Independent destination guides – what a trip actually costs, the best time to visit based on climate data, and realistic itineraries for places worth your time.
Looking for the written overview rather than the article list? Read our guide to the best destinations for 2026.
Independent destination guides – what a trip actually costs, the best time to visit based on climate data, and realistic itineraries for places worth your time.
June cools the Mexican highlands to 25C, turns the landscape green within a fortnight and drops prices on both coasts – while sargassum peaks on the Caribbean and hurricane season opens.
Mexico in June: The Rains Arrive, the Country Turns Green and Prices Fall Read More »
May is the hottest and last dry month in Mexico, the quietest stretch between the Easter and summer holidays – and the month the whale sharks return to Isla Mujeres and Holbox.
Mexico in May: The Hottest Month, the Cheapest Prices and the Whale Sharks Read More »
Easter Sunday is 28 March in 2027, so only the tail of the Mexican school holiday reaches April – after which the country empties into a hot, dry, unusually good-value month.
Mexico in April: The Last Dry Weeks, and an Easter That Falls in March Read More »
Until about the 27th, December is one of the cheapest and clearest months in Japan – illuminations, the last autumn colour and no public holidays at all. Then New Year shuts the country.
Japan in December: Illuminations, Clear Skies, and the Week Everything Stops Read More »
September is the wettest month in Tokyo and the peak of typhoon season – and also the month the humidity finally breaks, the summer crowds leave and prices sit below October.
Japan in September: Typhoon Peak, Then the Turn Into Autumn Read More »
August is Tokyo at 31C, Obon on 13-16 August 2027 moving the entire country, Awa Odori and Nebuta, fireworks most nights – and the last ten days as the best value in the month.
Japan in August: Obon, the Great Festivals, and the Hardest Heat of the Year Read More »
July ends the rainy season around the 19th, opens the Mount Fuji climbing season, and gives Kyoto a month of Gion Matsuri with float parades on Saturday 17 and Saturday 24 July 2027.
Japan in July: Gion Matsuri, Fireworks Season and the End of the Rains Read More »
Tsuyu reaches mainland Japan in early June, but Tokyo still gets rain on only twelve days – and the trade is empty temples, hydrangea season, the lowest prices of the half-year and Hokkaido at its best.
Japan in June: The Rainy Season, and Why Experienced Visitors Book It Read More »
Golden Week runs 29 April to 5 May 2027 and moves the whole country at once – but from about 7 May Japan settles into 24C, low humidity and green gardens before the June rains.
Japan in May: Golden Week, Then the Best Three Weeks of the Year Read More »
February brings the Sapporo Snow Festival on 4-11 February 2027, peak ski depth, plum blossom instead of cherry, and the fewest foreign visitors of the Japanese year.
Japan in February: The Sapporo Snow Festival, Plum Blossom and the Emptiest Month Read More »
Best this month
South Africa
25°C 2 wet days
Average highs and wet days from WMO 1991–2020 climate normals where available, otherwise five years of ERA5 reanalysis.
