Philippines

When to go:

The Philippines is hot throughout the year, with brief respites possible from December to February. For most of the country, the dry season is roughly November to May. Rains start in June, peak in August, and start tapering off in October. Typhoons are common from June to early December. But in parts of the country the seasons are flipped. Eastern Mindanao, Southern Leyte, Samar and Southeast Luzon are rainy from December to March and relatively dry when the rest of the country is sopping. The central Visayas are sheltered from the monsoon rains and thus have less pronounced seasons. These areas are liable to have rain at any time of the year, but it usually won’t be too serious unless there’s a typhoon stirring up trouble.