7 reasons to take vacations in January

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1. You deserve it! It’s just that simple. And you’re grown, you don’t have to explain to anyone why you need a vacation. The holidays season can be fatiguing, and it is a great way to start the new year – relax, and recreate.

2. Airfares are low, hotels are cheap, and businesses are literally giving away the products and services. It is off-peak season and it is the best time to enjoy some quietude. Besides, the children are taken with their new toys at home, and showing off their acquisitions at school – they will therefore not even miss you for those two weeks.

3. The beaches are less crowded…..well, everywhere is less crowded; again, it is off-peak season, so less traffic and less travellers.

4. If you are self-employed, business is slow, so what better time to head for the border? And if you are employed, then business is slow so what better time to head for the border?!…..You get my drift.

5. If you are headed to places such as India, the weather is perfect at this time; China – not good, it is horridly cold; Buenos Aires – fantastic; the Caribbean – is there a time that the climate here is not utopic? Brazil – best time to visit the Amazon, because there is an entirely new eco-system that manifests during this rainy season in the Pantanal (the world’s largest tropical wetland); a truly amazing and memorable experience! Actually, anywhere in South America (and other equatorial regions) is great at this time of the year. Also, it is the perfect time to cruise, but not to Antartica or Alaska…..brrr!

Europe, like North America, will be cold, so if you’re a skier, consider Finland’s Igloo Village Kakslauttanen, The Hotel of Ice, in Quebec or Romania, Sweden, or Norway. But if you are a temperate-seeking soul, like me, and have £10,000 laying around, then spend a night in Dubai’s Burg-Al-Arab, the world’s only 7 star hotel.

And when you do visit, do send me some photos, as I am still saving up for that one night of palatial splendour……well, I did grace the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Las Vegas Palms, which goes for $10,000/ night, but that did not feel too regent, so I guess the price is not a good indicator is it? well, in their defence, it may have been because Kanye West had just trashed it with his jamming cantilevered pool party (they drained the pool and hosted a major throwdown 550 ft above the strip!). Yes, everyone was drunk, no one sober would do that.

6. Visas, passports, and all such immigration matters are best applied for at the beginning of the year – the quota is open and the applicants are fewer, and immigration agents are more generous (okay, the last one is mere conjecture, as there are no stats to prove that immigration officers have any non-vigilant moments). And bear in mind that in many parts of the world, travel vaccinations is a major consideration, and can result in a refusal to grant you entrance; plan accordingly.

7. And here is the best part of travelling at the beginning of the year – a significantly more pleasant travel experience all-around. Everyone is still in their ”holiday” mode, so they are less grumpy – even the TSA agents; now that statement, and all others, are made from years of travel experience, and observation.

And by the way, if your travels are taking you to the Balkans or Asia, then I would like to share an amazingly informative website I recently discovered. And whereever your destination, buon viaggio!