How to Avoid People When You Travel

And by People I mean other Tourists

We’ve all been there - you travel to a destination you’ve been dreaming about only to arrive and be surrounded by so many people you can’t begin to enjoy yourself. We’ve been in the crowds to see the Trevi Fountain in Rome and wandered the crowded streets of Paris.

After our last visit to Athens, my kids decided they no longer want to explore citities at all due to the crowds. While we love to see these famous sites, we’ve strategically changed how we travel in an effort to have more a personal, authentic and relaxed experience.

Not only is overcrowding a bad experience when we travel, it’s also bad for the places we visit. Many places, especially across Europe are implementing strategies to manage the number of people who visit to avoid overwelming these places. US National parks have added reservation systems to avoid overcrowding and many smaller areas, like Sedona, are implementing new shuttle systems to limit cars that overwelming local roads.

Looking for more travel tips? Pop over to Chasing ADVNTR.

How to Avoid Other Tourists

Below you can see 10 ways we try to avoid other tourists when we travel.

Travel Off-Peak Seasons: Plan your trips during shoulder seasons or off-peak times when fewer tourists are likely to visit. This is ideal, but not always possible as sometime we are stuck with school and work schedules.

Choose Alternative Destinations: Opt for lesser-known locations that offer similar attractions but are less frequented by tourists. For every famous destination there is usually a place or two that is similar and far less popular.

• Instead of visiting the Louvre (Paris, France), visit the Musée de l'Orangerie.

• Instead of visiting Venice (Italy), visit Bologna.

• Instead of visiting Santorini, visit one of the many smaller Greek islands.

Visit Popular Sites Early or Late: Arrive at famous attractions right when they open or later in the day to avoid the busiest times. While many people are catching onto this tip, we’ve had a lot of luck with really early and really late visits to famous places.

Use Local Transportation: Instead of joining crowded tours, explore using local buses or trains, which can take you to less-visited areas. This also gives you flexibility to adjust your schedule if you get to a place that it too crowded.

Explore Less Popular Neighborhoods: Spend time in residential neighborhoods or suburbs where you can experience local life without the tourist hustle. This often gives you a more authentic experience as you will most likley see where people actually live and work instead of just the tourist streets.

Take Advantage of Weekdays: If possible, visit attractions during the week rather than weekends when crowds tend to be larger.

Stay Flexible with Your Itinerary: Be open to changing your plans based on crowd levels and local events. We’ve left places early if they were too crowded, didn’t meet our expectations or the weather was bad. I like to have a good plane but be open and flexible.

Use Technology: Check crowd levels through apps or websites that provide real-time updates on popular attractions. This can be very helpful in the moment, but many sites will tell you when their busiest times are.

Book Timed Entries: Many popular sites offer timed entry tickets, allowing you to visit at less crowded times. This means you often need to book your travel sometimes 6-9 months in advance.

Engage in Outdoor Activities: Choose outdoor adventures, like hiking or exploring nature reserves, which often have fewer visitors than urban attractions. This might be our favorite way to get off the beaten path - many outdoor activities are only busy near the parking lot. The farther you go, the less people you will find!

Have fun out there,

Gretchen