It’s February and I’m sitting high up in Austria’s alps surrounded by snow-covered mountain tops, wearing three layers of cashmere and moon boots, but I have summer on my mind already. On average Austrians book their summer holidays 4-5 months in advance, so right about now! In case you’re looking for inspiration I’m sharing a collection of ideas for your next summer holiday in this post.
If you’re interested in nature travel, ethical and sustainable tourism as well as safaris and wildlife tips, let me share a few of my favourites for a perfect summer vacation.
Africa summer holidays
Our European summer is winter in the Southern hemisphere. So while Northern African countries are usually too hot and not ideal destinations in our summer months, it is the perfect time for a safari in Southern Africa. The high season in most South African safari destinations starts in May or June and lasts through to October, making July and August the perfect months with the very best weather in countries like Zambia, Botswana or Zimbabwe.
How about an elephant safari of your dreams in Zimbabwe?
Or a safari trip of a lifetime to Zambia, one of the most underrated safari countries out there?
Or maybe sleep out under the Milky Way in a salt pan in Botswana?
Maybe it’s finally time for an epic Namibia road trip this summer?
Asia summer holidays
If Africa isn’t really your cup of tea (or a safari is out of your budget limits this time), a trip to Asia is usually more affordable. But generally speaking South East Asia can get quite hot and humid in the summer months, with summer monsoons hitting many destinations. Of course there’s many micro climates and in countries like Malaysia the East coast is generally more inviting in the summer months than the West coast for example. But one destination that we absolutely fell in love with is Japan, which is a great destination to visit in summer.
How about a Japan round trip this summer?
Europe summer holidays
The great thing about living in Europe is that we don’t need to travel far in summer for a wonderful holiday. Summer in Europe is the best season for almost every country – from Scandinavian lake excursions to Mediterranean seaside vacations, there’s an option for everyone. No matter if you’re looking for proper summer heat or cooler climate, you can have it all. The only thing to know is that days are really long and the further North you’ll travel the less sleep you’ll get, because the sun will just keep you energised from 4am to way beyond 10pm!
Maybe you want to escape the heat in Iceland this summer?
Have you been dreaming of visiting Portugal in summer?
Or you want to explore our neighbouring country Germany in more depth?
Another contender for perfect summer holidays is always South Tyrol in Italy!
Or how about a romantic getaway to the Luberon region in France in summer?
Or maybe you always wanted to visit Lanzarote?
Have the Faroe Islands landed on your bucket list yet?
Austria summer holidays
As Austrians we often enough stay in our home country during the summer months. Summer temperatures are ideal in Austria’s mountains, lakes invite for daily swims and everything just becomes more alive during the summer holidays. It doesn’t need to be hiking though, there’s a lot of things to do and places to discover. Or you simply want to disconnect and enjoy a slower pace this summer?
How about going offline for a week at a retreat in Austria’s mountains?
Or take a health retreat for a week in Carinthia’s mountains?
Or how about a nature holiday at one of Austria’s most beautiful lakes?
These were just a few ideas for a 2024 summer holiday. On our personal bucket list we have a few places like the North of Argentina (which has nice spring like temperatures at that time of the year), Uganda – as it’s the perfect time for a gorilla trekking experience (let’s talk about dream bucket list items here!) as well as Egypt (although we’ll probably wait for the colder months to travel there as it might be unbearable in the heat of the summer).
What’s on your bucket list for this summer?
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