Pinay Traveller Recommends #11: Alternative Winter Holidays

It’s almost winter!

For tropical Asians, this statement doesn’t really mean much. After all, most countries this side of the world only have two seasons:  wet and dry.  In the Philippines, the dry season lasts from  December to May and the wet season, from June to November.

But recently, the line between the two seasons has been getting  more and more blurred.

As a Filipina who constantly professes her love for tropical climate, I can’t imagine ever vacationing in winter wonder lands in December.  But if I ever do, there are a couple of places I’d like to check out.

Edmonton in Canada offers spectacular views of the Northern Lights, says my friend Rose who moved there a couple of years ago.  Also known as  Aurora Borealis, it is a phenomenon that has captivated travellers from all over the world.  It  is  on my personal list and will be one of the very few reasons I will voluntarily leave the warmth of Manila for.

The Christmas Market or Christkindlesmarkt in Germany  is another very attractive option.  Each year  during the four weeks of advent,  people flock to these open-air markets  to enjoy  traditional German arts and crafts, food and wine.   Just the thought of sampling Christmas cookies or Lebkuchen and the egg bread with candied fruits called  Christstollen makes me want to book a ticket now.

Finally, I am not one who would want to spend time in a cold place.  But skiing would be something I’d like to do at least once in my life.   I read that in  Hokkaido, Japan, snow falls constantly so that snow enthusiasts (or even just snow enthusiast-wannabes) are assured of a fresh supply of snow to ski on everyday.  Coupled with Japan’s unique culture, this will likely make the experience very memorable.

Aside from Japan, there are other places one can go to to enjoy skiing.  Colorado and New Zealand come to mind.  It would be ideal  to arrange all inclusive winter skiing holidays to help in planning and perhaps even budgeting. But however one spends his or her winter holiday, the important thing is to enjoy the experience and make the trip worthwhile.