Tailormade tour operator Audley Travel's country specialists recommend trips for clients able to travel out of the peak summer period, with suggestions for destinations with pleasant temperatures, fewer crowds and memorable experiences in May and June.

Vietnam

Central Vietnam is a great choice for a May or June trip, avoiding the high season prices of April and before the European school holidays begin. The central region is an ideal destination as the sun shines with very little rain expected, and Hoi An serves as a lovely beach destination for clients wanting a relaxing trip.

A 14-day tailormade trip to Central Vietnam costs from £5,890 per person (based on two sharing) and includes flights, accommodation, transfers, and excursions. Clients explore Hoi An's UNESCO recognised Old Town, unearth Vietnam's modern and ancient history in Hue including a night's stay in a traditional garden house, spot Langur and birdlife in Son Tra Nature Reserve and relax on the idyllic beach of Lang Co. 01993 838 140 / www.audleytravel.com/vietnam

Greece

Across Greece's mainland and islands, June is an ideal time to visit as everything is fully open and the temperatures start to rise, but the real heat hasn't yet set in.  June is also when many festivals take place across the country. For example, the Athens and Epidavros Festival gives clients a chance to see ancient Greek plays performed in historic venues in both cities, including the Theatre of Epidavros.

An 11-day Mainland Greece tour costs from £5,995 per person (based on two sharing) and includes flights, accommodation, transfers and excursions. Clients join a private food walking tour sampling different snacks from local eateries in Athens, explore the stunning Meteora monasteries with a private guide (from Kastraki), learn about the life of bees on an afternoon with a local beekeeper and kayak and snorkel around underwater ruins and visit a deserted beach from Nafplio in the heart of the Peloponnese. 01993 838 027 / www.audleytravel.com/greece

Sri Lanka

The east coast of Sri Lanka is a good value option in early summer. The different seasons on the country's coastlines mean that although the south west is wetter, the cultural sites around Sigiriya and the beaches of the east coast (for example, Passikudah - a small coastal village famous for its golden bay and clear, shallow waters in which visitors can wade 50 metres out to sea) are in sunshine.

A 14-day Sri Lanka tour costs from £5,150 per person (based on two sharing) and includes flights, accommodation, transfers and excursions. Clients explore some of Sri Lanka's cultural treasures in Sigiriya, spot elephants on safari and snorkel over coral formations and schools of reef fish on the coast. 01993 838 335 / www.audleytravel.com

USA's national parks

May (before Memorial Day weekend at the end of the month) is a great time to visit the national parks of the US.

Across the northern half of the country, spring has settled in with pleasantly warm temperatures and April rains have left much of the landscape green from the grasslands of the Midwest to the woodlands of New England. It is therefore a great time to explore outdoors, especially in the national parks where the wildlife is active.

In the southern half of the country, spring is starting to turn into summer, but days are still comfortable and clients can expect dry weather and sunny skies.

Audley Travel has a 15 day self-drive trip to explore the Cultures and Canyons of Western USA, with time in the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Saguaro National Park and Zion National Park as well as Las Vegas. The trips costs from £3,885 per person (based on two sharing) and includes flights, accommodation, car hire and excursions. 01993 838755 / www.audleytravel.com/USA 

For more information on Audley's tailormade trips, and recommendations for travel by month, visit Inspiration Search | Trip Finder | Audley Travel

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