Why September is the Best Month for Travel

While Greece is seen mainly as a summer vacation destination, I’m here to tell you September is the best time to go. Full disclosure: I haven’t been during any other time of the year, so I have absolutely nothing to compare it to, but I would definitely go back in September every time.

Was it hot? Absolutely, but was it as hot and humid as it would have been in July or August? Nope! We were there September 13th through the 22nd. During that time, we saw Athens, and two islands, Zakynthos and Santorini.

Many of the small islands shut down during the winter season because of the lack of tourism. Shoulder season is my favorite time to travel most of the time. This is either just before or right after peak travel season for that destination. For example, in Greece, shoulder season is April through mid-June and mid-September through October. There will still be enough visitors for small shops, restaurants and hotels to stay open, but things aren't as crowded and they aren't at peak prices. Because of these smaller crowds, we were able to get things taken care of at the last minute like a Covid-19 test, car rentals and tours.

Depending on where you live, mid-September might be too cold to go swimming, but not in Greece. Yes, the water was a little chilly at first, but once you got used to it, it honestly didn't feel bad. The sun was still enough to burn you, but even my fair skin didn't burn nearly as bad as I do in the summer here in South Carolina. I do have to say, even in September Athens stays hot until the sun goes down. If there is no breeze, there is no relief until dusk. All of the stone just soaks up the heat all day long keeping it warmer until dusk. The islands on the other hand is a different story. We could definitely tell things when things were starting to cool off just after mid-day providing some much needed relief from the heat. The islands, especially Santorini can get windy, so there were even a couple of times I found myself using a thin sweater when sitting at dinner.

Another reason I love traveling during off-season in general is because there are less kids. Parents, of young ones, don't hate me for this. Traveling while kids are usually in school means less crowds. While there were some kids on our flight to Greece and our flight back home, it wasn't a large amount and we definitely didn't hear any of them screaming for a solid nine hours.

Even thinking about mini-getaways back here in the states. I constantly find myself traveling when everyone else is at work or school. September is a great time to go to Charleston or up to Asheville. Yes, here in South Carolina, there is the possibility of a hurricane in September, but you can easily change your plans. Hitting the road in September is much more convenient than making that hours long drive anytime in July simply because there isn't the same amount of traffic on the roads.

All in all, the worst thing I'm going to have to say about traveling in September is I might miss college football Saturdays, but in the grant scheme of things, it is all worth it.