Plan by date.
Holidays and school breaks
The week you can travel is not the same as the month it falls in. Thanksgiving, spring break and Christmas week carry their own crowds and prices, so each gets its own ranked answer.
Holidays
Top pick: Seville
Easter Week
March, April
The week half of Europe and all of Latin America goes on holiday. Go where Easter is the show, or go where it is not a holiday at all.
Top pick: Alaska
Fourth of July
July
The biggest fireworks night of the year and the busiest summer travel week. Go to the celebration, or go somewhere cool enough to enjoy it.
Top pick: Mexico City
Thanksgiving
November
The busiest travel days in America wrapped around one of the best-value weeks abroad. Fly on the right day and go somewhere that is not having a holiday.
Top pick: Finnish Lapland
Christmas Week
December
The most expensive, most crowded week of the travel year. Go somewhere Christmas is the whole point, or somewhere Christmas is not a thing at all.
Top pick: Sydney
New Year's Eve
December, January
One night, a dozen very different ways to spend it. Choose between the giant public show, the tradition you cannot get anywhere else, or a quiet midnight somewhere warm.
School breaks
Top pick: Costa Rica
Spring Break
March, April
The week the whole country goes somewhere warm at the same time. Pick the right warm, or pick a different week.
Top pick: Alaska
Summer Vacation
June, July, August
Ten weeks, one country on vacation, and half the world too hot or too rainy. Go north, go high, or go south of the equator.
Top pick: Florence
Fall Break
October
The best-weather week of the school year, if you pick the right place. Leaf peepers, desert hikers, and the smart European shoulder season.
Top pick: Hokkaido
Winter Break Ski Trips
December, January, February, March
Four holiday weeks, every family on the same lifts. Pick the resort by the snow and the calendar, not the brand name.
Long weekends
Top pick: Puerto Rico
MLK Weekend
January
The first long weekend of the year lands in the dead of winter. Go chase sun, powder, or the history the holiday is named for.
Top pick: Los Cabos
Presidents' Day Weekend
February
The peak of the ski season and the Caribbean high season in the same week. Pick your warm or your snow early, or pick the week after.
Top pick: Lisbon
Memorial Day Weekend
May
The unofficial start of summer, and the first weekend the national parks and beach towns fill up. Pick a place that is fully open but not yet full.
Top pick: Paris
Labor Day Weekend
August, September
Summer's last long weekend, and the first week of the best travel season of the year. Just keep an eye on the tropics.
Seasons and occasions
Before you book.
Sort these two things first.
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