On the contrary: December is a particularly good time to visit many parts of the world, whether you’re searching for a classic snowy sign-off, have a nose for an off-season bargain, or just want to turn a blind eye to the approach of Christmas altogether.
Winter brings the best waves to stretches of Portugal’s Algarve in the off-season, a hotspot for surfing pros and beginners; Djibouti cools down in December, making this the ideal month to explore its surreal landscapes; and if you’re in the market for a dreamy tropical break, the weather in Phuket, Thailand, is simply perfect.
Find out where Lonely Planet’s destination experts recommend to bring your year of travel to a climax.
Follow in the footsteps of explorers like Darwin and Magellan and spend the end of the year at the end of the earth in remote Tierra del Fuego (translation: ‘land of fire’). This rugged South American archipelago, where the Andes taper into the Southern Ocean, is shared by Chile and Argentina.
Hit the stunning trails in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego to take in the prolific wildlife. Ships to Antarctica call to port in the Argentine city of Ushuaia, which prides itself on being the southernmost city in the world. From this major hub, you can cruise, kayak or take a catamaran on the Beagle Channel to glimpse some of the most pristine scenery in the world. Just down the channel lies Chile’s Puerto Williams, where wild colts roam the town’s main drag and the last living Yahgan speaker on earth dwells.
At the peak of the Southern Hemisphere summer, temperatures never rise above 50°F (10°C) and in December, there’s almost 18 hours of sunlight, meaning plenty of daylight hours for outdoor activities in the high season.
MaSovaida Morgan - Destination Editor for South America. Follow her tweets @MaSovaida.
Koreans love their outdoor sports, and December is the perfect time for snow fanatics to hit the slopes here. Gangwon-do, Korea’s most northeasterly province, is home to numerous winter sport resorts, including Pyeongchang county, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2018. Among the top resorts, Yongpyong and Alpensia are the largest and will see many of the 2018 Games’ snow events. Facilities here are extremely modern, with lifts and gondolas whisking skiers and boarders up the 30-odd pistes. The season generally starts in early December and this is a good month to come, as it is quieter than in the new year.
Gangwon also has an abundance of natural hot springs, which means your après-ski can include soaking aching muscles in a mountain-top pool on a frosty evening. Among the more popular hot springs in Gangwon-do are Osaek in Mount Seorak-san, the Cheorwon Hot Spring and Seorak Hanwha Waterpia, a huge aquatic complex incorporating hot spring pools, fountains, wave pools and other types of baths.
Megan Eaves - Destination Editor for North Asia. Follow her tweets @megoizzy.
Perched on the Horn of Africa, and forming one side of the gateway to the Red Sea, this petite nation boasts geological wonders, aquatic adventures and absorbing culture. Straddling three diverging tectonic plates, the country is being ripped in three – but don’t fear, this is a reason to book a trip, not to cancel one! The landscapes being created from this epic battle are rather spellbinding: subsiding lakes are lined with shimmering salt crystals, basalt flows from dramatic canyons and plateaus, and Martian-style deserts are dotted with towering vents spewing steam from the earth’s insides.
Although hot year-round, December is in the middle of the coolest period, making it a great time to explore. Head to Lac Assal – at 155m below sea level, the lowest spot on the continent – to watch Afar nomads gathering salt, or take a cool dip in the Bay of Ghoubbet where swimming among whale sharks is almost guaranteed in December.
Matt Phillips - Destination Editor for sub-Saharan Africa. Follow his tweets @Go2MattPhillips.
A decade ago this month, thousands of tourists – and many more locals – were soaking up the high-season sun on Thailand’s most popular resort island when the unthinkable happened. The road to recovery following the Boxing Day tsunami was a long one for Phuket, but, on the 10th anniversary of the disaster, it’s heartening to observe just how far this little corner of paradise has come.
With the year’s best odds for perfect weather, December is the perfect time to escape the northern hemisphere winter for the shores of Phuket. And the province has never looked better. While not without controversy, a recent military-led beach clean-up has undoubtedly helped to restore the natural beauty of Phuket’s beaches, where all commercial activities are now banned. And following a crackdown on illegal taxis, it’s now easier – not to mention cheaper – to explore the island’s many other attractions, from the fantastic Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Talang to terrific new haute Thai restaurant deep lee at the luxuriously secluded Anantara Phuket Layan. Day trips to the nearby Similan Islands, Phang-Nga Bay, and Ko Phi Phi are also made easier by the calm, clear waters that lap Phuket from December to February.
Sarah Reid - Destination Editor for Southeast Asia. Follow her tweets @sarahtrvls.
Purges and pole-dancing kick off the festive month in Guatemala’s Highlands, making December possibly the best month of the year to head for the hills and sample local fiestas as beaches fill up and cities empty out for local holidays elsewhere in Central America.
Surrounded by mist and mountains, the market town of Chichicastenango (Chichi, for short) makes a perfect base for festive fun. In this one small indigenous stronghold, December brings a double helping of fiestas. First up, the Devil gets the heave-ho during pre-Christian ceremonies at the Quema del Diablo (Burning of the Devil) – sort of like a Guy Fawkes-in-Devil’s-clothing affair. The purge is quickly followed two weeks later by a saintly spectacle in the town plaza, when death-defying locals fling themselves around the 30m-high palo volador (flying pole) to honour the town’s patron saint as part of the Fiesta de Santo Tomás.
When the fireworks, traditional dances and bonfires are all burnt out, stick around for Chichi’s famed market on Sundays and Thursdays to pick up a Santa’s sack worth of locally made gifts to send home.
Lorna Parkes - Destination Editor for Central America & the Caribbean. Follow her tweets @LP_Lorna.
Wild and rugged, Portugal’s western Algarve coast is the place to go for some winter surf. The best waves in this part of Portugal generally occur from November to March, when they range in height from 2m to 4.5m.
This is also low season, meaning you'll pay much less for accommodation than during the popular summer months. You’ll have the pick of Portugal’s surf schools, so seasoned surfers can brush up on their skills, while newcomers get all the support they need before hitting the waves.
Operators are concentrated around the attractive town of Lagos, and villages Sagres and Carrapateira, and offer weekly packages that tend to include simple accommodation, meals and transport to surfing beaches. Carrapateira is particularly famous among the global surfing community and many schools will head over this way to take advantage of the popular break. Nearby, the area around Praia do Penedo is a good choice for beginners.
Jo Cooke – Destination Editor for Iberian Europe and Turkey. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaCooke1.
