Traveling in Off-Season
Since we left Germany in 2017 with nothing more than 2 backpacks and a tent, we've been traveling through all seasons and almost any type of weather you could imagine. We usually travel by land and sea, so we don't select the next country based on where we get tanned the most, but rather based on what border we can cross next. It doesn't matter if it's ice-cold, or balls hot - We put the right clothes on and get moving. And if you travel from the arctic circle down to Australia in a continuous journey, you will experience it all. Sometimes we get the high season holiday vibes and 2 countries later we can relax in a nice-and-quiet low season. But let me tell you: after traveling non-stop for almost 3 years through 18 different countries, we know that off-season simply did not deserve its bad reputation.
Here are 5 good reasons why you should give high season's underrated cousin a chance!
1. Travel Authentically
In the off-season, you can experience places much more authentically. Local everyday life won't be overshadowed by massive crowds of tourists and local residents are much more chilled if they don't feel like a panda in a Chinese zoo.
For example, did you know that most Parisians flee the city in summer because it gets flooded with tourists? How does a Mongolian winter camp look like? And how do people deal with the bad weather in Thailand during the rainy season?
In order to answer these questions, you gotta give low- & off-season a chance!
2. Steer Clear of the Masses
Are you like us, and you usually avoid mass-tourism and skip many sights just because it is too cramped? An off-season trip could be just the thing you're looking for! If the weather isn't all blue skies, many of the well-known tourist attractions will be much less frequented. Imagine a visit to the Great Wall of China without any shoving, selfie sticks, and the shouting match between the guy who sells T-shirts and the lady with the poorly translated tour guides. Then, my friend, you might actually be able to comprehend the significance of the craftsmanship, and the historical weight of this massive structure. To be honest, you will NEVER be alone at the Eiffel Tower or in Venice. But even at those evergreen tourist magnets, you will notice a huge difference to the main season.
3. Every Season Has Its Charme!
Off-season doesn't automatically translate to shite weather, and even if it rains all day, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself. If you always chase after the sun you miss soooo much. Imagine this: You love chocolate, but you can only eat "Hershey's Kisses". Wouldn't dinner get boring pretty fast? And could you even appreciate the delicious sweetness of your favorite "Ritter Sport", without the occasional Brussel's sprouts on your plate? Traveling in different seasons is like tasting new food. You might not like it, but if you don't try it, you'll never know. Every season has its charm: rainy season in South-East Asia usually has just one to two hours of heavy rain during the day, winter in Germany doesn't always mean muddy streets and miserable people, and in October you can still have a swim and relax in the sun at the Mediterranean Sea. And isn't traveling all about leaving your comfort zone after all?
And by the way - The colorful beauty of Finnish autumn, the white steppe of Mongolian winter, the quiet mornings in Tokyo after a nightly snowfall, or the empty streets in downtown Shanghai during the Chinese New Year holidays. The most memorable moments we experienced during off-season.
4. More Options and Less Competition
It’s much easier to score a house sitting gig!
We absolutely love house sitting, and in the off-season, your chances to score your dream sit are much higher than in high-season!
There are two reasons for that:
Many people go on vacation in their country's low- or off-season. And off-season in one country means vacation time somewhere else. If, for example, Canadians travel to Mexico in winter, you have a huge selection of house sits in Canada!
Less competition, because just a small percentage of travelers is actually willing to cope with some rainy days or cold nights.
Lots of house sits in the region, but very few applications of sitters equals much higher chances for you!
Because of that, we were able to get our very first house sit over Christmas in South Korea without providing any references at all. We were the only ones who applied, and it opened up a whole new world for us. 😊
What the heck is house sitting?
You don’t know what we’re talking about? Then head over to this article and learn all about our 12 favorite ways to save some serious bucks while traveling the world!
It’s way easier to find collaborations
In the less visited months, hotels, Airbnbs, and adventure companies are getting booked much less. This means they have time to improve their marketing, get some new pictures taken, or recruit you to help them with x, y, or z. This is the time to get in touch. Good luck, getting a hotel's attention in main-season when they are totally booked out and busy with pampering their guests.
When we worked with a responsible tourism company in Finnland, their hotels, cabins, and activities were even shut down for autumn. Just because of that, we were allowed to spend the night completely alone in the hotel, use the sauna and luxurious glamping tents and try out all their outdoor aquipment. Besides us, there was only a film crew and some members of a tourism board on site.
5. It's so much cheaper!
Last but not least, the low-season is a lot cheaper than high-season. Like in every other industry, tourism prices are determined by supply and demand. In the summer months (when most people go on vacation), the prices for accommodation, excursions, and transportation are skyrocketing. Even admission prices are usually a lot cheaper or sometimes even free in the off-season. In high-season, everybody is trying to get away with a hefty markup, especially for rental cars, motorhomes, and accommodation. So if you are traveling on a budget or want to get more out of your hard-earned travel funds, try to find your own path, instead of following the masses.
Bonus Tip: Be Felexible and New Advetures Await!
We try to minimize our carbon footprint while traveling. One way to do that is to skip aviation whenever possible (it works for us in so many ways). Because of that, our journey takes much more time, and sometimes we find ourselves at places that we didn't expect to end up in - and more importantly: we didn't expect WHEN we end up there. As a result, we were surprised by -25°C / -13° F degrees in Mongolia in October and experienced beautiful but terrible storms in Thailand. We are happy to accept these "inconveniences" because this is what spices up our travels. People sometimes seem to forget, that they aren't made out of sugar and a little rain shower doesn't hurt if you have the right jacket. If you are willing to be flexible enough to adjust to certain factors instead of avoiding them, you'll have a fulfilled journey lying ahead of you.
