Peak travel season in Asia coincides with the beginning of the dry season: the outdoors are relatively free of rain (barring the occasional light shower) and the temperature varies from cool to tolerably warm. The dry season turns into all-out summer (hot and dry all around) before giving way to the monsoon season - the wet rainy months from May to October beloved of rice farmers, but mistrusted by travelers.
American tourists may find the monsoon season somewhat inconvenient; after all, the beginning of the monsoon rains coincides with the start of the summer break, the only extended period available to most U.S.-based tourists for undertaking family travel.
Pros and Cons of Monsoon Season Travel
If you think there's nothing good about traveling during monsoon season, you're wrong. There are a few advantages to planning a trip to coincide with the local monsoons.
Off-peak prices and capacity. Booking a hotel is a breeze during the rainy season. Hotel rates and airfare can come down by up to sixty percent of peak season rates, because the summer-season crush has fled with the onset of the rains. And getting around on local transportation can be easier and less crowded.
Cooler weather. The monsoon season comes on the tail of the hottest months of the year - the afternoon showers in the first two months of the rainy season can come as a cooling relief, although the high all-day humidity can be stifling.
More scenic sites. As mentioned in the previous page, places like the Angkor temples benefit from the increased rains: the canals are topped up, and the lush greenery makes the stone templework feel more alive.
Which is not to say that traveling during the monsoon season is entirely free of downsides. The rainy season increases risks to travelers in more ways than one.
Greater health hazards. A number of diseases particular to the rainy season can strike even the healthiest tourist down. Mosquito bites spread dengue fever; feces-ridden runoff can contaminate the groundwater, spreading cholera, hepatitis, leptospirosis and food poisoning.
Riskier travel. If you've gotten past those washed-out roads and cancelled flights to get to your destination, the dangerous rip tides at your overcast beach resort or the flash flood at your riverside stop just might do you in.
Reduced travel options. See above: roads are prone to flooding and flights are prone to cancellation due to inclement weather. Some ferries and bus operations cease altogether, and not a few hotels and budget inns close down as the tourist tide dries up.
Dos and Don'ts of Monsoon Season Travel
You can enjoy all the benefits of travel during the monsoon season - and very few of the downsides - if you prepare adequately for your trip. Follow the dos and don'ts below to ensure that you'll remember your monsoon trip warmly, instead of regretting it entirely.
Monitor the situation. Before you make your way to a particular location, check the local weather to ensure a safe trip. Most Southeast Asian countries now have online resources that let you check in on the local climate from anywhere. (See this article for links to those resources: Early Warnings for Volcanoes, Floods, Tsunamis, and Earthquakes.)
Keep your ear open for English-language TV or radio forecasts in your destination; the Asian feeds of CNN, BBC or other news cable channels can provide up-to-date weather reports on your neck of the woods.
Pack carefully. Traveling during typhoon season carries with it particular dangers; make sure your baggage reflects the risk you face. Moisture and humidity? Bring plastic bags and other waterproof containers for documents and clothes; put silica gel packs in your handbags. Mosquitoes? Bring DEET along. Electricity outages? Bring extra batteries and a flashlight. Read this article for more details: What to Pack for Monsoon Season Travel in Asia.
Prepare for mosquito season. More rains mean more pools of standing water, where mosquitoes can breed. Cases of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever proliferate throughout the monsoon season. Put DEET (or any other mosquito repellent) in your travel toolkit; even better, read this article on how to prevent mosquito bites.
Don't wade in flood waters. Cities like Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok are often overwhelmed by flooding during the monsoon season. Don't wade into the overflow if at all possible. If this is unavoidable, take a long scrubby shower as soon as you get out of the floods.
The flood waters are horribly unsanitary - they pick up whatever's in the sewers and bring it gushing out to the surface. These waters are breeding grounds for cholera, leptospirosis and a million other nasties you probably never got shots for.
Another reason for avoiding the flooded streets: the cloudy waters obscure hidden traps like open manholes. It's not uncommon for an unsuspecting wader to just disappear, never to be seen again.
Avoid raw vegetables. Fecal-to-oral diseases like cholera spread like crazy in the monsoon season. So this is a good time to leave the raw veg aside. (The Vietnamese, who love their raw herbs and vegetables in their pho and other dishes, experienced a serious cholera epidemic in 2008.)
Allow plenty of waiting time in your travel itinerary. This is the monsoon season, where buses and planes can be canceled without further notice. Arrange your itinerary with some allowance for delays - ask your airline or bus about their policies for schedule changes, cancellations and refunds, and make sure you have a fall-back accommodation just in case you're forced to stay an extra day.
