For young, commitment-less travelers, childless couples and empty nesters, National Geographic Travel
has rounded up a list of the best fall destinations for 2017, when
summer cedes to winter in a stunningly dramatic transformation of
colors.
While younger families may be tethered to school calendars in the
fall, that doesn’t me
an that the travel world stops spinning. Here’s a
selection of travel ideas this autumn, whether it be for a weeklong
getaway or a weekend escapade for the whole family:
Celebrate the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico
Despite its macabre moniker, Day of the Dead is a colorful and
festive holiday that honors the memory of fallen friends, family members
and ancestors, and sends well wishes to the dead on their spiritual
journey.
The tradition is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The city of Oaxaca offers one
of the biggest and liveliest editions in Mexico, with processions,
marching bands, fireworks and lots of Mezcal. The Day of the Dead takes
place October 31 to November 2.
Grape harvest in wine country, France
Wine lovers and Francophiles will want to consider delaying that long
overdue holiday to France for mid-September, when the crowds have
thinned, the temperatures have cooled slightly, and the grape harvest
begins in Burgundy. If you’re more about drinking the grapes and not
picking it, Paris throws its annual Fete des Vendanges harvest festival
in October, when the Montmartre area transforms into a street festival
lined with winemakers from across the country and food stalls that sell
everything from fresh oysters to sizzling sausages and homemade nougat.
Olive harvest, Greece
It’s not just wine that can be described as liquid gold or divine
nectar. If you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty for the chance to
sample freshly pressed olive oil and snack on plump, rich olives,
consider an olive harvesting trip in Crete or Kalamata (yes, that
Kalamata). Visitors can help out with the harvest for a one-day or
one-week part of their Hellenic holiday.
National parks, United States and Canada
For the best display of nature’s mood-shifting ways, bookmark a
weekend away to a local national park, where the trees are singing their
last swan song in hues of burnt orange, red and yellow. All national
parks in Canada are free until the remainder of the year, to mark the
country’s 150th birthday, while the crowds have thinned at major
national parks in the U.S. following the summer rush.
Source - TheJakartaPost
