I sometimes get asked by my friends, where should I visit in this particular month? And it always gets my very excited, I’ll be talking or texting away endlessly.

As such, I have compiled my list of travel inspirations by month, in two parts. This post is Part 1, covering for the months of January to June !

Most of them are from my personal travel experiences, some from travel advices I got from friends or my research (which goes into my bucket list).

My list will mostly cover Asian and European countries. Haven’t got any opportunities to explore much of the other continents, but I’m claiming that it shall come to past soon!

I hope this list will inspire your next dream vacation. And please, feel free to drop a comment below and share your thoughts.

Click here for Part 2 (July to December) !

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January

January is a good time to travel Thailand. Its dry season starts from November to March, and you want to avoid the monsoon whenever you visit tropical countries, because they can really rain heavy! January is best because the Christmas and New Year parties crowd are gone. Whether it is a beach vacation in Krabi, or exploring the vibrant city of Bangkok; you’ll be sure to have nice weather outdoor.

Check out my recent visit to Koh Hong island, Krabi.

If you are up for some winter fun, I like to visit Hokkaido. Recently, I have picked up snowboarding and hoping to make Hokkaido a January thing with my snowboarding friends (budget permitting of course).

Check out my latest post on snowboarding in Niseko !

February

If snowboarding or skiing is not your cup of (green) tea, but you still like to enjoy snow. Hokkaido hosts its annual Sapporo snow festival in first week of February, featuring massive ice sculptures, and fun filled activities like snow sledding.

Otaru, Hokkaido

Tagging on Thailand’s dry season, I like to visit Chiang Mai in February. The perfect weather makes it ideal for outdoor activities, and you should expect less tourist crowd (January sees its highest influx of tourists). Also, you don’t want to miss the 3 days long Chiang Mai flower festival (upcoming 7-Feb to 9-Feb 2020).

Back at home, Malaysia west coast sees one of the driest months. And this is the best time to visit Langkawi, Penang or Kota Kinabalu. However, do take note of Chinese New Year dates, as to not get disappointed, because small businesses may be closed at least for the first four days of Chinese New Year.

Check out this cool video by SAYS on my beautiful hometown, Kota Kinabalu !

February is also the best time to visit Cameron Highlands with lowest rainfall, and slowest with tourist.

March

They say March is the best time to visit Vietnam. It is spring, temperature is moderate, and rainfall is the lightest. March is also a nice time to visit Philippines. I haven’t visited Vietnam or Philippines. But, I’m sure to cross them out on my bucket list soon!

I also have Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia salt flats, on my bucket list. And unlike tropical countries where you want to avoid rainy seasons, I really want to visit Salar de Uyuni during its wet season. This is because the rain will make this beautiful mirror effect on the salt flats, and it is going to be so pretty to take photos.

April

April is one of the best month to travel. There is the cherry blossom in Japan, which usually starts blooming from the south to the north, from late March to early May. Be sure to research and check on forecast.

There is also the Songkran, Thailand’s New year celebration. If you fancy some fun filled and wet action, head over to Bangkok on 13th April, to witness the water festival.

April is also a nice time to visit Paris in springtime. Jardin Tuileries will be in full blossom, and the weather is perfect for either strolling along the Canal Saint Martin, or picnicking along the Seine.

Check out my post on how to budget your Europe trip !

I have Morocco in my bucket list too. And my research says that April is the best time to visit. Time to check for air tickets!

May

May is the best month to visit Europe, for your European summer holiday. June and July months are considered peak season, and hence it will be packed with tourists and accommodation costs are the highest! May is when it starts to warm up, weather is perfect, and hotel prices are still fair (considering it is shoulder season).

Barcelona in May means sangria! It is going to be a feast to your tummy and your eyes! Ride along the long stretch of man made beaches on a bicycle, take a dip, take a sieste (afternoon nap), eat tapas, drink sangria, and repeat.

Barcelona has this unique Catalan festival, Castells, where they compete to build the tallest human tower. The tallest in history soars up to 10 storeys!

May is also the best time to swim in the waters of Malta. You really need to seriously consider Malta in your bucket list (if you haven’t heard of it yet).

Check out my blog post on Malta, where I dived some of the most beautiful waters in my lifetime.

Crowd is down also in Italy, and this is your opportunity to avoid long queues at St Peter’s Basilica (Rome), Basilica San Marco (Venice) etc.

June

June and July are the months to best avoid travelling to Europe, due to the crowd and expensive hotels.

However, if you always wanted to have a share of the European summer glam, nothing beats spending summer in the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur, the likes of Nice, Cannes, Saint Tropez etc). And June is the best month, as the beach season is just beginning, but French summer vacation has not yet started.

Otherwise, Bali is one of my favourite beach vacay destination. And the best time is of course its dry season from April to September. I can never stress enough how awesome Bali is. There’s the mouth watering food of course, but do you know, you can pay as low as RM600 for a three bedroom villa with private swimming pool !

Check out some of my posts on Bali !