11 Easy Tips To Avoid Crowds While Traveling 

Planning a trip to a world-famous city or much-loved destination and wondering how to avoid huge crowds?

The world’s best attractions are crowded, and there’s usually good reason for that, but is there any way to avoid the hoards of people you’ll find at these much-loved destinations?

Sort of.

There’s ways you can mitigate crowds, but to completely eliminate crowds would require avoiding top destinations. That means no major cities, theme parks, national parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and more.

I assume if you’re reading this post, you already have travel planned for a popular destination and don’t want to cancel.

I’ve been lucky to visit countless destinations around the United States and internationally, and I’ve learned a thing or two about reducing crowd interaction along the way.

Read on for my top tips to avoid crowds while traveling.

Best Tips To Avoid Crowds While Traveling 

Travel During Shoulder Season

One of the best ways to experience fewer crowds when traveling, is to travel during shoulder season.

Shoulder season is the time just before and after peak season. 

For destinations which are crowded in summer, consider your visit during very late spring or early fall.

It’s likely you’ll have the same experience as summer visitors would, but with a fraction of the crowds.

Or perhaps, for example, you wish to see New York City during the Christmas season. Consider a trip right after Thanksgiving or right after New Year’s. 

During these small windows, holiday decorations are up but the city isn’t seeing a massive number of visitors as they do right around Christmas.

Visit During The Week

Another simple way to reduce crowds of tourists, is traveling during the week.

If your schedule allows it, this can hugely cut down on crowds no matter the time of year. Most people are working with limited time off, so travel naturally falls to weekends. If you can avoid this, you’ll instantly reduce crowds.

Start The Day Early

Perhaps you can’t travel during shoulder season or during the week? Or perhaps you’re visiting a destinations so popular, there are still crowds during this time? Don’t worry, there are still steps you can take to reduce crowds. 

The first is to get an early start to your day, this is a great way to mitigate crowds.

If you’re visiting attractions which have no hours restrictions, plan to start your day around sunrise.

For most, waking up this early isn’t enjoyable. While I understand that, seeing famous landmarks and landscapes without massive crowds, is quite enjoyable. 

Break away from the pack by starting with an early morning. Most people will not do this. 

Now, for tourist attractions which are restricted to hours — a popular museum, restaurant, etc. — I recommend visiting immediately at opening time.

Do Things During Off-Peak Hours

To reiterate the above in a different context, you’re simply looking to avoid peak hours.

For main attractions, the bulk of visitors will arrive late morning or midday, so avoid these times With some research, you can find the best time to visit popular sites. Hit the often-crowded shopping district right as it opens, or in the late afternoon. Make your dinner reservation at 5 pm, not 7 pm. 

Get what I’m saying? You’ll encounter fewer people this way.

Check Google’s ‘Popular Times’ Feature 

A great resource to help you avoid peak hours is Google’s ‘Popular Times’ feature.

Simply search for a business on Google, you’ll see their business listing on the right, within this listing, you’ll see the ‘Popular Times’ feature.

It looks like a little column graph with blue lines.

The data is based on historical patterns, so it gives users an idea of when a place is likely to busy or not busy.

It also updates in real time, so you can gauge current crowd levels without actually being there.

Get Off The Beaten Path

Most destinations that get really crowded have must-see attractions that all tourists flock to.

You should go see these attractions if they call to you, there is probably a very good reason they’re so famous.

But these attractions are what you should see early in the morning, or outside of peak hours.

So, how do you fill the rest of your day? Get off the beaten path. 

For as many famous attractions as you’ll find, I guarantee there are just as many lesser known gems.

Of course, some places will have tons of hidden gems, others may have less. And your personal taste and preference will impact how interesting these “hidden gems” really are.

Now, how do you find these hidden gems? Talk with locals, and talk with folks at the Welcome Center or Visitor Center.

Just about every major tourist destination has some sort of Welcome Center where you can talk with staff. This is one of the best resources out there, it’s like having a local guide. It’s literally their job to help you, and it’s free to you.

Asking a local is another good way to go. Talk with your server, a retail clerk, etc. Just don’t bother people when they’re busy.

Last, I often find social media to be helpful in finding lesser-known attractions. Browse TikTok or Instagram under hashtags or search suggestions related to the destination you’re visiting.

There’s also tons of really great blogs out there, but those can be difficult to find in traditional Google search, especially for popular destinations. Browse Pinterest or, again, TikTok and Instagram, to find helpful bloggers.

Get Away From The Choke Points

Sometimes getting off the beaten path doesn’t mean, “don’t do the most popular thing,” but instead, create space for yourself while doing the most popular thing.

A majority of famous attractions will have a series of choke points, things every visitor wants to see.

But they’ll usually have lesser visited areas as well, be sure check those out.

As an example below, we easily found space to ourselves at the mega-popular Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

Be Aware Of Cruise Ship Ports And Tour Buses 

Cruise ships and tour buses bring a large number of people to one area. 

These visitors will all arrive at one time, leave at one time, and can only go so far from their source of transportation. Naturally, this leads to large crowds. 

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with traveling via cruise ships or tours, but if you’re trying to avoid crowds, you’ll need to limit your interaction with this type of travel.

If visiting a cruise port destination, inquire about what time of day these cruises do their tours, then avoid popular attractions during these hours.

The same kind of thing goes for tour buses, these buses can only arrive so early and stay so late, so avoid these peak hours when buses are likely to be in town.

Do this and you’ll find yourself surrounded by fewer tourists.

For those who are considering traveling via tours or cruises and wondering if its possible to avoid crowds, your best option is to find small group tours and small cruise ships. Then carefully read the reviews of previous travelers, and see what their experiences were like. 

Have A Well Thought Out Plan

A well planned itinerary is one of the easiest ways to avoid throngs of people.

If you didn’t catch on from the previous tips, a plan is necessary if you wish to be intentional about avoiding crowds. 

Knowing which attractions will be most crowded and when, making dinner reservations during off-peak times, etc., all of this will help create an easier trip.

A well made itinerary is also a great way to make the most of your trip and experience the local culture.

Pack Your Patience 

If you wish to see some of the world’s best travel destinations during high season, you’re not going to be alone. 

Follow my tips above, but know that some destinations, no matter how hard you try, will require you to bring your patience.

And if you don’t want to follow these tips, if waking up early sounds awful, you hate the idea of a detailed itinerary, that’s perfectly okay, just be prepared for crowds. 

Additional Tips For Traveling In A Busy Destination

Below are a few additional tips for traveling in crowded destinations:

• Make lodging reservations well in advance.
• Book excursions and dining reservations in advance.
• When possible, also book museums in advance to save money and avoid long lines.
• Wake up early and hit the most popular spots first.
• Consider private guides or a small group guided tour.
• Be aware of, and avoid, major events or celebrations.
• Utilize public transportation in busy cities with heavy traffic.

Last, in big cities, please use caution when going off the beaten path or doing things very early or late at night. 

As you can see, you don’t have to rely on low season just to avoid crowds while traveling, there are ways to help mitigate crowds even during peak times like summer holidays.

I hope you’ve found this helpful in planning your trip, and have the best time!

Any questions? Please leave a comment below or reach out on social media.

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• How I Took 17 Trips With 10 Vacation Days: Maximize Your Time Off
• How I Quit My Job And Traveled For A Year
• Holiday Travel Tips For The Anxious Traveler