A travel agent has revealed their top picks of the best summer holiday destinations – and they’re not in the likes of Greece, Spain or Portugal
When it comes to summer travel, most of us will know the classic holiday hotspots such as Spain and the Canary Islands, Portugal, Greece and France.
They may have a reputation for being cheap and cheerful, but according to one travel pro, sticking to the mainstream destinations means you could actually be missing out on some of the best value holiday spots in July and August.
Ashley Quint, a travel agent at Traveltime World, suggested that although Europe is a firm favourite because of its near-guaranteed sunshine and hot weather, looking a bit further afield could actually get you more bang for your buck.
Ashley explained: “If you’re looking at staying in a five-star all-inclusive hotel in Greece, you could go very easily long-haul and do something for less than that, during the summer, specifically. As long as you’re as long as you’re aware of the compromises, most people who are don’t mind doing something a little bit more alternative, the value’s there.”
In fact, the travel pro has seen a marked increase in long-haul destinations such as Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Canada and Japan since the end of the Covid pandemic, thanks to the “pricing value of [those destinations] in the summer”.
However, Ashley admits that these destinations will only appeal for Brits who are “willing to compromise on weather“, adding that “some families are not always after the sunshine, they want a little bit of beach at the end, but if it’s cloudy, it’s cloudy”.
The weather compromise isn’t one to be taken lightly. For example if you’re eyeing up Thailand, July and August fall in the peak of its monsoon season, with intense rainfall although often in quick bursts. Still, weather remains hot and you won’t have the crowds of the winter sun months, so it can be an ideal time to explore.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s monsoon season starts to come to an end over the peak summer months, meaning you could luck out and get hot, dry and sunny weather, potentially peppered with bursts of intense rainfall. Again because the months aren’t as popular as winter, it can be a great time to explore without having to manage hordes of tourists.
Other destinations like Mauritius enjoy balmy temperatures of around 25C so it’s still hot enough to make the most of a beach, but pack layers as temperatures can drop down come evening time.
Still, if you’re someone who’s not fussed about blazing sunshine on your holiday, like quieter spots and plan to be out and about exploring, then these destinations could tick all of the boxes.
It’s worth noting of course that these comparisons are based on opting for the likes of all-inclusive package holidays in hotspots across Greece and Spain – it’s unlikely that a holiday in Mauritius will be cheaper, but it is likely that you could get a higher quality hotel (for example a 5* option) for a similar price, and that’s where the value potentially lies.
According to Ashley, there’s been a marked shift over the last few years of popular destinations for summer, as Brits look to get more value from their breaks. The likes of Madeira and Croatia have seen a boost of interest, while typically classic summer holidays such as Greece, the Canary Islands and Italy are not working out to be as cheap as they used to, causing people to “look for places that are not where necessarily everybody everybody else is going to”.
“It often varies year to year,” Ashley expanded. “But you do see it swings from one place to another, depending on what their perceived value is. Italy has become extortionately priced if you’re doing high-end all-inclusive, getting to the level where people are saying, ‘I’m not willing to pay that’.”
You can find out more at traveltimeworld.co.uk.
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