The Pros and Cons of Travelling in Winter
When it comes to wintertime, if you are in the northernmost part of the world you are going to have to deal with either grey skies, rain, and bitter cold, or you will be faced with snow, ice, and freezing cold. I don’t know about you but neither of these are pleasant and I’d try to avoid it if possible.
When it comes to travelling in winter, the best choice is up to personal opinion, however, many trips are cheaper and more affordable during the winter months, making it a more desirable time to travel. Travelling to warmer climates is much easier and allows for outdoor fun despite the winter months.
So, when it gets to wintertime and you are deciding on whether you want to stay at home and deal with the cold or if you want to take your family on a trip somewhere, read through this guide. I will give you the positives of both travelling in winter, and staying in a cold, snowy situation. Along with this, I will give some of the most common types of trips that people take when they do go on winter vacations.
Why Might You Travel in Winter?
The simplest and most common reason that many people decide to travel during the winter months is for one of two reasons:
First is so that they can go and visit family members to spend the holidays with such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve. However, we aren’t going to cover that as I can’t decide if spending time with your family members is a pro of travelling or a con, it all depends on the family.
The second reason, to go in an environment that is different. Some want a change from cold, rainy, or snowy environment to a warmer area. Others just want to make the most of winter sports and travel to pristine snow capped mountains.
The reason that so many choose to go on international trips during these seasons is that tourism rates are typically at their lowest during the winter months. This means that the price of a trip will often be cheaper as well as the price for things like accommodations and plane tickets. During winter months, a trip to Italy will cost you about $109 a day, however, during busier months the average daily cost raises to $309, nearly triple.
Pros
Travelling in Winter
If you decide to go to a warmer or colder area, then you are most like going to pick somewhere where there are nice activities to do or where you can relax.
Travelling for Warmer Climates
Warmer tropical climates means you can go to the beach and do any other water activities in order to enjoy the warm weather. The Caribbean islands come to mind or Indonesia for an amazing tropical escape.
Alternatively there are some warmer places to go within Europe. Souther Europe like Greece, Malta and Spain tends to have milder weather in winter. Although it does depend on the year, some years are a lot colder than others. 2022 was one of those milder years, but mostly winters in the Mediterranean do get cold in peak winter season. That means that the best spot is likely going to be the Canary Islands which is warmer.
Travelling for Snow and Ice
If you do decide to travel to take advantage of the snow and cold weather, there are plenty of opportunities to do that as well.
There are amazingly large Christmas markets in Europe, two of my favourites being the one in Vienna, Austria and Budapest in Hungry. Additionally Europe has some of the nicest winter resorts with a variety of fun activities for everyone in the family. Zermatt-Matterhorn in Switzerland is the very best, alternatively Kranjska Gora in Slovenia and Etna in Sicily are more affordable options.
For something more novel there is Kemi and Lapland in Finland which is magical in the winter season. There is loads of stuff to do and keep you entertained and in awe. First off you can get Reindeer safari from Levi that will take you through the icy heartland that is Lapland. You can choose to stay in an igloo to see the northern lights, your choice of:
From Rovaniemi there is a day trip to the Snow Castle which is quite the highlight especially if you have kids in tow. For an authentic Finnish experience you may want to go for a ride on the IceBreaker.
Additionally to put the cherry on the cake there is Ruka Resort. It’s an excellent family ski resort complete with 35 slopes and 22 lifts. There are hundreds of fabulous places to stay to experience the slopes and top off your holiday in Finland.
Stay Home During Winter
If you choose to stay home instead of going out and traveling, then you are going to know better than anyone else what the positives of your home are. However, along with whatever you have around your house that can keep you and your family entertained, there are some pros to staying home during the winter.
First, you are going to save even more money. Let’s face it, even a cheap international trip can be very expensive and by staying at home you are going to be saving all of that additional money.
Along with that, if there is snow outside then you can enjoy a variety of fun snowtime activities including building a snowman, sledding, and snowball fights. You also have lots of different indoor activities like board games, puzzles, and arts-and-crafts.
Cons
Travelling During Winter
Vacations are pretty great, so what cons are you really going to have to worry about, especially if you are getting out of the cold weather and are enjoying some time on a beach or just enjoying the warmth in some warmer area?
Well, if you do decide to go to a warm area you have to worry about the facts of getting too much sun and warmth as both heat exhaustion and sunburns are very common and can really make you regret a vacation. Depending on how bad the sunburn is you may end up spending all of your remaining time indoors recovering.
Staying Home During Winter
But, if you are already considering getting out of the house and going on a vacation then you likely already know the cons of staying home. Being cold and trapped inside can get boring and frustrating quickly. Plus, for many, indoor activities can only be done so many times and if you go out into the snow you will have to worry about things like colds and sometimes even frostbite.
Common Travel Options During Winter
So, if you do end up choosing to go on a vacation instead of just sticking around your home, you are then faced with another question, where to go? There are 195 countries in the world and 50 states in the United States that you can choose from, so what are your best options going to be?
Well, if you want to enjoy the luxuries of Europe while still getting to enjoy the snowy weather and northern countries in Europe, then you will want to go on a trip to a ski resort/ snow town.
Another great option that many people tend to enjoy is going on a cruise. Many cruises will go through warmer areas and will allow for you to experience a variety of different places, ranging from the Caribbean to Alaska, to the Mediterranean and the Norwegian Fjords.
Along with these, there are a variety of islands, cities, and even countries that make for great winter trips that any family can enjoy.
