The best places to travel during November
November is the beginning of the holiday travel season, but prices won't skyrocket until the end of the month.
Here are some destinations to consider for your pre-holiday getaway.
Buenos Aires
It’s still spring in Argentina. It’s a long flight from most of the U.S., but there’s no significant time difference as there is when visiting Europe or Asia.
Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan city with beautiful boulevards, cafes and restaurants. Argentina has a thriving wine region in Mendoza Valley.
Grand Canyon
The crowds thin out and the weather in Grand Canyon is often still pleasant in November. Unlike the summer, which draws the most crowds, it is not sweltering hot.
Many trails are still open in November. According to the National Park Service, the Hermit Trail has less snow and ice than other trails on the South Rim.
Charleston
Head south to South Carolina for historic home tours, horse-drawn carriages and shrimp and grits. Charleston, South Carolina, is known for its architecture.
Norway
Off-season travel has many benefits, says Nancie Svensen, owner of Customized Group Travel LLC, an Independent Agency in the Avoya Network in Mountain City, Tennessee.
She recommends cruising down the Norwegian coast.
“By way of cruising, travelers can see Norway’s beautiful fjords, rare wildlife, the Northern Lights, and visit charming villages,” she says.
She worked with one couple who took their belated honeymoon on a Hurtigruten cruise along the coast of Norway all the way to the North Cape in the middle of winter.
What is the “Land of the Midnight Sun” in the summer offers a view of the Northern Lights in the winter, she says.
“By traveling the coast of Norway this time of year, the couple were able to experience an incredible itinerary that would normally be out of budget for them,” she says. “An added bonus is that there were fewer passengers, so they were treated like royalty.”
European Christmas river cruises
Lisa Long, co-owner of Luxury Vacations LLC, an independent agency in the Avoya Network in Marietta, Georgia, says European Christmas Market river cruises are beautiful this time of year.
She recommends Danube, Rhine and Seine river itineraries.
European families and children enjoy the festivities along with tourists. Those visiting Germany can sip on the traditional warm mulled wine called Glühwein that is popular at the markets while listening to Christmas music.
“I have cruised on Uniworld Boutique River Cruise’s European Holiday Markets cruise on the Danube from Vienna to Nuremburg and what I will always fondly remember is Christmas caroling while riding in a horse drawn wagon in the snow through the Bavarian Forest,” she says.