Hi Reader,
Our 500,000 members celebration offer is underway, and there are only 5 days left until it's over, on the 15th of February, so don't wait up.
If you have not see it yet, check out the details here.
You can save 500 USD / EUR on several of our trips, hurry!
This is the biggest offer we have ever launched and I am pretty positive we will not launch anything like this for the rest of the year.
โ500K MEMBERS OFFER DETAILSโ
I am flying to Vietnam today, most likely, by the time you read this email I will be on my way to Istanbul or from there to Ho Chi Minh, where my journey will begin.
It's pretty exciting to go back to a country I have been to many times before, but not for a long time, and which is now having a moment.
On the same trip, I will also visit Cambodia because we are planning to launch a trip that covers Vietnam and Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat is.
If you want to follow my shenanigans with my SO, follow us on Instagram stories. And join the waitlist if Vietnam and Cambodia are places you are interested in visiting.
๐ฉ On this week's email
- The best time to book your flight, to Europe and beyond
- Tips for visiting Europe in the summer
The best time to book a flight
โStudies and data from Google Flights suggest that international flights are cheapest a minimum of 6 weeks in advance and that 5 to 6 months is ideal. This means that now is the right time to start looking or booking your summer trips if you want to score the cheapest prices.
Europe is most popularly visited in the warmer months, from June (or May) to September (or even October) so, if that's on your plans, this is the time to start planning and booking, flights will not drop from now on.
This is also the best time to book flights anywhere else, from Bali to South Africa, from Mexico to Tanzania. The 5 to 6 month timeframe is the same regardless of the destination.
Another good insight from Google Flight's data is that Monday to Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly and that flights that have a layover are 22% cheaper than direct flights. As usual, flexibility pays off.
โCheck our all our trips, we have many over the summer: Bali, Japan, Barcelona, Croatia & Montenegro, Tuscany, Tanzania, Georgia and Armenia.
Tips for visiting Europe this summer
If Europe is in your mind this summer, below are my all-time best tips.
1. Travel in the off season
(PS This may not be May / October anymore)
Industry professionals have been saying this for a while but this year I see it reflected in the prices: July and August are no longer the peak months in many southern European cities, but are now cheaper than June or September.
Why?
Because experts have been telling travelers to avoid these two months for years, and eventually, it has caught on.
This is not the case in all of Europe, most of the popular summer destinations like the Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, the Swiss Alps, Lake Como, Cinque Terra, Costa Brava, Dubrovnik, Sicily or Sardinia, Santorini or Mykonos, etc. are still very much packed and most expensive in Jul / Aug but some of the cities are now cheaper in July / Aug than in Jun / Sep.
If you can stand the heat, these two months may not be such a bad idea when it comes to crowds & prices, which were the main reasons to avoid the peak summer months. Case in point, hotels in Barcelona are now most expensive in May-June + October than in July and August.
2. Go to the lesser popular places
At the risk of feeling like garlic, which repeats none stop, it's time to focus on the lesser popular destinations to avoid the crowds and spread the love.
Visit Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia instead of Croatia. The Azores or the Faroe Islands instead of Iceland, the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia or Moldova) instead of Switzerland or Austria, Cyprus instead of Greece. You can also check out the Basque Country in Spain, Slovakia and Bulgaria (now part of the Euro zone). All of these countries are wonderful and receive far fewer visitors.
3. Book hotels well in advance
If you are planning to travel to Europe this summer, start looking at your accommodation options NOW.
Signup for newsletters of the hotels you are keen to stay at and keep an eye on early bird offers.
Book refundable rates and keep an eye on possible price drops. Secure that dream hotel stay now to avoid disappointment.
4. Avoid flying on a Friday or Sunday
Prices of flights within Europe increase sharply from June 1st and on weekends, because that's when Europeans make the most of the warmer months by taking weekend getaways.
Choose to travel from Monday to Wednesday for cheaper flights.
I always use Google Flights' Price Grid function to find the cheapest flights and set alerts for flights I want to take. Signup for the airline of your choice, low cost airlines run regular sales through the year.
