Top 5 Travel Experiences for October 2019

Last updated on March 21st, 2021 at 01:39 pm

Summer may be over but that doesn’t mean your wanderlust has to be bottled up until next year. Festivals, fairs, celebrations and once-a-year stellar events make October one of the best months for exploring the world. 

From star-gazing to stein-guzzling and wine tasting (remember to be careful and drink alcohol moderately), there’s a lot of top events and experiences going on around the world. 

Here’s our Top 5 Experiences:

Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest, September 21 – October 06, 2019

There are beer tents and there are BEER TENTS, Oktoberfest falls into the latter category but it’s not all about the steins. The annual event dates back to October 12, 1810. Munich’s residents were invited to celebrate the union of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese at a festival held on the fields in front of the city – and Oktoberfest was born.  

Over 7 million people now attend Oktoberfest every year to enjoy traditional Bavarian music, sing-alongs, the fairground rides and, of course, the beer all of which comes from the local breweries. 

Lyon, France

The Vogue des Marrons, October 5 – November 11

The Vogue des Marrons is Lyon’s biggest and best funfair. In the late 19th century, The Vogue marked the last of the 12 funfairs held throughout the city between Easter and All Saints’ Day. Locals would taste recently bottled white wines, eat the season’s first hot chestnuts and dance in the streets – and not a lot has changed. In 2019, the Lyonnais celebrate the 150th anniversary of the month-long festival. 

Away from the fair and Lyon is packed with excellent museums, beautiful architecture and plenty of lovely food – it’s even made the Lonely Planet list of the best European destinations to visit in 2019. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, October 5 – 13

What a load of hot air! For once, that’s a good thing…The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the world’s largest annual gathering of hot-air balloons and is responsible for some of the most striking images you’ll see anywhere.

More than 500 balloons will sail silently through the sky across the event, there’s the daily dawn and dusk ‘glows’ where tethered balloons light-up in synchronised displays. Special shape balloons are a fan-favourite where you’ll see anything from ginormous cartoon characters to carousels and Star Wars characters.

Namibia, Africa

Orionids Meteor Shower, October 21 – 22

You can actually see the Orionids meteor shower from pretty much anywhere in the world, so why Namibia? 

Two reasons. First, Namibia is one of the best stargazing destinations in the world – the NamibRand Nature Reserve, one of Africa’s largest private nature reserves, is the continent’s only International Dark Sky Reserve which means it offers exceptional starry nights.

Second, it’s an incredible destination offering unforgettable experiences. You can trek along sand dunes, camp in the desert and even take a safari across the Namibia desert. 

London, UK

The London Restaurant Festival, 1 – 31 October

If you can’t make it overseas then there’s still plenty going on in the UK. The month-long London Restaurant Festival, now in its 11th year, celebrates the capital’s extraordinary food scene.  

There are over 60 individual events and experiences taking place over the month including restaurant-hopping bus tours, wine tastings, cocktail making masterclasses and restaurant showcases hosted by top chefs including MasterChef judge Monica Galetti. 

If you think we’ve missed a top October event or travel experience, let us know in the comments.