4 inspired ideas for winter travel destinations

There are lots of ways Canadians like to spend the winter. Some of us like to soak up the sun on a faraway beach, and others are just as happy playing in the snow. Here are four inspiring ideas for winter travel destinations.

Are you a hardy Canadian who holds no grudges against winter? For you, is winter a chance to do the sports you love and then cozy up to a warm drink near the fireplace? You don’t even mind the inconveniences, like shoveling the driveway or (trying to) defrost the car windows?

• If you love winter sports, fly to France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain or Austria to ski the snowy Alps or the slopes of the Pyrenees.
• Scandinavia is also a paradise for winter lovers; why not visit Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark or Iceland?
• If you’ve always dreamed of seeing penguins in their natural environment, you would enjoy an Antarctic summer in January.

If you’ll do just about anything to escape the cold weather, the Caribbean is certainly among the best winter destinations.

• The Dominican Republic, Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas and Guadeloupe are just a few of the options if you’re hungry for sunny beaches and piña coladas.
• Surfers may dream of Hawaii, but there’s also the California coast and Mexico, Costa Rica or Brazil. The best time to visit Brazil? In February, of course, during Rio’s famous Carnival.
• Winter is also a great time to discover Senegal, the magnificent beaches of South Africa, the white sand of the Maldives or the flora and fauna of southern Australia.

In all these places the temperatures are pleasant, and the tourists not too plentiful.

• Winter is a fine time to visit the Sahara desert, go on safari in Kenya or do some trekking in Morocco.
• Among the best winter destinations abroad, there is also Egypt, India, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Philippines.
• If you go to China, choose the southern part where it will be warm during the Canadian winter season.

Perhaps you’d like to change the way you do Christmas.

• If you decide to spend the holiday season abroad, consider Finland with all its colorful Christmas traditions.
• You could also visit the many Christmas markets in Europe, including those of Strasbourg, Munich and Brussels – unless you prefer to spend Christmas under a palm tree, that is.