5. Go somewhere offbeat in the weekend
As with my previous point, Europeans travel in the weekends in the summer months, so popular places get even more crowded from May to September.
Go hide to less popular places in the weekend to avoid the crowds. And for the love of summer, avoid visiting main attractions (La Sagrada Familia, Eiffel Tower, Colosseum, etc.) in any city in the weekend.
6. Take a look at festival dates
Summer in Europe = festivals.
There are SO MANY you are bound to come across one. While they are great, they also increase hotel and flight prices further, and make availability an issue.
Check before setting on a trip date and avoid them at all costs, unless you are interested in the festival. The stay farther away from downtown or book now.
7. Buy a personal neck fan
You can laugh at me all you want, when temperatures hit 35 C / 90 F in Tuscany due to a freak heat wave, I was very jealous of our guests who had one. Plus they look like a pair of headsets so they may make you look hip & cool.
Forget the handheld ones, This is the one some guests use. Tried and tested. You'll thank me later!
8. Book tours and tickets ahead of time
Yes, also tours get sold out, and entry tickets to popular places like Sagrada Familia or the Vatican are sold out 2 to 3 weeks before.
Unfortunately, being last minute and going with the flow carries a higher cost in the summer in Europe.
I book ALL my tours and entry tickets in Europe on the site's website or via GetYourGuide.
9. Go (expandable) carry on
I always travel carry on, now that an airline actually lost my suitcase, more than ever, but this is much easier in the summer when I am good with a light cardigan and just dresses that take up little space.
My Tumi carry on is expandable, so I get extra space on the way home for any shopping I may do.
In the summer, going carry on has extra advantages since a higher volume of travelers means higher chance of your bag being lost or delayed, and longer wait times at the airport. Skip all this by going carry on.
PS Going carry on and light has extra advantages in Europe where the streets are cobblestoned, and you are likely to take trains, buses and other public transportation means. You will almost always regret lugging a heavy bag...
10. Get your travel insurance, don't delay
If you have made any deposit payments for any bookings (hotels, flights, tours, etc.), you should already purchase travel insurance so your investment is protected.
Remember that travel and medical insurance are not the same. One will cover you in case of travel delays, lost luggage or inability to travel, the other will cover you in case of emergency or if something happens to you while overseas. Traveling solo, this is a must.
If you don't know where to go to find insurance, we recommend a comparison tool like Travel Insurance Master.
This website will display several policy options in a way that is made for dummies based on your trip and demographics. Then choose the insurance provider that offers what you need.
Photo of the week
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Last week's photo
This photo was taken on a hot air balloon in Bagan, Myanmar, on one of the most beautiful solo trips I've taken. Bagan was pretty quiet back then, and there were almost no tourists yet. This was 15 years ago, and the country was coming out from decades of isolation so it felt like time had stood still.
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This week's photo
Can you guess this week's photo? It's a sweet landscape in Asia.
In case you missed it
Interesting travel news, discussions in the group and other important travel updates:
- A unique spa experience in Ghana by a waterfall. Would you do it? See here.
- โCheck out the Boda Girls a group of women motorbike taxi drivers in Kenya delivering healthcare on two-wheels.
- A world of cheesecake - how the famous dessert varies across the world. See map here.
- The most turbulent flight route in every continent. Read here.
- How Spanish jamon was and may be used again as a tool to discriminate. Read about its history here.
- The charitable use of the coins tossed at the Trevi fountain. Read here.
- If you live in Europe, you may have read that Ryanair is in constant fight with the local airport managers across Europe to reduce airport fees. To lobby, it has threatened, and stopped, many routes. Here are all the routes Ryanair is ceasing to operate in 2026.
- Foodie experiences around the world from Nat Geo. Read here.
- The UK Foreign Office now advises against traveling to Bangladesh due to the imminent elections. More here.
Sending hugs from the air and Australia!
Have a lovely rest of the week!
Solo Female Travelers Co-Founders
โ