Still looking for that ideal pow that will make this alpine season one to remember?
These spectacular ski and snowboard destinations offer a combination of stunning landscapes, diverse terrain, and exceptional snow conditions!
Read More8 Best Cities to Travel to in February
Are you itching for a change of scenery? Have some vacation time to use? Ready to head somewhere warm?
Here are the BEST places to visit in February, and a few things to do in each location (including some FREE options!).
Read MoreTraveling By Plane? 6 Essential Winter Air Travel Tips You Need To Know
Are you avoiding below-zero temperatures and traveling to a warm-weather destination? Or, are you heading right into the storm and traveling somewhere cold to enjoy winter sports?
Whether you are leaving from a snowy destination or headed to one, these are the essential winter air travel tips that you need to know to make sure your vacation gets off to a good start!
Read More5 Reasons Why You Should Embrace Off-Season Travel
I am constantly asked for advice on when the best time to travel is and my answer is always the same — the shoulder or off-season.
This tends to fall outside of the summer months and in between holidays, when the weather is colder, the days a bit shorter, and there are no popular festivals filling the streets. While you may have to wear a few extra layers while exploring, traveling during this time of year has A LOT of benefits.
1. You Look Less Like A Tourist
There is nothing that screams ‘tourist’ more than runners, shorts, a brightly coloured T-shirt, and a sunburn.
Not only that, if you are from a dry country and are touring somewhere humid in the middle of summer, you are sure to be sweating as you sit in a crowded subway or walk down sunny streets. (Trust me, I’ve experienced it).
If you are travelling in the off-season, you will more likely be wearing clothing that helps you blend better with the locals and will be more comfortable in the cooler climate.
2. Locals Are More Patient
If you live anywhere that is considered a ‘tourist destination’, you know how annoying large, loud groups who don’t look where they are walking and force you to wait in line for a coffee can be.
In the off-season, having had a break from the onslaught of travellers, the waiter in the cafe will be more patient while you struggle to order a coffee in his native tongue, and shop owners are sure to be kinder.
3. Scam Artists and Pick-Pockets are on Vacation
Scam artists go where the business is, and in the off-season, the people trying to charge you $20 for a walking tour to nowhere or $30 for a plastic statue of Michelangelo’s David are nowhere to be found.
Without a crowd to hide what they are doing, pick-pockets are also sure to keep their distance.
4. Costs are Significantly Lower
Not only will your accommodation be almost cut in half, the price of meals, admission, taxis, souvenirs, tours — pretty much EVERYTHING — will be cheap, cheap, cheap!
I stayed at a resort on the beach in the Algarve last November for 30% of what it would cost during the peak season. It was still warm enough to suntan during the day and it was lovely to have my pick of spots on the beach!
5. Attractions Are People-Free and Relaxing
Imagine standing in front of the Mona Lisa completely alone, taking a photo of the Colosseum without a single person in it, or walking into a temple at Angkor that not a soul is in but you.
All of these things are possible (I promise, I have the photos and experiences to prove it!) if you embrace off-season travel!
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Why Maligne Canyon In Canada Will Make You Want to Head North for the Winter
If you plan on travelling during the winter months, and you live somewhere cold, you are usually headed straight for sand, sun and Pina Coladas.
But, just because temperatures have dropped well below the freezing mark, requiring down-filled jackets and large insulated boots, does not necessarily mean that you should head to the summer skies in the south — especially if you are looking for a unique, tourist-free experience.
The Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada is one of the Rocky Mountains' most impressive limestone canyons. During the summer months, its hiking trails and bridges are overrun with tourists taking in the stunning views of the smooth, steep walls and the river below.
As soon as the snow falls however, everything changes.
The trails are covered with snow and ice and, for the most part, visitors to the park stay on the ski hills or next to the warm fire in their hotels, leaving the canyon relatively deserted and quiet.
The cold mountain temperatures freeze the Maligne river, that flows through the canyon, and the waterfalls that cascade down its edge forming breathtaking natural ice sculptures.
With some winter boots or crampons (spikes that attach to the bottom of your boots for walking on ice), you can walk right on the river and to a place that few humans get a chance to visit — inside the canyon.
Swirling, churning water has worn the layers of limestone rock to more than 50 meters deep in places, making the sky seem very far away when standing on the frozen river.
Because the canyon is narrow, less than a meter wide in some places, and full of small waterfalls, rapids and caves, it is not a place that a boat can safely navigate and so a view at this level is only possible during the coldest months of winter.
Surrounded by the stunning cliffs, shockingly blue ice and echoing silence, I guarantee that you will not miss the beach for a second.
Besides, I hear there are a few bars in the town of Jasper that make a mean Pina Colada…
