Best places to travel in November 2019

Brr. It’s getting colder (in the northern hemisphere at least), and the days are getting very short. The weather’s closing in and what most people want to do is huddle up somewhere warm. But if you do want to get a bit of travelling done (and why not?) here are our top tips for places to go in November.

Golden Age glamour, Palm Springs, California, US

Maybe you feel like you need to treat yourself. It’s the last chance before the holiday season starts in earnest. Take yourself off somewhere glamorous. Somewhere that counted, among its regular guests, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and more, as November in the desert feels more like springtime elsewhere.

The dry heat coupled with the hot springs that give the place its name (along with the palms, naturally) meant that it was a popular destination in the 1900s for tourists looking for a healthful place to spend their winter. Ironically, due to travellers finding the summers in this part of the world oppressively hot, Palm Springs began to specialise in being the one place you might find some winter sun.

In the 1920s, as its fame grew, the city was filled with many of the elegant art deco buildings that you can see today: Lloyd Wright — son of Frank — Albert Frey and William Krisel are among the many to have left their mark on the place.

Sun Down Under, Adelaide, Australia

Of course, it’s not winter everywhere, so if you’re looking to escape the weather properly, how about heading to Australia? And not just anywhere in Australia: one of its lesser-remembered cities.

Adelaide suffers in comparison to the bigger brothers of Melbourne and Sydney, but there’s no reason why this should be so. In fact, Adelaideans are proud of their underdog status and the feeling of being in possession of one of Australia’s best-kept secrets.

The truth is, Adelaide is a very cool city indeed. Founded in 1836 on the principles of religious freedom, political progressivism and civil liberties, it has generally maintained this admirable trajectory ever since.

Despite slumping into having a reputation as something of a cultural backwater in the middle of the 20th century, in the 1970s Adelaide experienced a cultural and social revival, as it flourished into a centre for the arts (the Adelaide Festival of Arts is one of the world’s biggest and most important), and South Australia became the first state in the country to decriminalise homosexuality.

Floating away, Thailand

On 13 November, the whole of Thailand will celebrate the festival of Loy Krathong, one of the most colourful festivals in a part of the world where that claim is up against some pretty stiff competition. Thais head to rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in order to float millions of tiny containers (known as krathong) upon the water in order to thank Mother Nature.

It originates from an ancient ritual designed to appease water spirits, but the boat-like containers are a recent addition, having only been introduced in 1947. They have, however, become a much-loved addition to the festival as almost all of them contain a candle, as well as three incense sticks and a few coins. This means that the sight and scent of thousands of them floating on the water at night is a truly lovely sight.

A slightly controversial point over the years has been the material that the krathongs are made of. After their introduction in the mid-20th century, a number were made out of styrofoam. Obviously, for a festival that’s supposed to celebrate the fact that we have clean water, this was a Very Bad Thing.

Northern Lights season, Iceland

“Aurora Borealis? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localised entirely within your visit?” “Yes!”

Stunning, rugged Iceland is a bucket-list destination for a lot of travellers, and no more so than as winter approaches, when the sun barely rises and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights increases. The wondrous greens, purples, whites and yellows that swoop and curl across the night sky can be elusive, but once seen, are never forgotten.

Check the weather forecast before venturing out (cloud cover will almost certainly mean you won’t see anything), and get away from urban areas. Admittedly, Iceland has very few, but craning your neck skywards in the middle of Reykjavik is not the way to go about it.

You can rent a car or a truck and head out yourself, or you can book a trip with one of the number of Northern Lights hunting groups. These are dedicated photographers who’ll show you the best places for seeing the Lights, as well as — if photography is your thing — giving you tips on camera settings, focus, perspective and everything else you need to know to get the perfect shot.

Also, you’ll have to be patient. Experienced hunters recommend a trip of at least four nights to make it as likely as possible that you’ll see a display. Indeed, a lot of the self-drive tours that are mapped specifically to visit places you’re likely to see the lights last around seven days.