How do I decide where to travel?

Start from your constraint, not a destination: your dates decide the weather map (each month has clear winners), your occasion decides the vibe (a babymoon and a girls trip point to different places), and your flight-time tolerance trims the list. Our trip-ideas lists rank real picks against exactly those filters - pick the list that matches your situation and the shortlist is done for you.

What is the cheapest time of year to travel?

The deep shoulder windows: most of November (before Thanksgiving and Christmas pricing), January after the first week, and the gap between Easter and June. Flights and hotels both dip because demand does - the weather at many destinations barely changes. If your dates are flexible by even a week, moving off school-holiday calendars is the single biggest saving in travel.

Where should I go if I only have a long weekend?

Stay within about a three-hour flight and one time zone: city breaks and beach hops shine at 3-4 nights, long-hauls don't. From North America that means Mexico, the Caribbean and US cities; from Europe it means Lisbon, Barcelona or Marrakech. Save the far-flung picks for trips of a week or more - jet lag eats short trips alive.

Trip ideas: where to go, before you know where

The hardest part of travel is the blank map. These lists solve it by starting where you actually are - a month you can get off, an occasion worth marking, a mood you want more of - and ranking the places that fit, with honest weather, prices and where to stay in each.

In Brief

How do you pick a destination when you don't have one yet?

Work backward from what you already know: your dates (every month has clear weather winners), your occasion (a babymoon, a girls trip and a family week point at different maps), and how long you're willing to fly. Each list below applies those filters to real destinations and ranks the results - most travelers land on a shortlist of two or three in minutes.

The lists

Golden evening light over a winding gravel road lined with cypress trees in the Val d'Orcia, Tuscany

The Best Places to Travel in September

10 picks · Top pick: Santorini & the Greek islands, Greece

Aerial view of Lake Willoughby in Vermont surrounded by red, orange and gold fall foliage

The Best Places to Travel in October

10 picks · Top pick: New England (Boston & Vermont), USA

Fiery red November maples framing the pond and stone bridge at Eikan-do Zenrin-ji temple in Kyoto, reflected in still water

The Best Places to Travel in November

10 picks · Top pick: Kyoto, Japan

Prague Old Town Square Christmas market at dusk, with lit stalls, the tree and the Tyn Church towers at blue hour

The Best Places to Travel in December

10 picks · Top pick: Vienna, Austria

Aerial view of Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres near Cancun, with turquoise Caribbean water, white sand and palm trees

Warm Places to Visit in December

10 picks · Top pick: Cancún & Riviera Maya, Mexico

Colorful longtail boats on turquoise water at Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi Leh, Thailand, with limestone cliffs behind

Warm Places to Visit in January

10 picks · Top pick: Bangkok & the Thai islands, Thailand

Humpback whale breaching out of the ocean off the coast of Maui in golden evening light

Warm Places to Visit in February

10 picks · Top pick: Maui & Hawaii, USA

Powder-white sand and turquoise water at Grace Bay beach on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

The Safest Caribbean Islands

8 picks · Top pick: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Pastel houses of Positano cascading down the cliffside to a calm turquoise sea on the Amalfi Coast

The Best Babymoon Destinations

10 picks · Top pick: Santorini, Greece

Colorful purple and orange art-deco lifeguard tower on the white sand of South Beach, Miami

The Best Girls Trip Destinations

10 picks · Top pick: Nashville, USA

Aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip at night with neon casino lights and glowing hotel towers

The Best Bachelorette Party Destinations

9 picks · Top pick: Nashville, USA

Grand Canal in Venice at golden hour with warm light on the domes of Santa Maria della Salute

The Best Anniversary Trip Ideas

10 picks · Top pick: Venice, Italy

Dozens of hot-air balloons rising over the fairy-chimney valleys of Goreme, Cappadocia at sunrise

The Best 30th Birthday Trip Ideas

10 picks · Top pick: Cappadocia, Turkey

Choosing a destination: FAQ

The questions people ask before they have a place in mind.

Continue Planning Your Trip

Intelligent tools designed to simplify the complex.

Trip ideas: where to go, before you know where

How do you pick a destination when you don't have one yet?