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Intro
There are few experiences as demoralizing as arriving somewhere on vacation only to find it packed with other travelers. Theme parks, cruise ports, and popular tourist cities like London and Paris attract millions of visitors every year. If you don’t plan for it, a crowded destination can have a serious negative impact on your visit.
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Overcrowding is a serious issue in places like Rome, Venice, Dubrovnik, and Barcelona. Some cities have been so impacted by overtourism that local citizens and politicians have created initiatives to reduce the number of visitors.
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Fortunately, there are things you can do to avoid dealing with crowds when you travel-or at the very least, to manage them. The biggest crowds tend to follow each other to the same places, at the same times. Here are five useful tips for managing crowds wherever you travel.
Get Up Early/Stay Up Late
My first bit of advice for avoiding crowds is to start early or stay out late. Even busy destinations aren’t crowded 24/7 (except for places like Times Square). Getting started on sightseeing even an hour earlier can mean the difference between a pleasant experience and an uncomfortable mess. I walked right up to the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk Poland by showing up a few minutes early; there was at least an hour wait when I left.
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On the other hand, some cities really come alive after dark. If safe to do so, consider strolling around your destination after dark. Theme parks clear out, crowds return to cruise ships in popular ports, and locals come out after work to reclaim their city’s streets from the tourists. Touts, scammers, and tacky souvenir stalls disappear with the crowds-but still be on the lookout, of course.
As an added bonus, lighting for photography is usually better during the morning and evenings than at midday, so these can be good times for a stroll with your camera. So if you arrive at your destination and encounter massive crowds, see how things look early in the morning and late in the evening before worrying.
Book Ahead
No one wants to go on vacation just to wait in a bunch of long lines. But lines don’t matter if you can skip them. Many popular museums, viewing terraces, theme parks, and other attractions allow you to book online to skip the line for tickets. If you’re planning on visiting a popular attraction, always check online first to see if you can book entry ahead before your arrival.
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Online booking can sometimes save you money vs purchasing in person. Entry tickets might be for any time, or you may need to select a specific time slot for your visit. Just print out your ticket or show the booking to your attendant on your phone. Some cities offer passes that allow you to skip the line while saving money over individual attractions.
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Unfortunately, booking online obviously requires internet, which may not always be accessible while on the road. The best bit of advice is to book online before you leave if you know it will be an option. A good rule of thumb is to check for online booking before you visit major museums (even if there is free entry), historic sites, theme parks, and most tours. Of course, booking ahead is always a good idea for popular restaurants.
Travel In the Off-Season
It isn’t hard to know when the off-season is: if hotels and flights are sold out or absurdly expensive, you’re probably looking at high season. Traveling in the off-season allows you to avoid large crowds while saving tons of money. The one downside is that some restaurants and attractions might be closed or have limited hours if you visit outside of the main season.
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Summer, especially July and August, is almost always busy in the Northern Hemisphere. Hotels fill up, beaches and nature trails get crowded, traffic gets worse, and airports get packed. In many parts of the world, these two months are the only guarantee for good weather out of the entire year, so the crowds are understandable. Still, not everyone lives for a thriving social scene.
You don’t have to travel when things are cold and closed, however. May and October, or even June and September, still have excellent weather without quite as many crowds. A difference of even two weeks can be dramatic. If possible, try to move your vacation to one of these shoulder season months.
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This rule isn’t universal, however. Some theme parks like Disney and Universal resorts can be crowded year-round, and predicting crowd levels is a science of its own. Italian and Spanish cities are still busy in September and October since summers can be uncomfortably hot. And ski destinations have their high seasons in the winter instead of summer.
Furthermore, many places have local holidays you might not be familiar with, which increases local crowds and might impact opening times. The most important thing here is to do research on where you’re going.
Explore the Nooks & Crannies
Just because you’re visiting a place in high season doesn’t mean that place is busy all over. Cities like Venice, Prague, and Paris have dedicated tourist routes, which most visitors will stick to during their visit. In Prague, for example, most visitors will stick to the main throughfare between Prague Castle and Old Town Square, crossing over the medieval Charles Bridge along the way. However, move just a few streets away and the crowds will dissipate.
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There are countless interesting streets and neighborhoods across the world’s most popular cities to visit. Most visitors flock to only a handful of these, leaving many cool spots with few tourists but many charms. It feels good to go against the crowd and find something interesting that most others don’t know about. As an added bonus, taking the back streets usually gets you away from scammers or dishonest/bad restaurants and shops.
Be Flexible
Maybe the best piece of advice for managing crowds when traveling is to be flexible. If you’re traveling and a museum or restaurant has a long line, just leave, and come back later. With enough time, consider using the first day of your vacation to get a feel for the place, see what gets busy and when.
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Otherwise, do some research before you go to see what is popular in your destination. Some of this advice is pretty obvious: you’ll already know the Eiffel Tower is popular in Paris and the Colosseum is popular in Rome.
Don’t plan on keeping to a strict itinerary in general. It might not be possible or fun to stick to a rigid schedule while traveling, especially in high season. Book ahead where you can and fill in other attractions and mealtimes when things don’t look too busy. Just go with the flow once you’re on the ground.
Wrapping Up
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Vacation planning is stressful enough without worrying about crowds. But remember: if you’re visiting a popular location, you are also part of the crowd. Bring a sense of patience with you and keep your plans flexible. Find ways to be where everyone else is not or be willing to join the line. Millions of people also want to go to the same places you want to go. But with a little advanced research, and by following these five guidelines, you can have a great trip no matter how popular the destination.