Love Thy Off-Season

Chances are wherever you live has an off-season. It’s that time of year when your feet are cold, the sun doesn’t show, your favourite shops and restaurants close, and when there is no point checking the weather for the next few months. Growing up in coastal New England ours essentially ran from October – May. This was the period when seasonal residents fled the bitter winters for warmer, more fertile grounds in the South and Southwest. But for as long as I can remember I looked forward to and embraced this time of year. As I grew older and began travelling I often made a point of visiting countries in their off-seasons. I didn’t know how to explain it at the time, but I am pretty sure it all came down to the Danish principle of "hygge" that the off-season seems to bring. There is a stillness, a warmth and a beauty that you just can’t get the rest of the year. So here are a few reasons to love thy off-season:

More Sunsets

I’m not sure it’s statistically true or scientifically proven, but some of the most dramatic sunsets I have witnessed happen in the off-season. With the days being shorter (for us whose off-season is winter) you’ve got a better chance of catching one and to top it off you may have it all to yourself. 

Less people, more space.

There is an emptiness to the off-season. Not the kind you feel after realising you’ve just watched videos of people scaring cats with cucumbers. More like a stillness. Traffic eases or disappears entirely, you can head to that popular coffee shop or trail-head you love again and if you surf, well, happy days. 

Meeting locals

One of my favourite reasons for travelling in the off-season is I often find it easier to engage with the locals and get experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Half the time their curiosity will get the better of them and they’ll initiate the conversation by asking what the hell you are doing there during this time of year. With guards (and facades) lowered you’ll get authentic opportunities many tourists could only dream of. 

More time with Family

If you work in hospitality or tourism, enjoy the lull this time of year brings and spend more time with loved ones you may not have seen for a while. Catch up over a hot coffee or cold beer, laugh, cry and be thankful you’ve got them around. 

Visit old favourites or places you kept putting off

 Pack your day pack and head out to one of your favourite seasonal spots for a different perspective of that place you love. Or visit a place you had planned to go to all season long but didn’t quite make it to – you might just surprise yourself. There is no time like the present. 

Planning the next adventure

If nothing else, the off-season gives you plenty of space and time to think. So put it to good use and plan that next adventure!