Every year, the weather turns cold and travelers are left with a simple decision: embrace the chill, grab your heavy coat and head off into the snow, or make a break for the warmer climates. No matter how you choose to spend it, there are numerous winter vacation destinations waiting for your arrival.
This is the best time of year for those that prefer the shimmering white of the mountains. Whether you ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or just prefer the solitude that the darker months provide, winter destinations bring millions to the northern regions every year.
In America, the standard is set. No matter if
you want to hit the slopes or just sip hot chocolate in
the lodge, Aspen
is for you. The snow drenched Colorado
hamlet is beset by avid skiers every year, its legendary
ski resorts known worldwide. For millions, this
is the premier of any possible Christmas vacation destinations.
Just outside the sparkling metropolis of Vancouver
is another ski that is synonymous with skiing. The
height of winter vacation destinations in Canada,
the slopes here are renowned to no end. Covering
8000 acres and providing runs for all skill levels, if
you are going on a ski trip that does not end in Aspen,
this is the ultimate in skiing.
Unless you are already in Europe. In which case,
you may have heard of a little mountain range called the
Alps. Stretching across the border of France
and Switzerland, here you’ll find one of Europe’s
favorite Christmas vacation destinations.
Combining picture perfect mountainsides with quaint ski
lodges, the Alps offer a winter setting that cannot be
topped.
There’s a certain mystique that is attached to
fall in New
York, but none of that appeal falls away as the calendar
turns toward December. While New
York City is always one of the country’s top
tourist options, it remains the most popular of the urban
Christmas vacation destinations in America. Go ice
skating at Rockefeller
Center, explore Central Park beneath three inches
of snow, or warm up in one of the city’s famed museums
– everything in the five boroughs takes on a romanticized
appeal late in the year.
But not everyone supports the cold. Both the Caribbean
and Hawaii
see thousand upon thousand tourists looking to escape
the dark night of winter by flocking to the palm trees
and sandy beaches offered there. Also, many countries
in the southern hemisphere must be included in a list
of popular winter vacation destinations, due to their
opposing seasons. The South Pacific, with ideal
winter destinations like Fiji, New Zealand and the Philippines,
offers many opportunities to flee the onset of freezing
weather. And, of course, there is the permanent
attraction of Australia,
which seems twice as exotic as your own hometown fills
with sleet and snow. Always one of the most popular
winter destinations (winter in the northern hemisphere,
that is), the glistening cities of Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane are wonderful respites from wherever you are
trying to escape from.
