Travel guides: where to go and when

Nine places that suit January, from Hokkaido snow and Icelandic aurora to dry Lima and summer Queenstown, each with official January climate figures and the trade-off.

Best places to travel in February: ten ideas grouped by what the month offers, from snow festivals and carnival to dry-season beaches, each with climate figures or dated events from official sources.

Eight places that suit March for a stated reason, from Osaka cherry blossom timing to southern-hemisphere autumn, with official climate figures for each.

Eight places that suit April for a stated reason, from Lisbon and Rome to Bali and Hanoi, with official climate figures and the trade-off for each.

Eight places that suit May for a stated reason, from Barcelona and Malta to Seoul and Johannesburg, with official climate figures and the trade-off for each.

Eight places that suit June for a stated reason, from Baltic Midsummer and a Montreal jazz festival to dry-season Cusco and Bali, with official climate figures for each.

Eight places that suit July for a stated reason, from the Calgary Stampede and Nordic summer to dry-season Darwin and Kigali, with official climate figures for each.

Seven places that suit August for a stated reason, from Notting Hill Carnival and Baltic beaches to Adriatic heat and dry-season Namibia, with official climate figures for each.

Eight places that suit September for a stated reason, from Oktoberfest-season Munich and a Berlin marathon to dry-season Cairns, with WMO climate figures and the trade-off for each.

Eight places that suit October for a stated reason, from Costa del Sol and Madeira warmth to Gulf cooling and a Boston regatta, with WMO climate figures and the trade-off for each.

Eight places that suit November for a stated reason, from dry Gulf and Nile sun to Goa's film festival and southern spring in Perth, with WMO climate figures and the trade-off for each.

Nine places that suit December for a stated reason, from Christmas markets and Hogmanay to southern-hemisphere summer, with official climate figures for each.

Ten warm places for December, with average highs, lows and rainfall from WMO station normals, plus what each trades off, from monsoon showers to cool desert nights.

Warm places to visit in January, from the Canary Islands to the Indian Ocean, with published climate figures for each and the trade-off to expect: rain, cyclones or crowds.

Warm places to visit in February, from the Canary Islands and Egypt to Thailand and the Indian Ocean, each checked against published climate averages, with a note on day and night temperatures.

Ten low-price-level countries picked from the World Bank household price level index for 2024, with each index value, its rank, how it moved and what the index cannot tell you.

Eleven European countries at the low end of Eurostat's 2024 comparative price levels, with figures for restaurants and hotels, housing and overall consumption, and the limits.

Nine family destinations matched to age bands and trip types, with agency climate normals, WHO and CDC child-travel facts and the limits of every pick.

Nine honeymoon destinations across islands, beaches and cities, with national weather-agency climate normals, the dry and wet months at each and the limits of the list.

Cheaper honeymoon destinations drawn from Eurostat and World Bank price-level indices for 2024, with index values, trends, rain patterns and what the indices cannot tell you.

The ten top-ranked countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index, with each score, the latest homicide rate on file and the official advisory levels we read in October 2026.

Seven African countries drawn from the 2026 Global Peace Index, with homicide figures and their gaps, official advisory levels read in October 2026 and regional differences inside countries.

Ten South American countries from the 2026 Global Peace Index regional table, with homicide rates, official advisories read in October 2026 and the regional differences inside each country.

Ten European countries from the 2026 Global Peace Index regional table, with two sets of homicide figures, official advisories read in October 2026 and the limits of what these numbers tell a visitor.

Six Central American countries from the 2026 Global Peace Index table plus Belize, with homicide rates and years, advisories read in October 2026 and the areas each government names.

No index ranks solo-travel safety. This page applies stated criteria to the 2026 Global Peace Index, advisories read in October 2026 and published assistance routes.