Why smart travelers are sitting out summer in Europe this year — and when they’re going instead

Picture it — Sicily, this coming August.

Sure, the island’s dramatic coastline will be perfect for swimming and sunbathing, but you’ll be sharing some pretty tight real estate with half of Europe, too.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the weather is almost nearly as hot and sunny, with a daily average of 80 degrees, but you won’t have to defend yourself against an army of pasty northern European invaders.

Welcome to travel’s famous “shoulder season” — you’ll love it here.

In fact, a growing number of travelers to Europe are rearranging their vacation calendars in order to sit out the crowding and heat waves of summer, waiting patiently for some time in the sun, with less of the insanity — not to mention lower prices — during September and October.

But don’t wait to try the quieter months out for yourself — travel industry experts say the delayed gratification approach has become so popular, the very notion of summer being the peak travel period, at least in some destinations, could be past its sell by date.

Tour operators are noting an uptick in interest not only in the fall, but also from March through early May, The Guardian reported.

Intrepid Travel, an adventure travel company, reported a 61% increase in shoulder season reservations to western Europe last year, leading them to increase the number of departures during those periods by as much as 47% in some countries.

The company called out the continent’s increasingly hot summer weather as a reason for the shift — in fact, the ramping up in spring and fall comes as interest in July and August hiking trips has plummeted, leading to Spain and Portugal being dropped from the schedule entirely during those months.

They’ve also dramatically cut back their programming in Greece, where the earliest heatwave ever recorded scorched the country in June with temperatures of 100 for more than three days running.

People are no longer “willing to travel while a heatwave is raging in Europe,” said Raph Giacardi, an editor at HolidayPirates, in an interview with The Guardian.

“To avoid extreme heat, we may see more holiday makers take advantage of traveling to European destinations during shoulder season in September and October, when temperatures are still warm but more comfortable and there are much better deals on flights, hotels and package holidays. Not to mention that crowds are usually much smaller too,” Giacardi said.

Last month, a report on travel trends from Mastercard Economics Institute showed an increase in shoulder season travel to Europe of about 1.8% over the past decade, with popular beach destinations like Croatia in the lead, shift-wise. Countries like Sweden, which can boast beautiful fall colors in season, also registered changes.

“This suggests it’s more than just hotter summers driving this change,” the authors noted. “Two major demographic shifts are likely also at play: more retirees who are free from work obligations, and more households without children that are free from school calendars.”