Special Issue: Why Travel Off-Season?

Authentic experiences, empty beaches and monuments, lower prices, peaceful mornings and personalized service instead of tourist chaos.

We love traveling off-season. Yes, I admit it - I don't like crowds of tourists. I don't like heat and we're not the swimming types. It's definitely not for everyone, but I've tried to write down a few thoughts and tips about why it seems like a good choice to us and why, when everyone goes to the mountains, we go to the sea and vice versa.

Why do we travel off-season?

👍 Escape from the heat - We don't like extreme heat. Why suffer in 40-degree weather when you can visit the same places in pleasant 22 degrees?

👍 Health benefit - Getting sun rays and vitamin D in winter. Bonus? Escaping the flu season when everyone around you is coughing.

👍 Life rhythm without stress peaks - Traveling outside the main rush allows you to experience the destination at its natural pace, not in a hectic tourist regime. Just this week we were at the most visited beach in Crete - completely alone.

👍 Accommodation prices - Off-season, we usually enjoy great places for just a few dollars. We just spent a week in Crete (2 adults, 2 children) - a beautiful apartment a few meters from the beach, newly renovated, for a week for 7,000 CZK. Last time we stayed in a great villa with a pool in Rhodes for 20,000 for a week, including a full fridge. In season? 50,000 and more... We could afford it financially even in season, but why? More heat, crowds of people, and this way we can have 2 vacations for the price of one.

How do we travel?

I gave up on travel agencies years ago. So for us it's simple - first get plane tickets (Kiwi or specific favorite airlines). Then rent a car and finally accommodation (booking, Airbnb). The rest on the go. Complete comfort and freedom.

In the past I would have written that you need to know the language at least a little, but today I'll say that you just need to be able to work well with your phone and have data on site. Everything else can be managed with a translator.

Advantages of traveling off-season

👍 Authentic experiences - Off-season, tourist traps are closed, you go where the locals go. If you want to experience places authentically, try it without tour buses.

👍 Local people are friendlier - Before the season they're not yet annoyed by crowds of tourists, after the season they're happy that "the others" have left.

👍 Empty beaches and monuments - Elafonisi without crowds? Acropolis without tourist groups? Yes, please! Your photos without strangers' heads in the frame will finally be worth it.

👍 Affordability - Flights for a fraction of summer prices (this doesn't apply everywhere, some destinations have it the other way around), accommodations with significant discounts, no overpriced restaurants. Your bank account will thank you.

👍 Pleasant temperatures for active exploration - Instead of being paralyzed by heat, you have energy for exploring the surroundings, hikes, and long walks.

👍 It's nice at home in summer too - Why spend a fortune on a summer vacation by the sea when it's 25 degrees and nice at home too? Our mountains and nature are worth it!

👍 No queues and reservations - Forget about the need to book restaurants weeks in advance or wake up at 6 am to secure a sunbed on the beach. You can have monuments all to yourself.

👍 Higher quality services - The staff has more time for you and isn't exhausted from the endless influx of tourists.

Disadvantages of traveling off-season

👎 Swimming is a challenge - If your goal is to roll around in the sea, you'll probably be disappointed. It's not for everyone.

👎 Limited opening hours - Some monuments, archaeological sites, or restaurants are closed off-season or have very limited hours - you need to learn to work with this and plan more.

👎 Fewer flights - In off-season months, there are fewer direct flights and you have to be more flexible with travel plans. We prefer regular lines, so we don't mind having one stopover, but having quality services and reasonable departure and arrival times. You don't have to fly at midnight.

👎 Some islands or smaller resorts "fall asleep" - In smaller places, it can be too dead off-season, with minimal open services. Again, you need to work with this and not rely on Google, which tells you there are 5 open restaurants around. It will be more like one. But we experienced amazing Santorini this way at the end of the season. Walking through the city completely alone in the evening has its charm.

👎 Infrastructure maintenance - It often happens that off-season, roads, hotels, or attractions are under reconstruction, which can disrupt your experience.

👎 Uncertain weather for outdoor activities - If you're planning hikes or cycling, the weather off-season can be less reliable.

Tips for off-season travel

👍 Hunt for flight deals - Black Friday (we just went to Crete thanks to cheap flights), airline sales, and long-term planning can save you thousands.

👍 Travel for favorable weather - Even within one island, there can be big temperature differences. Learn to work with this, especially on mountainous islands - just driving a few kilometers can take you from rain and wind to sunshine and warmth. We plan our itinerary a lot based on the weather.

👍 Replace hotels with rentals - Going for coffee at a local café in the morning, buying fresh pastries on the way, going to the fish shop for fresh fish, or discovering local pubs. We love it. A hotel is a comfortable golden cage where you won't recognize where you are. And don't think you'll save money, rather the opposite - but you'll taste great and, most importantly, "authentic" things.

👍 Choose accommodation thoughtfully - Instead of anonymous hotels, try smaller pensions or apartments where you'll experience real local life. But make sure there will be something open in the area!

👍 Go where the locals go - A café full of locals instead of a tourist restaurant will bring you more authentic experiences and often better food at more reasonable prices.

👍 Reverse travel logic - Summer in the mountains, winter by the sea. Why follow the crowds when you can have the best of both worlds at the most favorable time?

👍 Be flexible - Sometimes it's enough to travel just a week before or after the main season and the difference in prices and number of tourists is dramatic.

👍 Explore lesser-known places - Instead of crowded destinations, try less trodden paths where it will be pleasant even during the regular season. Ask locals - hosts, in pubs, when you say you want their secret tips, usually something comes out. And you have Google and Mapy.cz, you don't need more, it just takes some time and searching.

👍 Pack layers of clothing - The weather off-season tends to be more variable, so it's worth having both shorts and a jacket with you.

👍 Combine activities - When the weather doesn't cooperate, always have a plan B - museums, gastronomic experiences, or wellness.

Real experiences

You probably won't experience an organized tour with a stop at a local olive oil factory, because all the local travel agencies are closed. But honestly - they don't take you there because it's authentic or the best place, but because they get a commission. You'll discover the country as it really is.

It's two days ago that we entered a monastery in Crete alone and there was a monk singing. And it was just us and him. We walked through Knossos or Lindos alone (not kidding), they opened several pubs for us because "oh, you're the first tourists we have in the village this year, so I'll open for you, come back in an hour!" and the guy made us luxury homemade food that wasn't on the menu (because he didn't have anything from the menu), we got invited to a local celebration because we were just passing by, an old man gave us a bag of oranges for the kids because he hadn't seen anyone in a long time... You go for morning coffee to a café and after two days the locals know you and you know what you'll order. A fisherman tells you to come to the pier on Wednesday because he'll have fresh fish, and the apartment owner sends you daily tips for great food because he simply has time for you.

It's not for everyone

If you have children or work in education (which also applies to us), you have quite limited options, but spring and autumn holidays can be used this way too. If you need to properly bake on the beach and swim in hot sea, it won't be for you either. For winter sports, it will also probably be a bit more difficult to plan... But otherwise... After all these years, I really can't think of reasons to voluntarily throw myself into a vacation in full season.

Do you see it differently? I'd love to hear your perspectives!