Summer and winter destinations: Which countries to visit when

Some countries have distinct seasons: Scandinavia belongs to summer, South America and Southeast Asia to winter. We analyzed what proportion of travel reports for each country were written during the summer months of June to August and the winter months of December to February—and the extremes are more pronounced than you might think.

Summer destinations: Scandinavia at its extreme

Sweden is the most extreme summer destination: Seven out of ten travel reports are written in just three months—almost three times what would be expected with an even distribution. Norway and Great Britain follow closely behind. The pattern is clear: The further north the destination, the more travel is concentrated on the short window of midnight sun and mild temperatures.

Winter destinations: Southern Hemisphere and dry season

On the other side, two patterns dominate: the southern summer and the dry season. In Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand, the European winter is the best time of year—Patagonia, for example, is practically only accessible then. Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia owe their heavy winter weather to the dry season, which coincides precisely with the dark winter months in Europe. Over half of all reports on Chile are written in just three months.

Data basis: all publicly available travel reports on Vakantio with travel date and assigned country (as of August 2026). For each country, the proportion of reports from the months of June to August and December to February is analyzed; countries with too few reports are excluded. All figures are proportions, not absolute numbers.