Looking for some of the best vacation spots in November? We’ve got you covered. November is a great month to escape to the islands and other exotic locations. If you’re traveling from the United States, time your trip before the Thanksgiving holiday to score deals on flights and hotel rooms.
You’ll find festivals celebrating rum, music, lobster and coffee. You can witness a buccaneer invasion in the Cayman Islands, or catch a match or two at the World Rugby Classic in Bermuda. Feast on conch, plan a trip to a world-renowned music festival, and stick around for a chance to see the Northern Lights. Read on for our picks for the best places to travel in November.
New Zealand
New Zealand provides foodies visiting Down Under with one of the best vacations in November. Started in 2009, the Taste of Auckland festival hosts renowned chefs, winemakers, brewers, producers and musicians, showcasing their respective art forms in this four-day event. The festival takes place by the water on Queens Wharf and utilizes the outdoor space of two nearby event venues, the Cloud and Shed 10. Your standard currency won’t work, as the festival uses its own currency: 1 Crown is equivalent to $1.
This year’s festival starts on Oct. 31 and ends Nov. 3.
Cayman Islands
You can chill on Grand Cayman’s fab Seven Mile Beach or hang with the residents of Stingray City anytime. But only Pirates Week lets you channel your inner Jack Sparrow. The national swashbuckling festival includes buccaneers “invading” from ships offshore. Spoiler alert: The governor is captured and — avast, me hearties — piracy rules.
From underwater treasure hunts and food festivals to 5Ks and fireworks, Pirates Week has something for fans of everything pirates. The festival kicks off with a bonfire on Cayman Brac from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3. The festivities continue on Grand Cayman from Nov. 7 to Nov. 11 for the festival’s biggest and most famous events. Finally, Pirates Week concludes on Little Cayman from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17 when the pirates invade before being cast away for another year.
Hawaii’s Big Island
Coffee lovers, listen up. The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival gives you the perfect opportunity to combine the luxury of a Hawaiian vacation with your favorite beverage in the islands’ oldest food festival. It’s a 10-day event that celebrates the industry, its producers, its consumers and, of course, its product on Hawaii’s Big Island. With art exhibits, tours, parades, barista trainings, a pageant and more, join other coffee fanatics and learn about and enjoy Kona’s 200-year-old, world-famous brew in one of warm vacation spots in November.
Festivities go for 10 days, starting Nov. 1 and ending on Nov. 10.
British Virgin Islands
Get off the beaten Virgin Islands path: Anegada is the least-visited of the British Virgin Islands, and its Lobster Festival — part of the sixth-annual BVI Food Fete – gives you a chance to explore it on a culinary safari. The route takes you from one end of the island to the other, sampling what chefs do with the island’s famous crustacean. Hint: They don’t just boil and grill them; they also turn them into sliders, fritters, salads, ceviche, curries and soups.
The BVI Food Fete begins on Nov. 7, as the Anegada Lobster Festival takes place on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Bermuda
Beach season is waning and so are hotel prices, but these late-year temperatures are ideal for exploring, playing golf and tennis — and watching rugby. The World Rugby Classic is the island’s athletic event of the year, hosting teams from Italy, Canada, Ireland and the United States, among others. If Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon’s Invictus got you hooked on this fast-and-furious sport, this is your chance to see some of its greats playing live.
General-admission tickets go for $25 per day, or you can purchase a five-day pass for $100. The World Rugby Classic goes from Nov. 2 to Nov. 9.
Iceland
The Iceland Airwaves music festival is an ideal time to experience the anything-goes spirit of the country’s capital, Reykjavik. Aside from the main stage, the festival hosts a variety of other events at other venues throughout the city. The festival also includes the Iceland Airwaves Conference, a program that provides a forum for local and international music professionals to network and collaborate. November is also the start of the rainy season in Iceland, but you can enjoy many of the country’s attractions, like hot springs, in any weather. Plus, November offers the chance to spot the fabled Northern Lights.
This year’s lineup includes Of Monsters and Men, Mac DeMarco, Hatari and Vök, among others. The festival takes place from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9.