American tourists may find the monsoon season somewhat inconvenient; after all, the beginning of the monsoon rains coincides with the start of the summer break, the only extended period available to most U.S.-based tourists for undertaking family travel.
Pros and Cons of Monsoon Season Travel
If you think there's nothing good about traveling during monsoon season, you're wrong. There are a few advantages to planning a trip to coincide with the local monsoons.
Off-peak prices and capacity. Booking a hotel is a breeze during the rainy season. Hotel rates and airfare can come down by up to sixty percent of peak season rates, because the summer-season crush has fled with the onset of the rains. And getting around on local transportation can be easier and less crowded.
Cooler weather. The monsoon season comes on the tail of the hottest months of the year - the afternoon showers in the first two months of the rainy season can come as a cooling relief, although the high all-day humidity can be stifling.
More scenic sites. As mentioned in the previous page, places like the Angkor temples benefit from the increased rains: the canals are topped up, and the lush greenery makes the stone templework feel more alive.
Which is not to say that traveling during the monsoon season is entirely free of downsides. The rainy season increases risks to travelers in more ways than one.
Greater health hazards. A number of diseases particular to the rainy season can strike even the healthiest tourist down. Mosquito bites spread dengue fever; feces-ridden runoff can contaminate the groundwater, spreading cholera, hepatitis, leptospirosis and food poisoning.
Riskier travel. If you've gotten past those washed-out roads and cancelled flights to get to your destination, the dangerous rip tides at your overcast beach resort or the flash flood at your riverside stop just might do you in.
Reduced travel options. See above: roads are prone to flooding and flights are prone to cancellation due to inclement weather. Some ferries and bus operations cease altogether, and not a few hotels and budget inns close down as the tourist tide dries up.
Dos and Don'ts of Monsoon Season Travel
You can enjoy all the benefits of travel during the monsoon season - and very few of the downsides - if you prepare adequately for your trip. Follow the dos and don'ts below to ensure that you'll remember your monsoon trip warmly, instead of regretting it entirely.
Monitor the situation. Before you make your way to a particular location, check the local weather to ensure a safe trip. Most Southeast Asian countries now have online resources that let you check in on the local climate from anywhere. (See this article for links to those resources: Early Warnings for Volcanoes, Floods, Tsunamis, and Earthquakes.)
Keep your ear open for English-language TV or radio forecasts in your destination; the Asian feeds of CNN, BBC or other news cable channels can provide up-to-date weather reports on your neck of the woods.
Pack carefully. Traveling during typhoon season carries with it particular dangers; make sure your baggage reflects the risk you face. Moisture and humidity? Bring plastic bags and other waterproof containers for documents and clothes; put silica gel packs in your handbags. Mosquitoes? Bring DEET along. Electricity outages? Bring extra batteries and a flashlight. Read this article for more details: What to Pack for Monsoon Season Travel in Asia.
Prepare for mosquito season. More rains mean more pools of standing water, where mosquitoes can breed. Cases of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever proliferate throughout the monsoon season. Put DEET (or any other mosquito repellent) in your travel toolkit; even better, read this article on how to prevent mosquito bites.
Don't wade in flood waters. Cities like Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok are often overwhelmed by flooding during the monsoon season. Don't wade into the overflow if at all possible. If this is unavoidable, take a long scrubby shower as soon as you get out of the floods.
The flood waters are horribly unsanitary - they pick up whatever's in the sewers and bring it gushing out to the surface. These waters are breeding grounds for cholera, leptospirosis and a million other nasties you probably never got shots for.
Another reason for avoiding the flooded streets: the cloudy waters obscure hidden traps like open manholes. It's not uncommon for an unsuspecting wader to just disappear, never to be seen again.
Avoid raw vegetables. Fecal-to-oral diseases like cholera spread like crazy in the monsoon season. So this is a good time to leave the raw veg aside. (The Vietnamese, who love their raw herbs and vegetables in their pho and other dishes, experienced a serious cholera epidemic in 2008.)
Allow plenty of waiting time in your travel itinerary. This is the monsoon season, where buses and planes can be canceled without further notice. Arrange your itinerary with some allowance for delays - ask your airline or bus about their policies for schedule changes, cancellations and refunds, and make sure you have a fall-back accommodation just in case you're forced to stay an extra day.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét
Thanks. See us more at http://www.viptourasia.com