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Where and when to go

Travel Inspiration and Guides for UK Travellers

Find travel inspiration for your next holiday, starting with the month you can travel. Our guides cover the best times to visit Dubai, the Maldives and Bali, honeymoon ideas and flying business class for less. Every guide is written for travellers leaving from the UK, with flight times and school holidays in mind.

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  • Written by the SkyWays Hub travel team
  • Checked against official sources
  • Every guide dated

Latest guides

Travel guides for your next trip

Card photos, via Wikimedia Commons: Things to Do in Dubai – Christian Raggini, CC0 (cropped) · Best Time to Visit the Maldives – Matheenfaiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) · Best Honeymoon Destinations from the UK, Month by Month – George spanoudakis, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) · Best Time to Visit Bali – Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0 (cropped) · Best Time to Visit Dubai – Tim Reckmann from Hamm, Deutschland, CC BY 2.0 (cropped) · Maldives All-Inclusive Holidays – Yulia Suci Rejeki, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) · How to Book Cheap Business Class Flights from the UK – Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 (cropped) · Maldives Honeymoon Guide – Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

Month by month

When to go: a month-by-month holiday planner

Start with the month you can travel, then pick a place at its best. These holiday ideas all come from our destination guides.

Where to go, month by month
Month Where to go Why it works
January Dubai, the Maldives, Sri Lanka Dubai at about 24 °C; dry, sunny days in the Maldives and Sri Lanka
February Dubai, the Maldives, St Lucia Dubai about 25 °C at half-term; the Maldives and St Lucia at their driest
March Dubai, the Maldives, Japan Dubai near 30 °C, dry Maldives days and cherry blossom in Japan from late March
April The Maldives, Bali, Dubai Warmest Maldives month, Bali’s dry season begins, Dubai beaches still pleasant
May Bali, the Maldives, the Amalfi Coast Dry Bali with fewer crowds, usually lower Maldives prices and a quieter Amalfi Coast
June Bali, Santorini, Lake Como Dry Bali before the July rush; sunny Santorini and Lake Como
July Bali, Kenya, the Amalfi Coast Bali’s driest, busiest month; Kenya’s Great Migration starts; Amalfi Coast sunshine
August Bali, Kenya and Zanzibar, Sri Lanka’s east coast Summer-holiday sun: all three are in their dry seasons
September Bali, Santorini, the Amalfi Coast Bali still dry but calmer; Santorini and Amalfi quieter once schools return
October Dubai, Mauritius, the Seychelles Dubai eases to about 36 °C at half-term; calm seas in Mauritius and the Seychelles
November Dubai, the Maldives, Mauritius Dubai at about 31 °C, good-value Maldives weeks, Mauritius before its hottest months
December Dubai, the Maldives, St Lucia Winter sun: Dubai near 26 °C and dry seasons in the Maldives and St Lucia

Weather is never certain, so use the table to narrow your choice. Then read our guides to the best time to visit Dubai, Maldives weather by month and Bali’s dry and wet seasons.

Destinations

Where to go: ideas from our destination guides

Short on holiday inspiration? Start with one of these four ideas, each drawn from our guides.

Dubai: winter sun about seven hours away

From November to March, Dubai has warm, dry days, and December to February are the most comfortable months.

Our list of 30 things to do in Dubai mixes the Burj Khalifa and the old souks with a desert safari. Summer is very hot, so it suits indoor sights and pool days, and hotel rates are usually lower.

The Maldives: lagoons, villas and value months

The dry season runs from December to April, and January to March brings the most reliable sunshine. For value, look at April or November. From May the weather is wetter, but resorts are quieter and prices usually fall.

Our guide on when to go to the Maldives covers rainfall, sunshine and the manta ray season in Baa Atoll.

Bali: temples, rice terraces and beaches

Bali is driest from about April to October. May, June and September balance good weather with fewer crowds, and July and August bring the least rain but the biggest crowds.

The wet season, from November to March, is greener and better value. Check the date of Nyepi, the Day of Silence, before you book, as the airport closes for 24 hours (see our Bali seasons guide).

