September – October are superb holiday months in the Northern Hemisphere as the tourist hordes take their kids back to school but the sun still shines brightly in  and seas are warmer than ever. However, by the end of September some summer-oriented tourist facilities start to shut down so public transport can become a problem – such as open-top buses and tourist ferries – while hotels, restaurants and bars start to close their doors for the winter season.

The Hidden Canyon trail, Zion National Park, USA. Photo by Blue-is-8

This is a terrific time to take a socially distant road trip around America’s awesome canyons and national parks, especially the Grand Circle canyons near Las Vegas for incredible rock formations and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (mostly) for volcanoes and wildlife.

Beach vacations will be attractive in California and Texas at this time of year but the weather in Florida is likely to be hot, sticky and stormy.
Hawaii is out of season during these months and the big surf has disappeared, so prices are lower and bargain holidays on offer for careful researchers.
For the Caribbean information see below.

USA Map

Hiking around Owen Point on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Paxson Woelber.

In Canada’s main vacation places September/October are excellent months for tourism as the weather cools down but retains warmth, summer crowds have gone, accommodation prices are way down and autumn/fall leaves begin to change into their dramatic seasonal colors.
Best cities: Vancouver (British Columbia), Toronto ( Ontario), Quebec City and Montreal (Quebec) province.

Canada Map

Knip Bay beach, Curaçao, Caribbean. Photo by BalusC

Weather in much of the Caribbean these months  is likely to be stormy or at least cloudy, with beaches strewn with seaweed and flotsam. But a handful of budget islands in the far southwest near Venezuela continue to get fine tho’ hot weather thru August. These are mainly ABC – the Dutch Antilles of Aruba, Bonaire (speciality: scuba diving) and Curaçao.

Caribbean Map

Peru’s Inca Trail. The top of the first, highest and hardest pass, Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,200m. This is the killer. Get past it and you’re coasting. Photo by Jim

Some of Latin America’s most colourful countries are perfect September – October, such as Peru, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, but Central America is generally overheated, oppressively humid and liable to rainstorms.

Latin America Map

Paragliding off  Nice beaches, Côte d’Azur, France.

Europe in September is a perfect month for late beach holidays, with prices down, accommodation options still open, sun shining (probably!) and very warm seas. Southern Europe is obviously the prime target in late summer and Nice is one of our favourites.
Tourist services will, however, start to disappear in some summer-oriented destinations in October, such as the Greek Islands. Beaches in southern Spain and  Portugal’s Algarve  will be warm and good value at this time but we’d suggest staying clear of Turkey for the time being.

September is also time for some iconic European festivals (Covid-permitting), ranging from Venice’s Regatta Storica in Italy on September 1st, to Germany’s beery Oktoberfest and Spain’s Festes de la Mercé in Barcelona (late September).

For English speakers London is a great choice with its world-beating free museums, invigorating life and newly cheap due to the Brexit currency crash. Other must-see cities of central Europe are Paris, Rome, and Florence, all  perfect for historic sights and pleasant, uncrowded strolls in balmy, late summer weather.

Europe Map

Sahara dune and Yasmina lake, Merzouga, Morocco

North Africa will still be overly hot in September but approaching perfect, warm temperatures and blue skies in October. Magnificent Morocco: beaches, mountains, deserts, buildings and Marrakesh culture await you, along with the less delightful rug sellers and street hustlers. Learn to deal with them, the country is well worth a little hassle.
Travelling to Jordan’s spectacular Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea should be no problem and a comfortable temperature in October, but stay away from border areas and Amman, which isn’t up to much anyway.
As for animal viewing, September is a good time for Tanzania and Kenya big game safaris (but avoid coastal areas where there has been some Muslim/Christian conflict), while South Africa is as usual very good value and offers self-drive wildlife safaris over both these months.

Africa Map

Rafting down the Li River on the way to Yangshuo in southwest China. Photo by Jemielniak.

Asia is a huge area with varied climates but here are some idea of what you can expect in some popular tourist zones in September-October. Generally monsoon rains are slackening off and heat level is becoming acceptable though humidity may be oppressive. Not generally a good time for tourism in Asia.
October is likely to be cooler, drier and less humid.

China: Autumn is spreading across this vast country, with drier, pleasant weather moving down from the north though the south is still sticky and getting substantial rain. Beijing normally experiences temperatures of 16°C–26°C (61°F–79°F), with 8 days of rain in the month while Shanghai will be hotter and wetter. October should be an improvement.

Indonesia: At last! A place with favourable weather conditions, in the first half of the month anyway. Temperatures can reach the low 30C’s (mid 80F’s).

Tibet: Good season, still warm, not much rain, autumn colours spreading. Excellent for trekking.

Nepal: Best weather towards the end of the month with blue skies and temperatures in the mid 20C’s (high 60F’s). Excellent for trekking.

Asia Map

Cairns rainforest cableway, Daintree, NE Australia. Photo by Louise Marshall.

Northern Australia, meaning mainly the activities centre of Cairns and the sadly bleached Great Barrier Reef is fine in September and around 28C but starting to overheat in October, while Sydney will be entering springtime so weather should be quite pleasant and around 21C.
New Zealand is heading into springtime too but the weather is a little unsteady with some days going as low as 2C and others as high as 23C (36 – 73 degrees F). Still, it’s fine for walking,  the country’s favourite activity, so long as you carry/wear layers.

Australasia Map