World Climate: Christmas in Summer
and Long Underwear in July

When to go? A special trip can be ruined by the wrong time of year so always check world climate information before you go.

I'll never forget stepping off the plane in Cape Town in shorts and a T-shirt - in mid-July - and watching my own breath curling upwards. I'd forgotten winter and summer were reversed in the Southern Hemisphere!

My first shopping stop? Long underwear...

So, unless you love weather extremes, stay away from Southeast Asia during April's crushing humidity, from North Africa in the torrid heat of July, and from the Canadian North in January!

So when is the best time to visit?

If we're talking weather and climate, there are never any guarantees, especially with global warming making temperatures even more unreliable.

Large areas have huge weather extremes, sometimes within a single country. You can't compare Florida with Seattle or Buenos Aires with Patagonia.

Much will depend on what you plan to do. Switzerland is great for skiing in winter - but not for hiking. Mediterranean beaches are fine for swimming more than half the year - but snow has been known to fall on Nice. If you're making your way across the Caribbean, do so when there are boats - but no rainy season

Be aware too of special events. Don't visit Cannes during the Film Festival - unless you're a cinephile. If you want to dance in the streets, get to the Rio carnival on time. Heavy tourist attractions will also mean little available accommodation at a much higher price, so plan your arrival carefully.

One recent Easter holiday, British tourists accustomed to cold and rain packed their suntan lotions and bathing suits and headed off to Spain - and found cold and rain! Had they stayed home, the heat wave in England would have kept them hot and tanned. So, you never really know.