time of year to visit Tokyo and Kyoto. Cold weather means less tourists and slightly better deals compared to cherry blossom season in late March/April or Mt. Fuji season in the summer.
What shoulder-season destinations would you add? Do you have another bucket list travel idea in mind? Let us know in the comments!
This post was all about how to maximize shoulder season travel in 2025!
