Choose a Different Kind of Holiday – Christmas Travel Ideas
Did the sweet holiday season leave you exhausted? Us too! The packages were wrapped, Christmas cards dropped in the mail and the favorite cookies were made for friends and family. And after three parties in one week, we’re daydreaming of a different kind of holiday in 2018.
Whatever your fantasy for 2018 Christmas travel ideas, now is the time to start planning. Flights and hotels in faraway places are typically booked by July, which gives you about six months to do your research, decide on a travel itinerary, and block out vacation dates on your calendar.
If you want to use miles, you should book air a year out. From now until December 2018, keep that fantasy in mind, because the trip you begin planning now will be bringing your dream to life.
Book a Custom Trip for the Most Flexibility
Although there are a variety of available group trips, a customized trip may give you the most flexibility in Christmas travel if you have complicated schedules. A custom trip is ideal because you can be very specific about when, where and how you spend your holiday.
Winter is the perfect time to go to Asia or Southeast Asia, because it’s after the monsoon season and before it gets too hot. All of the countries in that region offer rich cultural experiences and both relaxing and active vacations.
Escape for the Holidays! Book a custom trip to Asia or Southeast Asia.
5 Amazing Destinations in Asia and Southeast Asia for your Christmas Travel Ideas
1. You want to unplug and relax on a beach:
Try Ngapali Beach on the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar. Our year-round travelers often extend their two-week Myanmar tour to include a few days of beach combing on the miles of white sands, blue waters, and rural setting of Ngapali (pronounced Napally). If you are short on time, you can make Ngapali your sole destination, or spend a day or two exploring Yangon and then a short flight to the beach for a few days. (Unplugging is at your discretion since today almost all hotels, even those in remote areas, have Wi-Fi connections.)
2. You want a cultural experience and down time:
Your ideal trip can mix cultural experiences and sacred sites with lovely boat rides that give you down time to catch your breath. Try a stop in Vietnam, with visits to museums, lively markets, Cham temple ruins and vibrant hill tribes. Then on to Halong Bay for at least a 3-day/2-night cruise or even time kayaking through caves and into lagoons. If your vacation is a bit longer than a week – 11-14 days, throw in time in Laos or a visit to Angkor Wat and a boat ride on Tonle Sap in Cambodia.
3. You want a holiday with all the trimmings:
People of all faiths celebrate the holidays in South India, but those in Goa, which has a large Christian population, go all out with lights, decorations, and gift giving. New Year’s Eve you can head for the Pune hills and the Sunburn Festival, India’s Electronic Dance Music Festival that feature artists from throughout the world. A quieter option is to begin with a tour the temples, gardens, and palaces of Cochin, Alleppy, and other South Indian towns and wrap up your trip with a day or two on the beach in Goa.
4. You want family-together time:
Nothing makes a child’s heart beat faster than a chance to bathe an elephant or go paragliding over the Annapurna range in Nepal. Then there’s the thrill of tracking tigers during game drive India’s Ranthambore National Park or rhino watching in Chitwan, Nepal. These adventures will keep boredom at bay for everyone in your family.
5. You want to give yourself a high-end holiday of luxury and pampering:
Why not give yourself a present? A stay at a luxury spa-hotel in Vietnam or Nepal is a delightful break from the holiday hoopla. At the Six Senses in Nanh Van Bay, Vietnam or Dwarika’s Resort Dhulikhel in Nepal, you’ll be served delicious meals of fresh, local food and a menu of facials, massages, yoga and traditional wellness treatments. The views alone of the bay in Vietnam or the Himalayas in Nepal are rejuvenating.