Honeymoon islands, Europe and beyond

In the UK winter, look to the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean: Mauritius, the Seychelles, St Lucia and Antigua. In summer, try sunny Santorini, the Amalfi Coast or Lake Como, or pair a Kenya safari with a Zanzibar beach.

Our guide to honeymoon destinations by month adds Sri Lanka, Japan and twin-centre trips, such as Dubai with the Maldives.

Trip types

Holiday ideas for every kind of trip

Choose your kind of trip, then follow the guide that fits it.

  • Honeymoons: choose the destination by your wedding month, and allow six to twelve months for a Maldives booking at Christmas or Easter. Our Maldives honeymoon guide compares overwater and beach villas.
  • Families in the school holidays: Dubai is about 25 °C at February half-term. The Maldives is dry at February half-term and Easter, though these are among its busiest weeks. Bali is usually quieter at Easter and October half-term than in August.
  • Flying in comfort for less: flexible dates, shoulder months, one-stop routes and regional airports can all lower business class fares. Premium economy is a good middle ground; see how to book business class for less.
  • All-inclusive or half board: in the Maldives, all-inclusive usually covers three meals, snacks and a set list of drinks. Half board can suit light drinkers and people out on excursions, as our Maldives all-inclusive guide explains.

Getting started

How to find travel inspiration for your next holiday

Not sure where to begin? These five steps turn a loose idea into a trip you can book.

  1. Start with when you can travel. Your dates shape the weather, the price and how busy it will be.
  2. Decide how the trip should feel. Beach and rest, culture and food, a honeymoon or a family adventure.
  3. Check the weather and flight time. Our guides give the best months and typical flight times from the UK.
  4. Check entry rules and insurance. Read the GOV.UK foreign travel advice for your destination, and buy travel insurance as soon as you book.
  5. Turn it into a plan. Ask us for a quote: tell us when you want to go, where you would fly from, who is coming and your budget. We reply within 24 hours.

Our guides

How we write our travel guides

Our guides are written by the SkyWays Hub travel team for people travelling from the UK. We are a travel company, so each guide ends with a simple way to ask us about a trip.

  • Facts are checked against official sources such as GOV.UK and airline and hotel websites.
  • Each guide lists its sources at the end.
  • Every guide shows the date it was published or last updated.
  • Photos are credited to the people who took them.

Questions

Travel inspiration questions

Where can I find winter sun from the UK?

For reliable winter sun, try Dubai from November to March, when mid-winter highs are about 24 to 26 °C. From December to April it is dry season in the Maldives, the Caribbean and on Sri Lanka’s south and west coasts. See when to visit Dubai and when to visit the Maldives.

Where can we go in the UK summer holidays?

Bali is at its driest, and busiest, in July and August, as our Bali guide explains. Kenya’s Great Migration begins in July, while Santorini and the Amalfi Coast are sunny but crowded. Dubai is very hot, so it suits pool days and indoor sights, with lower hotel rates.

When are long-haul holidays cheaper?

Prices usually fall outside the peak weeks. Dubai tends to be better value from June to August, and the Maldives in May, June, September and October. Christmas, New Year, February half-term and Easter usually cost the most, so book early if you need those dates.

How far ahead should I book?

Maldives trips at Christmas, February half-term or Easter are best booked six to twelve months ahead, so you get the villa you want. For Bali in July, August or the festive season, allow six months or more. In Bali’s shoulder months, about three or four months ahead usually works, and in the wet season shorter notice is often fine.

Do I need a visa for Dubai, the Maldives or Bali?

Entry rules are different for each country and can change at short notice. Our Maldives and Bali guides explain the steps for UK travellers as at their dates, and our Dubai guides link to GOV.UK. Always check the GOV.UK foreign travel advice when you book and again before you fly.

How long are the flights from the UK?

A direct flight from London takes about seven hours to Dubai and about ten hours to Malé in the Maldives, where a direct service runs. Bali has no direct flights from the UK, so most trips include one stop, often in Singapore, Doha or Dubai.

Can you plan a trip from one of your guides?

Yes. If a guide gives you travel inspiration, contact us with your travel month, preferred airport, group size and budget. We will then suggest tailor-made holidays around your plans, with flights, hotels and transfers, and we reply within 24 hours.

Last updated: October 2026

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